Vicious Is

The Democrats have decided that Neil Gorsuch, one of the most qualified nominees for the Supreme Court in recent memory, is unacceptable because—Trump! They have worked hard to demonize the man, have ginned up false charges of plagiarism, misogyny, favoritism, yadda, yadda. They have threatened to filibuster the Supreme Court nominee for the first time in United States history. In response, the GOP has decided to extend the "Reid Rule" (created by Democrat, Harry Reid, and approved by Democrats in the Senate) eliminating the filibuster for Federal judges to the Supreme court to avoid a Dem filibuster. The Dems are crazed over an extension of their own Reid Rule.

The bottom line is this. In trying to nullify the nomination of Neil Gorsuch, the Dems have raised Trump Derangement Syndrome to high art. Their move is politically stupid (for them) and generally reprehensible (for the rest of us). If they persist, the Reid Rule (a.k.a. the "nuclear option") will be instituted.

Looking back at the history of Supreme Court nominees, the Dems have been vicious in their opposition to nominees they didn't like—Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, and even Samuel Alito. All were subjected to vilification and innuendo. Politics is not softball, and the Dems have proven that to be true with unparalleled viciousness. Contrast this to vocal but civil opposition to Obama appointees, Elana Kagan (Senate vote: 63-37, no filibuster) or Sonia Sotomayor (Senate vote: 68-31, no filibuster). In both cases, there was opposition, but it remained well within the bounds of Senate debate.

Richard Fernandez assessed this when he writes:

Uncompromising stands are nothing new for the Democratic party. The difference is that this time the Republicans aren't giving way. The strange guy with orange complexion has put the progressives out of reckoning by being just as unreasonable as the conservatives thought the liberals were. The strategy of "by any means necessary", so effective when the Democrats enjoyed a monopoly on its use is now transformed into a pact of mutually assured destruction as the other side adopts similar methods.

As of today, only three Democrats have indicated that they'll vote in favor of Gorsuch, allowing the remaining 44 to enact a filibuster. I'm hopeful more will join in a "yes" vote, but I'm not optimistic. We'll find out later today.

Although I am against the Reid Rule in principle, it's time for the GOP to play hardball. Opposition to Gorsuch is unprincipled and vicious. It is partisan politics at its worst ... and please, spare me the whining about a lack of hearings for Obama appointee, Merrick Garland, who was nominated during Obama's last year in office. Can anyone honestly argue that the Dems would have allowed hearings and a vote if George W. Bush tried to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in his last year in office? Using Garland as a reason to filibuster Grosuch is mindless nonsense, but that didn't stop the New York Times from editorializing: "... Republicans stole the seat after Justice Scalia died by denying Judge Garland a vote for eight months." So ... since the seat has been "stolen," the court will undoubtedly be deemed illegitimate by progressives (see Update that follows).

As the Dems work to destroy collegiality within the senate, the nuclear option looms. More than a few of us who have watched this circus unfold have gotten to a place where "Nuke 'em" is the operative choice. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, "Vicious is as vicious does."

UPDATE:
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The Democrats and their trained hamsters in the media will be apoplectic if and when the nuclear option is invoked. I suspect they'll tell us that the Supreme Court has been compromised and is no longer an institution to be respected. That's a pathetic and dangerous statement, but it's part and parcel of the sore-loser attitude that has been so prevalent since the Dems lost the election.

Progressives believe that their moral superiority allows them to be vicious in their attacks on a decent man and an exemplary judge, but when viciousness is re-directed at them, they get indignant and unhinged. Nuke 'em and move on.