Susan Collins May Just Have Driven A Stake Through Progressive Hopes Of Stopping Trump’s SCOTUS Nomination

Following a procedural vote aimed at reopening the government, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, center, was praised by her fellow lawmakers for leading the bipartisan effort, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 22, 2018. From left are, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Right now the left is chasing its tail concocting bullsh** theories on how it can stop President Trump from nominating a conservative justice to the Supreme Court. SPOILER ALERT: they can’t. The are only two things that will prevent the nomination and confirmation of a justice like Neil Gorsuch (I’m still waiting for the Never Trump people to reprise their whining “b-b-b-but Gorsuch” nonsense as though the confirmation of Supreme Court justices actually didn’t matter). The first is that Trump will lose his nerve, imagine that he can be pals with Chuck Schumer and go for a “unity” nomination.

“I wish this president would engage in conversations and nominate a consensus candidate,” Biden said of Trump’s choice to replace Kennedy. “That’s what we’ve done in the past. That’s what America needs and deserves. He won’t.” https://t.co/tlf9jfTzSA

— William W. Cummings (@wwcummings) June 29, 2018

The second danger, as I pointed out yesterday, is that enough GOP senators, either from love of baby-killing or just from spite, will bolt the caucus that Trump’s nominee can’t win confirmation.

That latter path may have just been foreclosed.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine will not apply an ideological litmus test to the next Supreme Court nominee, her spokeswoman said Thursday.

Collins’ position, which is consistent with her past practice on high court nominees, means she won’t factor a nominee’s support for the landmark abortion-rights ruling of Roe v. Wade into her confirmation decision.
…
“When Senator Collins evaluates judges, she always looks at their judicial temperament; qualifications; experience; and respect for precedent, the rule of law, and the Constitution,” Collins spokeswoman Annie Clark said via email. “These are exactly the same criteria she applied when she evaluated President Bush’s Supreme Court nominees, President Obama’s nominees, and President Trump’s most recent nominee.”

“Senator Collins does not apply ideological litmus tests to nominees,” Clark said

Stare decisis is good and all but let’s not make a fetish of it. If we did Plessy v. Ferguson would still be the law of the land–just as Korematsu vs. US is. Just this week a major case, Abood v. Detroit Board of Education was reversed for much the same reason. It became clear after testing that the legal framework was incompatible with the Constitution.

To say this statement by Collins has set off a panic is an understatement.

The Supreme Court nomination is the true litmus test for Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.Will they continue to put party over the things they profess to believe, and vote to confirm a justice who will blow up every remaining protection for women? I wish I were optimistic.

— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) June 27, 2018

forget spin. vote for nominee = “vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. Susan Collins cannot simultaneously say she supports Roe v. Wade and support anybody on that list; that would be quite hypocritical.”
https://t.co/frzHVxaXoO

— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) June 29, 2018

BREAKING: @SenatorCollins says she will not factor in Roe v. Wade: “she won’t factor a nominee’s support for the landmark abortion-rights ruling of Roe v. Wade into her confirmation decision.” This is unconscionable. Set her straight. #mepolitics https://t.co/lkQSXu4OVj

— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) June 29, 2018

And they are using their well-honed people skills to make their case:

Pro-Choicers Are Sending Coat Hangers to Sen. Susan Collins: With President Donald #Trump poised to nominate a new Supreme Court justice in the wake of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement, all eyes are on senators such as Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins, who… https://t.co/u2QvH6Ak2q pic.twitter.com/agoQWXb5KU

— CITIZENS for CHANGE™ (@cfcpac) June 29, 2018

It’s already begun. pic.twitter.com/Rr2BE1JZH9

— June Casagrande (@JuneCasagrande) June 29, 2018

Who knows what Collins will do. She voted for Gorsuch knowing that he would not change the philosophical bent of the Court. The next nominee…and the one following…have the potential to shake things up. There will no longer be two four-Justice blocs trying to conform their opinions to whatever judicial philosophy Anthony Kennedy woke up with on a particular day. Indeed, if we get another Gorsuch, John Roberts will actually be the swing vote on the court. I think there are things Trump can do that can make it very difficult for Susan Collins and her fellow pro-abort, Lisa Murkowski, to vote against his nominee. Sending them a woman nominee would be one of those things. In the end, though, I think Collins will stand with her caucus if any of those people on Trump’s list of candidates appears. And the wailing and gnashing of teeth is going to be awesome.

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