In light of the several things that have been somewhat irregular about this past election cycle, I just can't even get interested in the Neil Gorsuch hearing for SCOTUS because I simply can't view his nomination as legitimate. When the position on the bench became open with the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia, this seat on the bench simply should have been President Barack Obama's position to fill.
Full stop. I do not think that Sen. Mitch McConnell's blocking of Obama's choice, Merrick Garland, was anything but pure partisanship. His statement about "giving the people a voice" denied the voice of the people who elected and then re-elected Obama. Obama's successor lost the popular vote, and many people are not with him.
And then there is that gray cloud that Rep. Devin Nunes spoke of--the idea that we have in office a person under FBI investigation for possibly colluding with a foreign power to gain that office. I am with Sen. Elizabeth Warren on this one--leaving aside that Gorsuch would be unacceptable to a liberal on the basis of his privileging corporate power over people power, there is no reason this hearing needs to continue while uncertainty over Trump's legitimacy remains.
Perhaps I see the light now in what Sen. Ted Cruz said back in October--this court can function with eight justices. It would be better that it did, than that Senate Democrats accepted a nominee under these conditions--even if Senate Republicans do not seem to understand the problem.
It just wouldn't be right. The "people" McConnell was referring to, may not have entirely had their say.
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