Joe Scarborough: Trump and McConnell are speeding the GOP to permanent minority status
Washington Post
The Republican Party is sealing its fate.
While President Trump refuses to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power, his vassals in the Senate are moving quickly to guarantee that Trumps latest Supreme Court justice will be on the court in time to swing the results of any election challenge. GOP leaders, of course, have the constitutional right to jam through a vote, but any victory they secure in the coming confirmation fight will be Pyrrhic.
Washington insiders have long considered Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to be a shameless and cynical operator. But the Kentucky Republicans actions over the past four years have so radicalized the Supreme Court selection process that Democrats will surely respond to McConnells extreme partisanship once back in power. During Trumps presidency, the worlds greatest deliberative body has been reduced to a crude vote-counting chamber; this new legislative reality means Democrats would need only 50 senators and one president to pack the Supreme Court in 2021. Expect that to happen, since McConnells callous response to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death will speed the GOP toward a permanent minority status.
To be fair, the Republican Partys future was already grim; White resentment doesnt mix well with revolutionary demographic change. And the appointment of yet another Trump justice before the election will only further alienate Republicans from women, suburban voters and independents.