I think Josh Marshall might be on to something here...

[farmbo]

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/dont-participate-in-a-sham-process

"Don't Participate in a Sham Process"

By Josh Marshall
|
September 26, 2020 6:42 p.m.
President Trump has now, unsurprisingly, chosen to nominate the far right Amy Coney Barrett to succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. The only sensible approach is for Senate Democrats neither to meet with Barrett nor participate in the confirmation process. Even to do so in a critical posture is to add legitimacy to a process that is illegitimate.

As bad as she may be as a judge or for the future of equal justice in the United States she can never be as bad as the corruption of the process itself. It is that corruption – the court-packing scheme Republicans pushed into overdrive starting in early 2016 – that justifies, indeed requires Democrats to add seats to the Court in 2021. Distracting from that reality with a gauzy-lensed look at Barrett’s personal story and judicial merits is madness. Pure madness.


Here too politics lines up neatly with principle. This will be a high profile spectacle that will dominate the final weeks of the election and be 100% under the control of the GOP and the White House. It is literally stage managed by the GOP. All the initiative is in their hands. One might as well agree to shut down one’s own campaign for the last month of the election... (snip)

Fun facts about a Democratic boycott of the confirmation hearings:

* On day one of the hearings while Lindsay Graham is preening before the MSM, Joe & Kamala can be featured on a nationwide virtual rally for Jamie Harrison and Amy McGrath.

* On each following day, tee up additional virtual events showcasing Barrett's dismal, scary record on climate and the environment, women's health care, racial justice, and Social Security.

* The MSM's infuriating 'both-siderism' should, in this instance, result in equal coverage of the hearings and national the virtual events.

[Pobeka]

1. We can't stop her appointment, but perhaps they can make her perjure herself in the hearing.

Then, if we ever get a 2/3 majority in the Senate, they can impeach her and Kavanaugh too.

The harder we make this a public fight now, the more we force people to think about their tribal instincts and vote republican.

We need to stay quiet about this in the larger public conversation and focus on the failed coronavirus response. That's a winning argument.

[Boogiemack]

2. Sounds good to me. I still believe that Kavanaugh can be impeached if a new

allegation comes forth that can be proved.

[OnDoutside]

4. Republicans lie, it's what they do. No one will remember another lie,

but it gives the whiff of legitimacy that Republicans will hammer home, in fact they'll play the victim card.

[Pobeka]

5. That's why I said we need 2/3 of the senate. Dems will remember. n/t

[OnDoutside]

6. 2/3s of the Senate ? Barrett will be retired by then ! Better to use

this to slam her and the GOP now, then with the 3 branches and no filibuster, reshape the SC radically so that it provides an era changing court.

[OnDoutside]

3. 100% agree. There's is zero point in engaging in this "process".

Attack her and the GOP from outside, deriding her appointment as having no legitimacy. She's going to be appointed anyway, so best to stain her appointment, as utterly partisan. And campaign on how bad she will be.

[Fiendish Thingy]

7. Yeah, he's dead wrong - no way would MSM give equal coverage to Biden rally during hearings

Barrett must undergo questioning by Harris. If Dems want to boycott the votes, fine by me.