Schumer confident Democrats have votes to block Gorsuch
Source: Politico
The Senate minority leader is prepared to force Mitch McConnell to try to invoke the 'nuclear option.'
By BURGESS EVERETT and ELANA SCHOR 03/23/17 09:21 PM EDT Updated 03/24/17 09:06 AM EDT
Chuck Schumer is prepared to push the Senate into a nuclear confrontation over the Supreme Court.
In an extensive interview with POLITICO Thursday, the Senate minority leader made his most definitive statement to date that Democrats will deny Neil Gorsuch the 60 votes he needs to clear a Senate filibuster and ascend to the Supreme Court. Dismissing the notion of a deal to confirm Gorsuch floated by some members of his caucus this week, Schumer all but declared that Donald Trump's nominee will not receive the requisite eight Democratic votes — and that it will be up to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as to whether to try to blow up the filibuster to get Gorsuch through.
“There’s been an almost seismic shift in the caucus (against Gorsuch)," Schumer said as the Senate Judiciary confirmation hearings wrapped up Thursday. "He did not win anybody over with his testimony.”
If Schumer stops Gorsuch during a filibuster vote in early April — and the New Yorker was brimming with confidence that he will — it will almost certainly force McConnell’s hand on the so-called nuclear option. Schumer is betting McConnell does not have the votes to do away with the 60-vote requirement for Supreme Court nominees.
“I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that Mitch McConnell changes the rules,” Schumer said. “There are people in his caucus who really don't want to change the rules, OK?”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/chuck-schumer-neil-gorsuch-filibuster-scotus-nomination-236441
= new reply since forum marked as read
is basically the "filibuster"-breaking number (i.e., "cloture" - the 60 being a recent compromise to the original 67 required before 1974) to quickly dispatch with certain rules (including morning business, debate, etc.) and move to vote on certain nominees/legislation. I.e., the clown Cruz's reading of Green Eggs and Ham can be done away with if a cloture motion is called early on in the process to allow the legislation/vote to proceed (in his case, it was agreed to allow him time).
Normally the Senate has standing rules for 30 hours of "debate" (negotiable) for a vote, however any Senator can move to engage in "morning business" in the midst of preparations for debate and can stand and hold the floor forever (or until cloture is invoked). Back in the day, I remember watching Robert Byrd doing his famous "Hannibal" and "Roman Empire" stories as a filibuster.
