by Robert Reich:'Don't fall into the trap of debating Gorsuch's credentials

[elleng]

or his ideology. That normalizes the Trump presidency.

Instead, insist that no vote be made on Gorsuch until Trump’s legitimacy as a president is established. Which means the Senate intelligence committee and F.B.I. must first conclude that Russian operatives were not responsible for Trump’s electoral victory, Trump must reveal his taxes, and he must put his assets into a blind trust.

Mitch McConnell wouldn’t even permit a vote on Obama’s pick, Merrick Garland, on the ground that Obama’s term would end in 10 months. Here, we have a president whose term itself may not be legitimate.

A Supreme Court pick is the most important nomination a president can make, affecting how the Constitution and laws are interpreted, and potentially affecting generations to come. There should be no cloud over the legitimacy of the president who makes such a pick.

Senate Democrats (and responsible Senate Republicans) have two tools: They can filibuster, and not produce the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster (which means, of no Republicans break ranks, they'd need 8 Democrats to join them). Or, if Senate Republicans use the "nuclear" option and alter the Senate rules requiring cloture and allow Trump's pick to proceed with 51 votes, Democrats should vote against consent orders to proceed with the nomination.'

https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf

[yeoman6987]

1. A bit harder for the democratic senate to do this as minority

Repugs did it as majority. However, democratic senators should do every rule they can.

[dem4decades]

2. This Russian stuff is it just going under the rug?

In my mind it's some thing huge but nothing from anywhere. Won't Europeans let the cat out of the bag for no other reason than to protect their elections?