Obamacare repeal and replacement may be tearing the Republican Party apart, but one deal can bring them together — a full-throated rejection of a proposal by Democrats on Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation.
According to Politico: “A group of Senate Democrats is beginning to explore trying to extract concessions from Republicans in return for allowing Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch to be confirmed, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
It added: “The deal Democrats would be most likely to pursue, the sources said, would be to allow confirmation of Gorsuch in exchange for a commitment from Republicans not to kill the filibuster for a subsequent vacancy during President Donald Trump’s term. The next high court opening could alter the balance of the court, and some Democrats privately argue that fight will be far more consequential than the current one.”
Ha. What a joke. Democrats have absolutely no leverage to try to make such a concession, and Republicans would be fools to allow them to do so.
President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Gorsuch is a losing proposition for Democrats — they just need to choose how they are going to lose. Smart strategy for them would be to appoint Judge Gorsuch with a 60-vote margin in the Senate, so they can reserve their filibuster for Mr. Trump’s next appointment — which most likely will come within the next four years and would change the balance of the high court.
Yet, Democrats — the new party of resistance — may find this a hard pill to swallow. Their gut reaction to everything Mr. Trump proposes has been a hard no.
So the GOP should let them have it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has already vowed a filibuster, so let them filibuster and then move on to the nuclear option. Appoint Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court next week.
Republicans don’t need to make a deal here. Democrats never would.
• Kelly Riddell can be reached at kriddell@washingtontimes.com.
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