McConnell, Trump, Gorsuch All to Blame
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans have just voted to invoke cloture, ending debate on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. After killing the filibuster, which required 60 votes for a nominee to move forward, only a simple majority was needed. The final vote was 55-45, with three Democrats supporting Republicans: Heidi Heitkamp, Joe Mnachin, and Joe Donnelly.
It is a historic abuse of power and a sad day for the rich history of the U.S. Senate. Almost as bad, Republicans claim Democrats forced them to change the rules to allow Gorsuch to be confirmed. President Donald Trump could have withdrawn his candidate, or Sen. McConnell could have allowed Gorsuch to fail. Judge Gorsuch could have been a statesman and withrdrawn his name from consideration. None chose to do so.
The final vote to officially confirm Gorsuch will take place Friday. Â
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Image by Elvert Barnes via Flickr and a CC license
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