Sen. Chuck Scheumer - Alex Brandon/AP Photo
Today, the Senate Democrats, under the leadership of their minority leader, Chuck Schumer, have agreed to immediately confirm 15 Trump-appointed judges, only selecting one to leave out of the deal. They could have delayed each one for at least 30 hours, so it would follow that they must be receiving some valuable concessions in exchange for this. Instead of policy concessions, though, the main reason for the deal has been said to be that in the congressional recess provided by this free time, they will be able to go to their home states and campaign for re-elections. From a political point of view view, their logic in doing this appears to be flawed, considering that, as there are more republican senators up for re-election, this will free more republicans than democrats to campaign. This issue is emblematic of another problem in U.S. Government: Our representatives often spend as much or more than half of their day raising money ("Call time"). And now they are just confirming a bunch of judges, for no policy gains, to do even more of that.
Instructional slide detailing an optimal schedule for DNC congress freshmen - HuffPost
Though I've been critical of this deal, it is worth noting that this deal may have some positive effect for the DNC, in reducing the outrage that republicans have against the "historic obstruction" of Trump nominees.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/28/politics/mcconnell-democrats-judges-deal/index.html
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democrats-trump-judicial-nominees_us_5bbfc721e4b040bb4e806bd2
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/11/senate-democrats-judges-895168
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/09/democrats-kavanaugh-confirmation.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/01/14/the-most-depressing-graphic-for-members-of-congress/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1129ca35b94d
1 comment:
I agree that it's a good move for the DNC. I know that it's become the norm in today's polarized political climate, but no party should be looking for reasons not to confirm a judge just because they don't agree politically. Unless there are big things that come up, like sexual assault allegations or potential corruption, the Democratic Party should just accept the democratic process for what it is.
The smarter move right now is definitely to go back home and start campaigning. Turning Congress blue is a much more effective strategy to counter Trump and his party than desperately trying to eliminate a few judges.
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