(02-03-2020 07:35 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(02-03-2020 03:44 PM)mrbig Wrote:  The idea that McConnell didn't play enough hardball is pretty mesmerizing though. He held open a Supreme Court seat for 11 months (Scalia's death until Trump's inauguration).

You mean the 'Biden Rule', right?

The "Biden Rule" is from a speech Biden gave on 6/25/92 when there was not an open seat waiting to be filled and it was 4.5 months before the election. McConnell invoked (but did not implement) the "Biden Rule" on 3/16/16 when there was an open seat waiting to be filled. As an attorney, I'm sure you can appreciate some pretty significant distinctions: (1) Biden was literally arguing that there should be a senate rule passed (I actually support such a rule if you dig through the Supreme Court thread) while McConnell did not and is not supportive of such a rule that would apply in the future; (2) Biden was speaking hypothetically about a possible open seat while McConnell was implementing the idea to block a seat that had been open for 1 month; (3) compared to the relative upcoming elections, Scalia died 4.5 months before Biden argued in favor of such a rule.

(02-03-2020 07:35 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

Quote:He got rid of blue slips on judicial nominees.

No, not really. He ixnayed blue slips on Court of Appeals nominees when the nominee came from the state trying to blue-slip. The State level blue slip is completely intact.

And when you look at the difference between an Court of Appeals jurisdiction versus that of a District Court, his removing it kind of makes sense. I mean, for example taking the 5th Circuit, why should a LA Senator be able to ixnay the composition of Court that has LA, Texas, and Mississippi in it?

The blue slip for Texas District courts y a Texas Senator makes absolute sense, and it is still in effect.

Grandiose points foul there.

I knew all this. I'm surprised you didn't realize I knew all this. I'm trying to avoid long posts when I am trying to make a short point. McConnell still got rid of blue slips for appellate nominees when they existed for decades, regardless of whether blue slips made sense for appellate nominees. This kind of retort ignores the larger point I was making. No need for either of us to get bogged in this level of minutia unless we are arguing about judicial confirmations or blue slips specifically.

(02-03-2020 07:35 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

Quote:He repeatedly sits on bipartisan legislation. I don't see what more he could have done.

Riddle me this, what bipartisan legislation has the Senate passed that Pelosi blocked?

Riddle me this: do you put in the 231 ayes with 3 Republicans as 'bipartisan' as much as the democrat senate webpage does?

Sure, it passed with votes from both parties. If Manchin or Sinema vote to acquit tomorrow, doesn't that make Trump's acquittal bipartisan? Impeachment would have been bipartisan if Amash had stayed in the republican party a few more months.

I'd be fine with McConnell putting those on the floor and then voting them down. My problem is that he doesn't put them on the floor. Also, during the 2018-19 government shutdown, after the new Congress was sworn in, the House passed the appropriations bill that previously passed the senate unanimously in December 2018. McConnell refused to even bring the bill up for a vote. The House passed the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization with 33 Republicans and McConnell refuses to bring it to the floor of the Senate. The House passed a background check bill with 8 Republicans. McConnell refuses to bring it to the floor. 7 Republicans in the House voted for the DACA fix that McConnell will not bring to the floor for a vote.