Mitch McConnell triggers "nuclear option" to pave way for Trump's Supreme Court nominee.

Courtesy of ABC News: 

The Senate has altered the longstanding practice for confirming Supreme Court justices after Democrats today blocked the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch. 

In order to bypass Democrats’ opposition, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., first invoked the so-called nuclear option. The Senate then voted to change Senate precedent on voting on Supreme Court cloture votes from the 60-vote threshold to a simple majority of 51 votes. 

Republicans on their own did not have enough votes to end the floor debate on Gorsuch’s nomination, a move known as cloture, under the current rules requiring 60 votes. The first Senate vote to end debate (cloture) on Gorsuch's nomination failed with a vote of 55-45. 

This is what the Democrats wanted all along.

All of that talk about the Democrats overplaying their hand, and how this was going to bite them in the ass down the road, was all BS because the Democrats KNEW that they had to vote against this nomination to placate the base, and that in so doing McConnell would change the rules moving forward. 

Now I would suggest that the Democrats keep this same tactic up for every other nominee and policy proposal that Trump sends their way until these investigation into his collusion with the Russians has reached completion.

I just hope that Gorsuch enjoys occupying Merrick Garland's stolen Supreme Court seat.

Senator Elizabeth Warren says "it is crazy" to consider Trump's Supreme Court nominee in the middle of the Russia collusion in investigation.

Courtesy of The Hill: 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on Tuesday that the Senate shouldn't confirm a Supreme Court nominee from President Trump while the FBI is still investigating any potential ties between his campaign and Russia. 

"I think it is crazy that we are considering confirming a lifetime Trump nominee to the Supreme Court at a moment when the president's campaign is under the cloud of an active, ongoing FBI counterintelligence investigation," Warren said from the Senate floor. 

She added that the FBI's probe into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election "could result in indictments and appeals that will go all the way to the Supreme Court, so that Trump's nominee could be the deciding vote on whether Trump or his supporters broke the law."

That is exactly right and that is EXACTLY why the Democrats should of their best to block EVERY ONE of Trump's nominees and policy decisions. 

This is an illegitimate presidency and therefore everything that Trump does is also illegitimate.

In my opinion every Democrat, and very likely many Republicans, running for office next year should be making damn sure that they are on record as obstructing every single thing that Trump attempts to accomplish.

If they do not, they might very well find themselves out of a job sooner than they anticipate.

Democrats now have the votes needed to filibuster Trump's pick for the Supreme Court.

This can't be shared enough. #gorsuch #SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/XzFvGhmyAG

— Katherine A. Ganzel (@KatherineGanzel) April 3, 2017

Courtesy of CNN: 

Four Senate Democrats announced Monday they plan to oppose Neil Gorsuch, bringing the Democratic caucus to the 41 votes needed to sustain a filibuster against the Supreme Court nominee. 

The announcement sets Republicans up to change Senate rules -- referred to as the "nuclear option" -- to lowering the threshold of advancing Supreme Court nominees to just 51 votes from 60. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-9 along party lines to advance Gorsuch's nomination to the full Senate. With Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware, Dianne Feinstein of California, Mark Warner of Virginia and Patrick Leahy of Vermont all saying Monday they could not support Gorsuch, 

Democrats reached the 41 votes they needed to prevent the advancement of Gorsuch's nomination under current chamber rules.

I keep hearing that the Democrats are shooting their wad too early and that they should wait for the NEXT Supreme Court nomination which may change its ideological makeup.

I call bullshit on that idea, as I do not think that ANY of Trump's nominees or policies should be allowed to go forward until this investigation into his possible collusion with Russia during the election has been completed.

Trump's presidency is currently imploding and I think that it is in the best interests of Senate Democrats to be on the right side of history when it comes to an end.

Right now the progressives are fired up against Donald Trump's agenda and I would suggest that ANY Democrat who votes in support of his policies or nominees puts themselves at risk of losing their reelection bid.

After all this is rightfully Merrick Garland's position on the Supreme Court and the Democrats should drive that point home at every opportunity.

I have little doubt that in response Mitch "Yertle the Turtle" McConnell will end up using that nuclear option, but that will only bite him in the ass down the road.

Trump pushes back on reports that his Supreme Court nominee has called his tweets about judges "disheartening" and "demoralizing."

Trump also took to Twitter to make the same case:

Sen.Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had (major lie),now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017

The problem of course is that even if he could suggest that Blumenthal's past misstatements disqualify him as a legitimate source for these reports (A rather ironic notion considering Trump's slippery relationship with the truth.) the problem is that Blumenthal is by no means the only source.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that Judge Neil Gorsuch, Trump's nominee, told him he found Trump's attack on a federal judge on Twitter "disheartening" and "demoralizing."

Within a half-hour, Gorsuch spokesman Ron Bonjean, who was tapped by the White House to head communications for Gorsuch, confirmed that the nominee, Gorsuch, used those words in his meeting with Blumenthal. Several other senators, including Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, later relayed similar accounts of Gorsuch forcefully criticizing Trump's public attacks on the judiciary branch.

So is Trump suggesting that all of these folks are "misrepresenting" the facts? INCLUDING the GOP Senator and Gorsuch's own spokesman?

And speaking of misrepresentation, this was Trump's second tweet on this topic:

Chris Cuomo, in his interview with Sen. Blumenthal, never asked him about his long-term lie about his brave "service" in Vietnam. FAKE NEWS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017

The problem with THAT is the fact that is a little thing called video.

"The President ... is once again off on the facts": @ChrisCuomo's response to @realDonaldTrump's tweet about him https://t.co/ckWo75HT8L

— CNN (@CNN) February 9, 2017

Once again the most reliable source for "fake news" is Donald Trump and his administration.

Speaking of angry tweets check out this one that Trump sent our after hearing that the court held up a stay on his Muslim ban.

SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017

All caps. Just what you would expect from an angry racist troll on Twitter.