The Politics Thread

[Noel]

I wonder if this foreshadows the decision to have 11-seat justices on the Supreme Court instead of 9 if the Democrats will control both the House and the Senate.

[JaneAusten]

There should be 13 justices. One for each circuit.  And we have a long way to go for expansion, win congress, legalize Roe, court challenges and SCOTUS then overturns a law passed by congress. At that point people will be ready to deal with this crooked court.

[Noel]

Ah! That's right! I do remember the mainstream media (MSM) mentioning 13 justices. How many federal judges did Trump appoint under his 4-year term? During his 4-years, it seems to me that it was working in Mitch McConnell and the GOP's favor. Sure, the GOP wants as many seats in the legislative branch, but strategizing the justices they want in the judicial branch is something that they've been trying to work on for quite sometime. Indeed, it is a crooked court. There's no "balance" in it if that makes sense.

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Noel

[Vee]

 

[DRW50]

More embarrassing cowering from McConnell and his loathsome flacks (one of the others, Matt Whitlock, is still pushing the "vegetable" attack against John Fetterman). He was foolish to go out there and trash these candidates in the first place. Now he just looks spineless. 

 

[Vee]

 

[Vee]

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Vee

[DRW50]

Kevin McCarthy isn't long for power either way. He has no charisma, no backbone, and will be seen as the main enemy if he is Speaker and doesn't call for all Democrats to be lined up in the street and shot. He's a loser in every way, just like his old cronies Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor.

[Vee]

 

[Vee]

It finally happened. 

 

As always, archive.is will get you behind the paywall by plugging in the original NY Times link.

[Vee]

Walker has a thin lead on Warnock in GA; I'm hoping that can be erased in time. Warnock is part of the future. More Trump drama can only help us in that state, just like last time.

 

[Vee]

 

[DRW50]

Unless Georgia reverts to Republicans excelling in runoffs (very possible), Georgia's runoff system may help keep Warnock's chances viable (although the closer Kemp gets to avoiding a runoff the warier I am as that will also benefit Walker). I've tried not to go near some of the circle jerking on Twitter about how Walker can't win. He is in many ways a perfect candidate for the state, ticking boxes of diversity while being a brain dead right wing stooge. It took a lot of breaks in 2020-1 for Warnock and Ossoff to win - awful opponents who could not hide behind any football glory (Kelly Loeffler may have been one of the worst candidates in years and years), Biden's team investing heavily in Georgia, the stupid decision  by McConnell to not allow more stimulus checks, and finally, high-profile Trump supporters outright telling Georgia Republicans to not vote in the runoff. 

Warnock is a very strong senator and candidate, and as you said, a candidate for the future, so I'm really hoping he has a good shot.  There are too many shaky races (NH, NV) and if Georgia goes the most we may get is more 50-50 (and that's mostly down to Oz because I have little to no faith in Fetterman). 

I don't agree with the people who are claiming that Democrats are only doing well in special elections because of the level of intensity they bring compared to a midterm, but I do have my worries about just how November might go. I am just trying to remind myself of how unreliable polling is, good or bad, and try to find a reason to get through each day.

Edited August 30, 2022 by DRW50

[Vee]

I don't think it is at all a sure thing we can hold through the midterms. Incumbents almost always lose a majority in midterms. But the fact that it's this close is encouraging and not normal, it's based on a variety of recent surprise factors both positive (good bills, etc) and terrible (gun violence, Dobbs). If we can hold the majorities - and I think it's possible - that'll be amazing. But I am not counting on it. I do have some hope for it, which is more than I had a while ago.

And I will say that just like 2020-21 and the runoffs, the longer Trump keeps making it about him the better it is for our chances.

Edited August 30, 2022 by Vee

[Vee]