Claiming
unified opposition to the nomination of Trump Supreme Court pick Brett
Kavanaugh, Senate Democrats are fundraising to help re-elect incumbents
who are not opposing Kavanaugh. In an email to its list in Sen. Mazie
Hirono (D-Hawaii)’s voice, the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee
wrote, “We need to stand together. So much is at stake.”
The email linked to a petition to “oppose Kavanaugh’s nomination” and then to a fundraising page to “Save the Supreme Court” and “Help Elect Senate Democrats.”
It is unclear how contributing to the DSCC would help save the Supreme Court from Kavanaugh, described in the DSCC email as a ” pre-selected political ideologue, nominated possibly because he believes a sitting president should be shielded from civil lawsuits, criminal investigation, and prosecution—no matter the facts.”
For there to be any likelihood of Kavanaugh’s nomination failing, the 49-member Democratic caucus would need to be unanimous in their opposition. But that is not the case—in particular with the vulnerable Democrats most heavily backed by the DSCC. As CNN reports, “Senators signal Kavanaugh appears on solid ground to win confirmation” :
“Not so far,” Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat, told CNN Wednesday afternoon when asked if anything she’s heard so far would be considered disqualifying.
“No, I haven’t seen anything from that standpoint,” Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said when asked if he’s heard anything that would lead him to vote no. “He’s handled himself very professionally.”
Sen. Doug Jones, the Democrat from Alabama who won his special election after Gorsuch was confirmed, was non-committal when asked about Kavanaugh on Wednesday.
In addition to Heitkamp, Manchin, and Jones, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Bill Nelson of Florida, Jon Tester of Montana, Joe Donnelly of Indiana are equivocal on Kavanaugh.
Update 9/6:
Liberal Senate Democrats praised Schumer’s failure to whip the caucus against Kavanaugh, as requested by a coalition of progressive advocacy organizations, Politico’s Burgess Everett and Elana Schor report:
“There is universal confidence in the Democratic Caucus for Sen. Schumer, whether they’re the progressives or the more conservative members of our caucus. There’s strong respect and admiration for how he handles diversity in our caucus,” said Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin.
“They’re the people that you can’t be pure enough for,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). of Schumer’s detractors. “Unless we can convince a few Republicans, then we don’t have the votes. That’s goal No. 1 and the outside groups should stay focused on that.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). praised Schumer for “holding a very wide ranging caucus together in a way that has made strong points in the hearing without causing problems for our 2018 candidates.”
“There is what I call Democrat disease, which is to waste our time fighting with each other and quarreling over purity contests,” Whitehouse said. “And of all times to lose our way in those quarrels, this is perhaps the worst.”
In an interview with The Hill, Democratic whip Dick Durbin of Illinois was similarly critical: “The Senate doesn’t work that way, and the groups that are asking for it are not in touch with reality.”
As whip, Durbin is the senator officially responsible for wrangling the votes of the Democratic caucus.
In an interview with NPR’s Audie Cornish, Whitehouse similarly criticized the hearing protesters for being “not helpful” particularly for “the states in which we have, you know, our Senate races.”
Everett and Schor editorialize that letting Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court in return for electoral victories in November would “vindicate” Schumer: “If a handful of red-state Democrats eventually support Kavanaugh and then win reelection, Schumer’s strategy will be vindicated.”
Full text of the email:
Subject: We need to stand together, Brad
Friend,
Yesterday, the Judiciary Committee’s hearings for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court began. These are scary times, and many of our civil rights are at stake. Considering his right-wing record, Kavanaugh has no place on the Supreme Court.
Normally, the Senate would determine the fitness of a nominee to the Supreme Court based on their legal talent and reputation for fairness. But these are not normal times.
Instead, we convened to decide whether or not to rubber stamp Donald Trump’s choice of a pre-selected political ideologue, nominated possibly because he believes a sitting president should be shielded from civil lawsuits, criminal investigation, and prosecution—no matter the facts.
Kavanaugh’s nomination will promote a right-wing agenda and protect Donald Trump. Furthermore, he will guarantee a 5th vote for Trump’s dangerous anti-worker, anti-consumer, anti-women, pro-corporate, and anti-environment agenda.
Friend, our civil rights are at stake. Our future is at stake. Please sign my urgent petition opposing Kavanaugh’s nomination. We need to defeat this dangerous nominee.
Remember, it could take just one vote on the Supreme Court to:
- Overturn Roe v. Wade and deny women control over their bodies
- Declare the ACA’s pre-existing condition protections unconstitutional
- Dismantle environmental protections that keep our air safe to breathe and our water clean to drink
- Dismantle common-sense gun safety laws that keep our community safe, and so much more
We need to stand together. So much is at stake.
Make sure you add your name to my petition:
http://www.dscc.org/Save-The-Supreme-Court
Mahalo,
Mazie Hirono
U.S. Senator, Hawaii
Transcript of Whitehouse interview with NPR:
CORNISH: Finally, the protesters that are interrupting periodically – hurting or helping Democrats right now?
WHITEHOUSE: My opinion – hurting.
CORNISH: In what way?
WHITEHOUSE: At least particularly in the states in which we have, you know, our Senate races. I think that the average independent voter – the labor family that voted for Trump last time but is now reconsidering – people like that don’t think that screaming in a hearing room is a particularly effective strategy or a signal of a party that they much want to belong to. So I think it’s been not helpful to any cause that I can see.