Senator Claire McCaskill nailed it. Weekly Standard quotes her in McCaskill Worried Gorsuch Filibuster Will Backfire.
"So they move it to 51 votes and they confirm either Gorsuch or they confirm the one after Gorsuch," she continued. "They go on the Supreme Court and then, God forbid, Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies, or (Anthony) Kennedy retires or (Stephen) Breyer has a stroke or is no longer able to serve. Then we're not talking about Scalia for Scalia, which is what Gorsuch is, we're talking about Scalia for somebody on the court who shares our values. And then all of a sudden the things I fought for with scars on my back to show for it in this state are in jeopardy."
Sounds rather macabre. But she's planning ahead. As for the filibuster, conservatives are secretly hoping that Chuck Schumer, et al, follow through with their threats to filibuster Gorsuch so they can bypass the old filibuster rule and pave the way for the next one.
But Republicans don't march in lock-step like Democrats do. So it certainly isn't a given that all Republican Senators will want to eliminate the filibuster. After all, Republicans won't hold the presidency and senate forever.
But wait just a sec. Looks like McCaskill walked it back: McCaskill backs filibuster of Gorsuch, makes nuclear option likely. Well, OK then.
3:46 PM 4/1/2017
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