I saw on Twitter that Murkowski won't support voting for a new justice, but I'm afraid to look anywhere to confirm that, since I only just managed to stop crying.

What are the odds of 4 Republicans flipping their vote to stop a SCOTUS candidate from getting pushed through? Collins, maybe. Maybe Romney? Murkowski? And Graham's polling is terrible right now.

I am so sad and worried and scared.

I had only gotten as far as the wine and bread portion of the evening when I saw the news. I may not get any further. Wanted to be here with y'all, though.

Again from Twitter, Claire McCaskill said that McConnell knows pushing through a new justice before the election would lose them the Senate, and doing it in the lame duck session would hurt them in 2022.

I'm trying to figure out how best to yell at Cornyn and Cruz. It's not like I can appeal to their sense of decency.

I will note that something is very fucked up with our democracy when the death of one person threatens the entire nation.

It is an argument for expanding the number of justices on the court so that the system is more balanced and less volatile.

The number of justices is not set by the Constitution just by tradition. Considering how much Mitch has shit over traditions of civility I'm wondering if a clean sweep election (WH, both houses of Congress) would justify it.

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The good news is that the Senate would never appoint a new justice until after the election, right? Let the people decide????

Given that the Republicans refused to hold hearings on Merrick Garland in the March before the election in 2016 because it was too close to the election, you would think so. Of course, the last four years have shown the Republicans to be hypocrites with conveniently short memories and no integrity, so I wouldn't count on it.

To be fair, it's the death of one person after a lot of fuckery regarding the Supreme Court

I'm just so horrified by the possibility of another Kavanaugh or even worse getting a lifetime appointment I can't really think straight

Given that the Republicans refused to hold hearings on Merrick Garland in the March before the election in 2016 because it was too close to the election, you would think so. Of course, the last four years have shown the Republicans to be hypocrites with conveniently short memories and no integrity, so I wouldn't count on it.

I know, I was kidding.

doing it in the lame duck session would hurt them in 2022

The GOP doesn't have a long-term strategy anymore (and the electorate doesn't have a long-term memory); I don't think fear of 2022 would stop the GOP in the least.

That's my big concern: what leverage does anyone have during a lame-duck session? Almost none.

Besides, we'll be in the streets anyway, trying to stop the GOP from having the GOP state legislatures from claiming they can't count the votes in time, and leaving the election up to the House of Representatives (which for this purpose votes by state and thus the GOP would win).

If our democracy survives to 2021, I will train for a fucking marathon next year.

That makes sense, Consuela