Senate Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is signaling that any Trump nominee that isn’t mainstream is going to be facing a fight in the US Senate.
After meeting with Trump about his Supreme Court nominee, Schumer said in a statement, “As I’ve said many times, I believe the President should pick a mainstream nominee who could earn bipartisan support for the vacant Supreme Court seat. I reiterated that view in our meeting today, and told him that Senate Democrats would fight any nominee that was outside of the mainstream.”
Sen. Schumer is setting the bar for Trump at a nominee who could earn bipartisan support.
The alternative if Trump tries to play hardball and nominate a right-wing ideologue will be a blockade of his nominee. The Senate Democratic Leader told Rachel Maddow earlier in January, “The consequences are going to be down the road. If they don’t appoint somebody good, we’re going to oppose them tooth and nail….We are not going to make it easy for them to pick a Supreme Court justice.”
Republicans set this precedent by blocking Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. Schumer also told Maddow that he was fine with the idea of the Supreme Court seat staying vacant for Trump’s entire time in office.
Democrats are going to protect the interests of the American people. There is going to be no rubber stamping of Trump’s nominee. If Democrats have a chance to take back the Senate next year, it would be in their best interests to not allow Trump’s nominee to be confirmed before the 2018 midterm election.
Mitch McConnell wrote this playbook, and if Democrats don’t get what they want, they make sure that Trump’s Supreme Court nominee doesn’t get confirmed.