New York Times: “Some members of both parties thought that prompting the fight would be rash and dangerous since Mr. Gorsuch was simply replacing another conservative, Antonin Scalia. Invoking the so-called nuclear option, they argued, could needlessly inflict new political damage on both the Senate and the court.”
“Centrist members in both parties held behind-the-scenes negotiations in hopes of avoiding that confrontation. But no deal came together, and Republicans went on to curb the filibuster and seat Mr. Gorsuch. Now, as the Senate faces another court vacancy — one that could tilt the court’s ideological balance and cement a conservative majority — the Democrats have few tools to fight the nomination. A different outcome last year could have had a huge effect on the more consequential battle now taking shape.”
Said Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO): “I never understood the strategy. We achieved nothing by filibustering Judge Gorsuch except giving Mitch McConnell the opportunity to strip us of our ability to filibuster a nominee who will cause a dramatic shift in the balance of the court.”
