Members of Senate Democratic leadership asked Vice President Mike Pence to stay away from Monday’s confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett after five of Pence’s aides tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
From the letter: “Not only would your presence in the Senate chamber tomorrow be a clear violation of CDC guidelines, it would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy.”
“Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court broke through one more hurdle ahead of her all-but-assured confirmation to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as Democratic senators ramped up their criticism of the conservative judge,” the Washington Post reports.
“The vote to end a filibuster on her nomination, which occurred about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, was 51 to 48. Two GOP senators — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — voted with Democrats to oppose Barrett’s nomination from advancing, although Murkowski plans to support the federal appeals court judge on the confirmation vote on Barrett’s merits.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who opposed confirming a new Supreme Court justice before the election, will nonetheless vote to approve Amy Coney Barrett on Monday, The Hill reports.
Said Murkowski: “I believe that the only way to put us back on the path of appropriate consideration of judicial nominees is to evaluate Judge Barrett as we would want to be judged, on the merits of her qualifications. And so when we do that, when that final question comes before us … I will be a yes.”
She added: “While I oppose the process that has led us to this point, I do not hold it against her as an individual who has navigated the gauntlet with grace, skill and humility. I will vote no on the procedural votes ahead of us, but yes to confirm Judge Barrett when the question before us is her qualification to be an associate justice.”
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Former Senate leader Harry Reid says if Democrats win the presidency and the Senate, Joe Biden should take “no more than three weeks” to test bipartisanship before ending the filibuster so Democrats can overcome what they call Republican obstruction and pass bills, the AP reports.
Said Reid: “Biden — who wants always to get along with people — I understand that. We should give the Republicans a little bit of time, to see if they’re going to work with him. But the time’s going to come when he’s going to have to move in and get rid of the filibuster.”
“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s hands have become the unlikely subject of wild speculation on social media as people obsess over how badly bruised they look this week, but Kentucky’s longtime senator isn’t saying much about it,” the Louisville Courier-Journal reports.
“People theorized online that the reason for the apparent bruises could be that he has COVID-19, is taking blood thinners or has some other health issue. Snopes, the well-known fact-checking website, even put out a post confirming the photograph of the senator’s hands is real.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) met with Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett this week but remains opposed to an election year confirmation to the high court, Politico reports.
With Sen. Susan Collins (R) also opposed to a pre-election vote, that suggests the final Senate vote to confirm Barrett will be 51 to 49.
“Senate Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as he makes what they see as unacceptable compromises in his quest for a stimulus deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,” the Washington Post reports.
“Mnuchin has already committed to a top-line figure of around $1.9 trillion, much too high for many Senate Republicans to swallow. This includes at least $300 billion for state and local aid, also a non-starter for many in the GOP.”
Sen. Kamala Harris on Twitter:
“My Democratic Senate colleagues and I boycotted the Supreme Court nominee committee vote today. Let’s be clear: this nomination process is a sham and shows how Republicans will stop at nothing to strip health care from millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions.”
“The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, clearing the way for the full Senate to vote next week on President Trump’s choice,” the Washington Post reports.
HuffPost: “The plan hasn’t been finalized yet, according to a Democratic aide, but Democrats are preparing to fill their empty seats with poster-sized photos of people who would be hurt by Barrett potentially casting a deciding vote against the Affordable Care Act. These would be the same pictures of people Democrats had on display during Barrett’s confirmation hearing last week.”
“Democrats also intend to hold two press conferences to push back on Barrett’s confirmation ― one on the Capitol steps and one on the Supreme Court steps. It’s not clear if one of those would be happening at the same time as Barrett’s committee vote.”
“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told Senate Republicans that he has warned the White House not to make a big stimulus deal before the election,” the Washington Post reports.
“McConnell suggested that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is not negotiating in good faith with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and any deal they reach could disrupt the Senate’s plans to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court next week.”
New York Times: “Mr. McConnell’s counsel threw cold water on Mr. Trump’s increasingly urgent push to enact a fresh round of pandemic aid before he faces voters on Nov. 3. It underscored the divisions within the party that have long hampered a compromise.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he talked to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) after the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, after she applauded chairman Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) handling of Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearings.
Said Schumer: “I’ve had a long and serious talk with Senator Feinstein. That’s all I’m going to say about it right now.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced he will call a vote to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court next Monday, October 26, Axios reports.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told the Fort Worth Star Telegram that at times he has disagreed with President Trump on issues such as budget deficits and debt, tariffs and trade agreements and border security.
But he said he chose to work on those disagreements with the president’s staff in private discussions, rather than by publicly voicing his opposition.
Cornyn described his relationship with Trump as “maybe like a lot of women who get married and think they’re going to change their spouse, and that doesn’t usually work out very well.”
President Trump took aim at Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) this morning:
“The least effective of our 53 Republican Senators, and a person who truly doesn’t have what it takes to be great, is Little Ben Sasse of Nebraska, a State which I have gladly done so much to help. Sen. Sasse was as nice as a RINO can be until he recently won the Republican nomination to run for a second term. Then he went back to his rather stupid and obnoxious ways. Must feel he can’t lose to a Dem. Little Ben is a liability to the Republican Party, and an embarrassment to the Great State of Nebraska. Other than that, he’s just a wonderful guy!”
“The debate is not going to be, ‘Ben Sasse, why were you so mean to Donald Trump?’ It’s going to be, ‘What the heck were any of us thinking, that selling a TV-obsessed, narcissistic individual to the American people was a good idea? We are staring down the barrel of a blue tsunami.”
— Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), according to audio of a phone call with supporters obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“Republicans are confident a vote confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the the Supreme Court is only days away, but Democrats are looking farther ahead and warning that this swift process on the eve of an election won’t be quickly forgotten,” NBC News reports.
Said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse: “The rule of ‘because we can,’ which is the rule that is being applied today, is one that leads away from a lot of the traditions and commitments and values that the Senate has long embodied.”
He added: “Don’t think that when you have established the rule of ‘because we can’ that should the shoe be on the other foot that you will have any credibility to come to us and say, yeah, I know you can do that but you shouldn’t because of X, Y, Z. Your credibility to make that argument in the future will die in this room and on that Senate floor if you continue to proceed in this way.”
BuzzFeed News: “In the Senate, Kennedy is chiefly now known for distilling dry, complex, or even gravely serious issues down to a memorable soundbite… But some people who knew Kennedy from Louisiana politics say the politician they see on TV acts and sounds different than the person they remember.”
“They say he used to carry himself as closer to an Oxford-educated lawyer, which he is, than a fountain of folksy rejoinders. Kennedy’s public image can sometimes verge on country bumpkin — but in fact he is one of the best-educated members of the Senate.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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