Yesterday, Mitch McConnell declared that he would absolutely, positively not allow hearings for anyone President Obama puts forward to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. He apparently made that pledge knowing that it could potentially cost his Republicans control of the Senate. Well, it turns out that McConnell has a somewhat thin hold on his own troops. Two of the saner members of his caucus have indicated that if Obama nominates a replacement for Scalia, they’re willing to give that nominee a hearing.
It turns out that the thin red line started cracking even before McConnell went nuclear. On Monday, Mark Kirk of Illinois broke ranks and stated that he is willing to consider someone nominated by Obama. In an op-ed that ran in the Chicago Sun-Times, Kirk said a president, regardless of party, has the right to nominate someone for a seat on the Supreme Court. Kirk added that his stance is guided by his oath to defend the Constitution and “the ideals of this nation.”
Kirk went further in an interview with CNN, saying that if Obama sends a nominee to the Senate, that person should get a full hearing and a floor vote. He was joined on that interview by Susan Collins of Maine. As Collins sees it, a president has the right to nominate someone for the Supreme Court at any time–and when a nomination is made, “regular order” requires that the Senate give that nominee “careful consideration.”
Kirk and Collins aren’t stupid, unlike some of their fellow Republicans. They probably know that if this nonsense continues for much longer, they will be clinging to their own seats by an extremely thin thread. Kirk is hands down the most vulnerable Senator up for reelection. The most recent polls not only show him trailing his most likely opponent, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, but struggling to get too far above 40 percent of the vote.
This is very telling, since Kirk is one of the most moderate Republicans in either chamber–indeed, he’d probably be a Democrat in a good part of the country, including my state of North Carolina. However, his party label is clearly an albatross in a state that will likely be an automatic 20-vote deposit in Hillary or Bernie’s bank account. While it may not be enough to save his seat, you have to at least applaud Kirk for not giving in to the virus of immaturity flowing through his caucus.
Contrast that with several of the other vulnerable Senators up for reelection, like Pat Toomey, Ron Johnson, Kelly Ayotte, and Rob Portman. All of them have declared they will stand behind McConnell and his right-wing puppetmasters. We already know that at least two out of that group will be out of jobs if this keeps up. Public Policy Polling found that Toomey and Portman are likely goners if they refuse to give an Obama nominee the courtesy of a hearing.
Collins isn’t up for reelection until 2020. While she’s on more secure footing than Kirk on paper, Maine voters don’t have much tolerance for the kind of tackiness and pettiness displayed by McConnell and his minions. She knows she’ll be committing political suicide if she supports McConnell’s tantrum, or at the very least doom any chance of that seat staying in Republican hands if she retires.
Bear this in mind, folks. Collins and Kirk broke ranks a full 48 hours before McConnell threw the senatorial equivalent of a toddler’s tantrum. Wouldn’t you think that before McConnell took the plunge, he would have made sure that he had all of his troops behind him? The fact that the thin red line was starting to crack even before McConnell hit the button should give us hope that more Republicans will come to their senses.
