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[Doomblade187]

Looks like we're in for a new White House Chief of Staff.

What do you mean citizen? Meadows was never the chief of staff. The filthy liberal media is planting lies in your head.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I too have nothing but respect for Trump House Chief of Staff for Life Richard Spencer, citizen. So why do you fear saying his name? Are you...one of them communists?

[Egan_BW]

Are you...one of them communists?

:)

[Starver]

That 4m2s video on Twitter seems to suggest he's not doing too badly. Still can't put thoughts together very well (though does better than Boris Johnson did, the other day in various interviews over here, not exactly shrugging off the bumbling nincompoop 'facade').

I think he's been protected from public opinion though (either staffers, or in his own head) - certainly a lot more than he was protected from the public infection...

[hector13]

With a bunch of Republican senators coming down with the current plague, how will that affect the confirmation vote for Barrett, if at all?

[MrRoboto75]

I've heard of a recess of Congress for the next two weeks or so.

[sluissa]

The judiciary committee is proceeding as planned, minus a couple of members. The senate as a whole has delayed reconvening until the 19th. I figure the plan is just to go through the procedural stuff necessary and then just hope they have people available to vote when the time comes. Odds are it will happen unless several Senate seats suddenly become vacant. There's still hope that a couple of Republicans will pull a McCain and give a big ol' thumbs down at the last moment, but that's mostly wishful thinking more than anything.

[Max™]

Supposedly the big orange dumbfuck was so concerned he was asking if he should be resting face down because it helps survivability rates.

Here's hoping he survives and lives a long, long, long time.

In a chair, a diaper, and a prison cell after losing an election.

Incidentally, Biden laughing at Trump was deliberate, narcissists hate being laughed at, they want anger and sputtering outrage, Trump kept getting nuttier and nuttier because he fucking hates being laughed at so much.

I've seen people here and there saying family members they were embarrassed of for having been magats in the past were somewhat to very turned off by the raving madman during the debate.

With Trump being so fucking quiet, it's a great time for Biden to stroll about calmly and confidently reminding people how nice it is not having a burning screaming dumpster fire in the white house, and that's what he's doing: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/03/biden-looks-to-seal-election-after-trumps-week-from-hell-425891

[misko27]

They're doing their best to avoid any delay, is where they're at hector. But with two Senate Judiciary members out they may have issues; assuming they get better according to the timetable they have set for their self-quarantine they'll get better in time for the vote on the 12th, assuming the Virus lets them go. If it doesn't the nomination will be delayed, which will set back their timetable for the full senate confirmation (which is already a tight timetable as it is).

Now if the full Senate were to do a vote right now, Barret would actually lose; two republican senators have declared their intent to vote no, three are sick. That's 48-49 right there, so in a sense Barret is already dead-in-the-water. That boldly assumes that nothing will change before then and now, though, and predicting the future so far in advance seems foolhardy.

[sluissa]

They are fully capable of delaying it, and if they have to there's nothing saying they can't still do it even after the election, it would just make it perfectly clear what everyone knows they are already doing. They WANT to get it done before the election, but don't think it won't happen even if Biden wins and you've got a Senate in lame duck mode ready to hand the reigns over to the democrats in January. As long as they've got breathing senators in those chairs before the year is out, I expect she'll get confirmed.

[Rolan7]

Zero effort question here:  I saw a couple people in the aftermath of RBG's death mention the possibility of the Democrats filibustering the confirmation hearings.  I know it's the "nuclear option" and all, but is it actually possible in this case?  I get the feeling it isn't, mostly because I'm not seeing it mentioned more often.

[sluissa]

Republicans changed the rules to disallow that a few years back. Forget if it was for Kavanaugh or Gorsuch. But yeah. That tactic is, as far as I'm aware, not on the table anymore for Supreme Court confirmations.

[misko27]

They are fully capable of delaying it, and if they have to there's nothing saying they can't still do it even after the election,

Well there are special elections for 2 senate seats, so if things go very poorly for them on election day they may indeed lose that chance.

Unrelated: Lindsey Graham is debating his challenger. He looks very uncomfortable, so it's worth a watch to see his challenger quote him back at him.

[Dostoevsky]

Zero effort question here:  I saw a couple people in the aftermath of RBG's death mention the possibility of the Democrats filibustering the confirmation hearings.  I know it's the "nuclear option" and all, but is it actually possible in this case?  I get the feeling it isn't, mostly because I'm not seeing it mentioned more often.

Funny you use the word "nuclear option," as that's the moniker for how the filibuster for supreme court nominees was eliminated. Reid did it for all nominees but S.Ct. back in... 2013 or 2014, if I recall, then McConnell looped in S.Ct. nominees as well for Gorsuch. (The reason Reid didn't do it for S.Ct. nominees was because there weren't any at the time, pretty much.)

If this does come to the floor and McConnell wants to move it, they could slam it through quite quickly - perhaps even quickly enough to be between election day and the swearing in of hypothetical special election changes, as I think he has a few tricks for getting around that. (McConnell later cut down post-cloture debate time, and Senate rules unfortunately have their fair share of loopholes.)

Generally speaking there's a) actually a somewhat decent chance these new illnesses, combined with other actions, will delay a vote until after the election, but b) very little chance (in my eyes) that Dems (or I suppose just the coronavirus) would delay a vote until after a new Senate.

Edit: Yeah, looking at the special election swearing in timelines and it'd be very easy indeed for McConnell to get a vote in before any seats actually change from them.

[Starver]

There's a very real possibility that some 'grin and bear Trump' votes from the right that aren't too enamoured of him as their residdent tool, but love the idea of the realigned SCOTUS, would be lost (not cast, even if not actually flipped) if the confirmation goes through.  Ditto (but aboutface) those who might only consider it worth voting for 'compromise' Biden if that's still something left in immediate play.

Depending on how tight other ambivalences and apathies (and suppressions) play, this could by (one of the) things that decides a close result. Or makes it close enough to be fought for.


(i.e.: Trump gets his pick, he loses his throne in the OO; Trump gets delayed/shot down for any reason(s), he gets another four years of do-over as compensation.  If we land up in 'all else being equal' (far too muddy to call) territory,[1] that is.)


[1] Which it hopefully won't be, as certainty either way would be preferable, but there's definitely a non-zero chance, this far out.