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THREAD: In order to prevent a Senate confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice, Dems need to secure 4 Republican votes against the nomination. Here are the Republican senators that are historically least likely to vote strictly along party lines: 1/
Mitt Romney (R-UT) - The only Republican senator who voted “guilty” on any of the articles of impeachment. Has historically been critical of Trump and has already said RBG should not be replaced before the election (write him in support of this stance) 2/
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) - A well-known swing vote in the Senate, and has stated that she would not vote to confirm a supreme court nominee ahead of the election (write her in support of this stance) 3/
Cory Gardner (R-CO) - Defended McConnell’s decision to block Obama’s SCOTUS nomination in 2016 - “Our next election is too soon and the stakes are too high; the American people deserve a role in this process as the next Supreme Court Justice will influence the direction of.. 4/
...this country for years to come.” Has refused to make a statement on whether he would confirm Trump’s nomination prior to the election. A consistent swing vote, and he’s one of the most vulnerable—up for re-election in Nov. (Write demanding he refuse to confirm a nomination) 5/
Susan Collins (R-ME) - Historically critical of Trump, esp leading up to the impeachment trials. Hasn’t released a statement on confirming a SCOTUS nomination. Also up for replacement this year—and not polling well. (Write demanding she refuse to confirm a nomination) 6/
Also notable are two Dem swing votes, Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). Neither of them are up for re-election in 2020. (Write demanding they refuse to confirm a nomination) 7/
So there are the swing votes. Now, here are the senators who are not necessarily swing votes, but were against a pre-election SCOTUS appointment in 2016: 8/
If you live in South Carolina, your appeal to Sen. Lindsey Graham is a simple one: remind him of his statement in 2016. 9/
Lindsey Graham also wrote the letter below outlining why the Senate should not nominate a new justice prior to the election, reminding us that “not since 1932 has the Senate confirmed in a presidential election year a Supreme Court nominee to a vacancy arising in that year.” 10/
The letter is undersigned by several current senators:
Chuck Grassley (R-IA - President pro tempore of Senate!)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Mike Lee, (R-UT)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
David Perdue (R-GA)
Thom Tillis (R-NC)
12/
Chuck Grassley (R-IA - President pro tempore of Senate!)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Mike Lee, (R-UT)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
David Perdue (R-GA)
Thom Tillis (R-NC)
12/
Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn have both come forward in support of confirming a new justice before the election. In addition to their signatures on the above letter, they held the following opinions in 2016: 13/
In Wisconsin, Sen. Ron Johnson has come forward in support of filling the vacancy pre-election, despite holding this view in 2016: 14/
And here’s a list of more GOP senators who spoke out against filling a SCOTUS seat during an election year. See your senator? Write them! 15/ https://www.motherjones.com/2020-elections/2020/09/a-long-list-of-gop-senators-who-promised-not-to-confirm-a-supreme-court-nominee-during-an-election-year/
So there’s your homework, friends. Contact your friends and family in these states. Ask them to contact their senators. There’s no use in contacting a senator that isn’t your own; they’re interested in appealing to their own constituents (it’s all about re-election, right?) 16/
And even if you don’t live in one of these states, contact your own senators. If we’ve seen anything in the past few months, it’s how putting pressure on our elected officials can move the needle. 17/
Here’s a simple template letter you can send to your senator. Save a copy and edit to make it fit your senator (some of them may be quoted, so edit accordingly). 18/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/14J2XG6a4_EIF99IxuyUWo8dn-lEcRE_KDhB6HaW4MaI/edit?usp=sharing
It’s our right and our duty to hold our elected officials accountable in this season of politics. In the words of RBG, “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” Contact your senators. We must take this step. /thread
EDIT: Just found out Sen. Susan Collins HAS issued a statement since I started this thread. She's against voting on a new appointment prior to the election. Write her in support of this decision!
