Trump and the Republicans are doing so many things so fast to hurt ordinary Americans, it’s hard for the resistance movement to keep up.
But nothing is more consequential than Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court, which was fast-tracked to the president’s desk by the Koch Brothers-backed Federalist Society.
"Now, the single most important action in the next few weeks is to block Gorsuch’s confirmation."
Gorsuch’s nomination is the latest assault in The Federalist’s successful 30-year campaign to stack the judiciary with right-wing judges and shape the law to favor corporations over workers.
While Senators come and go, the 49-year-old Gorsuch could serve on the Court for thirty or forty years, deeply distorting the law.
Grassroots efforts have just struck a resounding blow to Trump’s devastating agenda, by forcing House Republicans to withdraw their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That compounds the success of demonstrations and lawsuits which have thus far blocked Trump’s Muslim ban.
Now, the single most important action in the next few weeks is to block Gorsuch’s confirmation.
Demonstrations to block Gorsuch must be at the top the agenda as groups like Indivisible, MoveOn, and People’s Action meet to plan their next mass actions.
Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called on Senate Democrats to filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination, which means it would take eight Democratic defections to confirm Gorsuch.
Republicans’ only other option would be to invoke the so-called “nuclear option” and change Senate rules to abolish the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations.
But Democratic senators were disturbingly deferential to Gorsuch in confirmation hearings. They let him get away with non-responsive answers, and refusal to discuss his longstanding right-wing views, which are firmly evidenced by his judicial opinions. His nomination has also been supported by nearly $10 million in dark-money advertisements.
Unless the resistance movement brings sufficient pressure, as it has on health care and immigration, it’s easy to conceive that eight or more Democratic senators might vote with Republicans to break a filibuster and allow Gorsuch to be confirmed, in some ill-conceived strategy of proving Democrats are more conciliatory than Republicans.
Every one of the 48 Democratic Senator must filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination.
And the groups who have been demonstrating at Congressional offices must bring masses of people to the homes and offices of every Democratic senator who does not yet commit to doing so.
The message: The confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice with lifetime tenure is likely the most consequential vote for this Congressional Session.
If you don’t filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination, we pledge that you will face a determined primary challenge to your reelection.
It’s time for the resistance to urge wavering Democratic senators to stand up on Gorsuch, as it has already successfully done on immigration and healthcare.
NO! to Gorsuch.
