Strollen
5232
60K good to know. Realistically Puerto Rico and DC are sensible, and they may be all that is needed to keep control for the Democrats, but I’d like a margin of safety in case the Republican come up with populist like Trump again.
The right is good at messaging, but they completely suck at governing so the two parties have to come from the Democrats.
I think it is perfectly fine that you and I are in different parties. I’m ok with it being left vs Center-left. Assuming the Biden is in my wing, AOC, and Sanders are in yours, would you like Mayor Pete in your wing or mine?
Just want to say that NW DC will demand a border demarcation based on rent prices. ;)
CF_Kane
5234
Single nonrenewable terms will likely result in older justices. Right now, with a life term, you need to appoint the youngest justice possible to maximize control. With, say, an 18 year term, you could comfortably appoint someone in their 50s or 60s and expect them to serve out their term.
I agree that 30 year olds are likely to make bad justices.
Yeah, I saw that. Lindsey Graham has no shame, obviously, but still, may as well retweet it to high heaven.
RichVR
5236
Bad justices? They probably just passed the damn bar.
CF_Kane
5237
Hey! They probably have a whole 4-12 years of legal experience, depending on when in their 30s they are appointed. Clearly all the experience you need. /s
RichVR
5241
Kill the head and the body dies. Go for it.
Alstein
5244
The situation with Garland, the Senate could have just as easily held a hearing for Garland, and refused to confirm him. They might have taken a bit more of a political hit, but they wouldn’t have.
The only solution the Dems have is to admit more blue states, and that can only be done by abolishing the filibuster. I’d use courtpacking as the excuse to abolish the filibuster, then split DC into 5 states to add eight more Senators (and that could be done with a simple majority vote of Congress, state-splitting is more complicated, and adding PR is more complicated)
Strollen
5245
At the time I argued exactly that. Reagan first choice Bork was rejected by a Democratic control Senate for being too extreme. At the end Reagan ended up with Kennedy who was the swing vote for the next few decades. Republican could have rejected Garland and insisted Obama name somebody just to the left of Justice Roberts.
But that’s not what happened. What Republicans are doing is worse, but other than Scalia dying in Feb and RBG in Sept both sides are have simply switched sides.
This president and Republican senators, other than Collins and possibly a couple of others, have proven to be untrustworthy. So as sad as I’m see any shred of bipartisan ship disappear, I don’t see a choice.
The Supreme Court Modernization act of 2021, really needs to be right up there with Cornavirus legislation.
Puerto Rico is holding a vote on Statehood again, assume they vote for it and it’s not widely boycotted, that also should be a top priority. 5 DC is a bit much though.
All polls of Americans completely divide them.
Alstein
5247
At this point the Republicans have made it clear they want a total war. I say we give it to them, and we give them the hell they deserve. I don’t care what it costs them, I just want to survive their attempts to destroy America at this point. I see the Republicans as a greater threat than the Nazis or Confederates.
I think Democrats should stop short of absurd things, since absurd things are unnecessary. Eliminating the filibuster isn’t absurd, it just restores democratic principles to the working of the Senate. Statehood for DC isn’t absurd, it just restores representation to the people who live around the nation’s capital. Expanding the Court isn’t absurd, it has been done before, and it is a reasonable redress for the ways in which Republicans have tried to stack the deck.
But making 5 states out of DC is absurd and, ultimately, an expression of antidemocratic urges. For all the talk that the Senate is permanently under the control of the minority, the Dems are actually within reach of capturing it in November, and the 2022 map looks even better for them. Statehood for DC and PR probably goes a long way to solving the problem of the tyranny of the minority in the Senate, and they aren’t crazy things to do.
Ephraim
5250
It’s a bit dated, in that it goes back to the Democratic primary campaign for their presidential candidate, but here’s a Washington Post compilation of potential candidate stances on “court packing”. I find it interesting to read the comments made at the time, and I hope we’ll soon see if Biden has shifted his opinion. Harris was “open to it”, so perhaps she’ll influence this somewhat (especially as a member of the of Judiciary Committee).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/policy-2020/voting-changes/supreme-court-packing/
Sharpe
5251
Agreed.
In addition to Scott’s points Alstein’s idea also suffers from a great deal of randomness, unpredictability and vulnerability to exploitation. Six tiny “states” in a small geographic area- what could possibly go wrong? (Everything.)
