Chuck Schumer announces he will oppose nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court

UK Independent

"Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer has announced he will oppose Donald Trump's nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

"The New York Democrat also said he would lead a filibuster against Mr Gorsuch's confirmation. He said Mr Gorsuch “almost instinctively favours the powerful over the weak.” 

"Mr Schumer said doesn't think Gorsuch would serve as a check on Mr Trump or be a mainstream Justice. He blasted Mr Gorsuch for refusing to answer “question after question after question” in hearings this week. " . . .

"If at least eight Democrats join the 52 Republicans and back Gorsuch, that will provide the 60 votes needed to pass a procedural motion letting the Senate move quickly to an up-or-down vote on his nomination, with only a simple majority for approval."

Rick Moran sees it just the opposite.  . . . "In truth, Senate Democrats are between a rock and a hard place on the Gorsuch nomination. Not only did Gorsuch do extremely well in the confirmation hearings, he has given Democrats no earthly reason to oppose him except partisan spite. Since the GOP and President Trump will almost certainly nuke the filibuster if they can't get the 60 votes needed to confirm Gorsuch, the thinking of some Democratic Senators is to run away and fight another day." . . .

Partisanship with the scent of Reid  . . . "The U.S. Senate looks more and more like a place for partisanship rather than statesmanship, as Michael Barone wrote:

Democrats have consistently been more willing to attempt to defeat or discredit nominees of Republican presidents than vice versa. 

Few Republican senators voted against confirmation of Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor or Kagan; many Democratic senators voted against confirmation of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito.

Judging from the hearings, nearly all Democratic senators seem inclined to vote against the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch.  . . .