Guys, I'm seriously looking for an analysis on what's gonna happen to the SCOTUS in this situation? ANybody?
I have assumed - or thought - that the attempt to rush to fit the vacancy in the SC left by the death of RBG (did that really happen only two weeks ago? I am experiencing a feeling, a mad sense of the 'acceleration' of history - that I remember from the events of late 1989, a sense that if you don't watch - or listen to - the news for a few hours, you will actually run the risk of missing something important) was prompted by two political needs, one short term, and the other, more long term.
The short term is an attempt to stack the court so that it has a conservative majority in the (almost inevitable) event of a (GOP) legal challenge to the validity of the election.
Here, despite strong political and ideological preferences (without which their nominations to the SC would not, and could not, have occurred), the SC would do well to tread with caution; the separation of powers is a doctrine worth respecting, and politicising the court will undermine its credibility and legitimacy in the long run.
This is troubling, or cause for considerable concern, because if the electoral system returns yet another president who wins the electoral college but loses the popular vote - for the third time in twenty years (and leaving aside all of the flagrant attempts at voter suppression), I see confidence in the electoral system being able to return a result that reflects the political preferences of the electorate becoming further undermined.
Secondly, obviously, there is a marked desire to stack the SC with conservative nominees in order to rule on issues of interest to conservatives, conservative Catholics, Evangelicals, and so on; over-turning Roe v Wade is the obvious example, but - I would argue - that would imply be the beginning of the implementation of such an agenda driven by conservative ideology.
However, with Senators dropping like ninepins with Covid required quarantining, which will eat into the remaining time available, the window of opportunity whereby they - the GOP - will be able to rush through a nominee to this position is rapidly narrowing.
That I think is the important thing to note, that he started a therapy, and still knowingly went to the fund raiser.
