Is the Gorsuch block a calculated risk?

[Baconator]

In addition to answering the needs of the base but with full knowledge that Gorsuch will go through in any case.

Rules get changed and now you only need a majority (51).

Do you believe that the party leadership is banking on the fact that they will take control of either the Senate or House in 2018 and block any further appointments?

It's a calculated risk because if they don't gain either one then the next nominee can be even more to the right than this one.

[Adrahil]

1. If the filibuster can;t be used in this case because...

... of fear it can't be used ever again, then what good is it? So long as the GrOPers have control of the Senate, they can change the rules.

[doc03]

2. The Republicans will use the nuclear option the next time if they don't

have to this time. What can we lose?

[Jonny Appleseed]

3. Can they change the rules back to the old system the day before a democratic senate is sworn in?

I wouldn't put it past them after North Carolina.

[mwooldri]

7. Sure they could.

But if they're doing it before a Majority leader Chuck Schumer is sworn in, then the rules can be changed again.

[NewJeffCT]

10. The senate sets the rules before each session

the majority party comes up with the rules each time and they're confirmed by vote of the senate.

[still_one]

4. A risk is letting ANY Supreme Court nominee through until we know the full extent of the

Russian/trump/republican involvement.

The fact is there is at the minimum a 50% chance that this election was interfered with by the Russians, and perhaps done so with the approval and involvement of the trump administration. The argument McConnell used was that President Obama had no right to nominate a SC justice because this was his last term, Trump has no right to nominate SC justices until we know the full extent of the Russian involvement, and if that means waiting until 2020, so be it.

While there is a good chance that the republicans will remove the filibuster because of this, that will come back and haunt them, and they will rue the day they blocked President Obama's SC nominee, Garland, and removed the filibuster allowance for the SC.

What comes around WILL go around. The countries changing demographics, and the self-destruction that the republicans are doing to themselves and the American people, will NOT be forgotten

[bullimiami]

5. Its very simple. If you don't approve of the appt you do all you can to block it.

The rest is bullshit.

[msongs]

6. expecting repubs to honor their agreements/promises is suicidal. roll over and play dead is not

an option.

[Loki Liesmith]

8. Remove the house from the calculation

Only Senate matters for confirmation

[MFM008]

9. They will use the nuke

Option regardless. Now or later. Don't bury Ginsburg yet.....she will die in office.

[stopwastingmymoney]

11. You're making an assumption...

That they will have the votes to change the rules

I don't think that's a given at all

[Wounded Bear]

12. Everything in Washington is a calculated risk...