Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died.

[OttoVonBismarck]

My belief is that if Biden wins and the Democrats take the Senate, if the GOP pushes this nominee through, they will both eliminate the legislative filibuster and pack the court. But I do not think Biden wants to campaign on those topics.

Trump is now saying he wants his nominee voted on before the election, probably in small part as a hedge in case the election goes to the courts, but probably more so because the Republicans realize if the nominee hasn't been voted on but Trump has lost, Biden then can very easily make a public promise that if they pull the trigger he will pack the courts. It gives him a big opportunity to justify doing it, and then a lot of existing Republicans have to decide if they want to see that happen. I think their hope is it's harder for Biden to pull the trigger on packing the court if the court is already seated at 6-3. But I don't think it'll make much of a difference either way.

[merithyn]

Some old judge lady dies and people are ready to burn half the country. But sure, tell me more about how America is a shining city on a hill.

"Some old judge lady"? Beyond what this means in terms of the USSC, RBG was so much more than just "some old judge lady".

Nevermind. It's Hamilcar.

[grumbler]

Yes, and the current Republican leadership has made it clear that its purpose is to prop up a powerful executive, and ram through partisan nominations, at. any. cost.

That leadership needs to be destroyed; in the meantime, they cannot be relied to act honorably according to unwritten traditions.

But even if they were to be convincingly destroyed, by alinging themselves with the apocalyptic propaganda machine of Fox News, their base has become convinced that ruthlessness and strong-arm tactices is the only way to go to save America. They would be replaced by the same, copies of Matt Gaetz (the stupid variety) or Jeff Hawley (the smart variety).

I don't think that the Republican party is salvageable, but a new party could split off the elements that are not locked into the Faux Snooze fantasy and, over time, gain credibility.  There's pretty much nothing the Republicans can do to reclaim any credibility outside of their fantasyland.

[DGuller]

I think our one last hope for sanity in politics is for majority of Republicans to create their own "clean Wehrmacht" myth and put all of their ugliness at the feet of Trump.  As long as they actually get rid of their ugliness, it would probably be prudent to let them get away with that sophistry.

[Zoupa]

That's the party yes, but what about the 40-45% of your citizens who are a-ok with Trump?

[The Brain]

My hope is that some day interstellar travel will make it possible for those who want to live in a good society to build new radiant burgs on topographic extrema.

[Josquius]

That's the party yes, but what about the 40-45% of your citizens who are a-ok with Trump?

I think a chunk of those aren't a problem. You won't be waiting that long for them to die.
But the not insignificant minority of younger people who support trump.... They're a real worry. Especially once Trumpism is gone and starts becoming a byword for all that is bad. I could well see a significant number of them turning violent.

[Razgovory]

Hell, we are in this situation were the courts are so important because the legislature has broken and things are decided by the Presidency or the Courts.

Yes, and the current Republican leadership has made it clear that its purpose is to prop up a powerful executive, and ram through partisan nominations, at. any. cost.

That leadership needs to be destroyed; in the meantime, they cannot be relied to act honorably according to unwritten traditions.

But even if they were to be convincingly destroyed, by alinging themselves with the apocalyptic propaganda machine of Fox News, their base has become convinced that ruthlessness and strong-arm tactices is the only way to go to save America. They would be replaced by the same, copies of Matt Gaetz (the stupid variety) or Jeff Hawley (the smart variety).

What does destroying the leadership look like?

[Maximus]

A stable can't be a democracy. That way lies madness.

Would you prefer hippocracy?

[The Brain]

A stable can't be a democracy. That way lies madness.

Would you prefer hippocracy?

I'm not into oaths.

[grumbler]

I think our one last hope for sanity in politics is for majority of Republicans to create their own "clean Wehrmacht" myth and put all of their ugliness at the feet of Trump.  As long as they actually get rid of their ugliness, it would probably be prudent to let them get away with that sophistry.

The only hope for that, I think, is for the party to turn back to the idea of "what is good for business is good for the USA."  Trump has been very good to the rich in America, but not good for business in America, especially small business.  Small business owners and employees used to be the most reliable and effective part of the Republican base, but the republican Party has, over the last 20 years or so, pursued the policy of bankrupting small business and letting big box corps take their place.  A split between the pro-business and pro-ultra-wealthy sides of the party might bring about the development of something like the old republican party, leaving behind the pro-wealth Faux Snooze types.

[Oexmelin]

What does destroying the leadership look like?

In the absolute, it would require McConnell and co. need to lose. Utterly. The sort of politics they stand for needs to be denounced, and appropriately villified.Their money flows to be investigated, and drained; their character to be dragged in the mud; their post-politics career prospects to be crushed. You can't shit on the politics of respectability and hope to benefit from it.

It practice, it would require Democrats to be much stronger on the ground than they are, and willing to be much more aggressive, and media-savvy than they currently are. A lot of the current conservative movement in the US has turned to the apocalyptical ("they are coming for you, your country, your suburbs, your religion, your meat), and therefore, the worship of strength. You can't fight that just by being compassionate, much as we'd like it to be.

It also requires committment on the ground. I have repeated it since the Trump election: get involved. If you haven't done shit about it for the last four years, you can't complain that there is nothing to be done, or meekly voice fears that the cure may be unpleasant. This shit is not going to fix itself - and if it does, it means it's likely the rot still persists. And if you think that it's not so bad, you haven't been paying attention.

[Sheilbh]

I think our one last hope for sanity in politics is for majority of Republicans to create their own "clean Wehrmacht" myth and put all of their ugliness at the feet of Trump.  As long as they actually get rid of their ugliness, it would probably be prudent to let them get away with that sophistry.

What do they get out of it? I mean there are votes in being anti-Trump but, from what I can see, the Democrats are doing pretty well hoovering them up. I can't think of a time since I've followed US politics (so since W) when Republican politicians get rewarded for some of form of "moderation" or "sanity in politics". I think that's structural in how the party works now.

Because even if that happens, I think if you're an ambitious Republican there's a lot more fertile ground in positioning yourself as sort of continuity-Trump attacking the establishment Republicans who betrayed him. Gaetz and Hawley could do this, I think Tom Cotton is the most impressive of the sort-of ideological loyalists.

[DGuller]

I think our one last hope for sanity in politics is for majority of Republicans to create their own "clean Wehrmacht" myth and put all of their ugliness at the feet of Trump.  As long as they actually get rid of their ugliness, it would probably be prudent to let them get away with that sophistry.

What do they get out of it? I mean there are votes in being anti-Trump but, from what I can see, the Democrats are doing pretty well hoovering them up. I can't think of a time since I've followed US politics (so since W) when Republican politicians get rewarded for some of form of "moderation" or "sanity in politics". I think that's structural in how the party works now.

Because even if that happens, I think if you're an ambitious Republican there's a lot more fertile ground in positioning yourself as sort of continuity-Trump attacking the establishment Republicans who betrayed him. Gaetz and Hawley could do this, I think Tom Cotton is the most impressive of the sort-of ideological loyalists.

Obviously Republicans need to lose badly to begin with.  If that happens, they then need to do soul-searching.  And then if that happens, the search actually has to be successful.  Lots of ifs there.

[grumbler]

What do they get out of it? I mean there are votes in being anti-Trump but, from what I can see, the Democrats are doing pretty well hoovering them up. I can't think of a time since I've followed US politics (so since W) when Republican politicians get rewarded for some of form of "moderation" or "sanity in politics". I think that's structural in how the party works now.

Because even if that happens, I think if you're an ambitious Republican there's a lot more fertile ground in positioning yourself as sort of continuity-Trump attacking the establishment Republicans who betrayed him. Gaetz and Hawley could do this, I think Tom Cotton is the most impressive of the sort-of ideological loyalists.

Yes.  The current Republican Party has three wings;  the few billionaires who own it, the few thousand political leaders who take the money and sell the snake oil, and the millions of dupes who really think that making billionaires richer will Make America Great Again.  If you can successfully separate the dupes from the billionaires, you can be a successful and intellectually honest republican.  Not many want to take the chance that they can achieve that separation, though, so most just take their money and drink heavily to salve their consciences.