It's Tuesday, May 10 and Day 87 since Justice Antonin Scalia died and Mitch McConnell laid down his Supreme Court blockade: No meetings, no hearings, no votes on his replacement. It's also Day 55 since President Obama named Merrick Garland to be Scalia's replacement. What's the Senate doing today instead of considering the Supreme Court nominee?
Taking another pointless vote. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton remains all het up about President Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran and has been continuing his one-man crusade to try to torpedo it. His latest effort, which consumed a good chunk of the week before last in the Senate (last week was recess), is to include it in the appropriations bill they're currently working on. It keeps failing because Mitch McConnell likes making the Senate vote over and over and over again on the same, failing proposition. But apparently the third time was the charm, because after another failed vote Monday, McConnell will give Cotton a separate vote on his amendment. But that doesn't happen until tomorrow. It will fail.
So that only took up like seven work days for the Senate. Meanwhile, they aren't having hearings or voting on any nominees, for anything. But rumor has it Ted Cruz will make his return to the Senate today, on the heels of humiliating defeat. So they’ve all got that to look forward to.
Please donate $3 today to help turn the Senate blue. The future of the Supreme Court depends on it.