Kaine: Senate Democrats Would Nuke the Filibuster to Confirm Hillary's SCOTUS Nominees

[Geee]

Townhall:

Via Hillary Clinton's running mate, a timely reminder of the stakes of both the presidential election and the fight for control of the US Senate -- which remains as tight as ever, with the clock winding down to Tuesday. If Hillary wins (and she's still the favorite, despite clear movement in Trump's direction) and Chuck Schumer is elevated to the position of majority leader, Senate Democrats are prepared to further erase the filibuster in order to ram through President Clinton's judicial appointments. While I'm generally opposed to excessive obstruction on this front -- based on the reasoning that elections have consequences, and presidents should have fairly broad latitude to make selections -- retaining the ability to block truly radical nominees from being rubber-stamped for lifetime appointments is a worthwhile tool of the minority. After using that tool to stall and defeat Republican appointees for years, Democrats blew up that precedent in the name of advancing President Obama's agenda. Now Kaine says they'll go even further if given the chance. Voters in a handful of states featuring major Senate races will determine whether Schumer and friends get that chance. So where do things stand as these contests sprint toward the finish line? Virtually all of this analysis from Tuesday remains more or less intact, with a few notable shifts to flag. As a reminder, Democrats must net at least four seats to assume control of the upper chamber; five, if Trump is elected. Updates:

 

Florida: Marco Rubio leads by six points and four points in two new surveys, hitting 50 percent in each of them. The Cook Political Report has shifted this race to "lean Republican," a calculation perhaps impacted the development that a top Democrat Patrick Murphy donor is now under FBI investigation for allegedly operating an illegal straw donor scheme benefiting Murphy's campaign.