Minority Whip Dick Durbin Says Gorsuch Lacks Democratic Votes for SCOTUS Confirmation

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), whom Dick Durbin called a “gifted lawyer,” has said that Neil Gorsuch “will be on the court no matter what it takes,” which hints at an appeal to the “nuclear option” so far both parties have shied away from.

From what Minority Whip Dick Durbin told CNN’s Chris Cuomo this morning, that may become necessary, because according to his assessment,

“At this point, I don’t believe there are eight Democrats supporting Judge Gorsuch, but Chuck Schumer told us all, ‘Wait until the hearings are over, let’s do this professionally, let’s do it responsibly.'”

Earlier in the broadcast, Durbin reminded Cuomo that though “gifted…smooth…folksy…personable” in his Senate hearing, Gorsuch was hand-picked by the Heritage Foundation and others to satisfy Donald Trump’s requirements in a Supreme Court Justice, and that Reince Priebus said of him that “he is a judge who has the vision of Donald Trump.”

One would think that would make for a slam-dunk, but in marked contrast to the GOP way of doing business, Durbin told Cuomo of Schumer’ decision, “I think that’s the right approach.”

“I can tell you this, today is another day of questioning, and I think there will be some important issues raised, but at the end of the day, we each have to make a decision as to whether this man should have a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. It’s not an easy call because it’s the deciding vote in a 4-4 court.”

Asked by Cuomo how he plans to vote, Durbin answered, “I’ll withhold my final judgment until the hearings are over.”

Hrafnkell Haraldsson

Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen’s Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.