By Krystal Ball
Opinion Contributor
Democrats, I have a complete fantasy hypothetical question for you: Suppose you were offered a political prize so valuable that you’d sell out everything the party represents, coddle white supremacists, rip babies from the arms of their mothers, force women into back alley abortions, risk nuclear war, alienate our allies, empower a serial sexual harasser and liar even worse than Bill Clinton and possibly compromise the entire country to Putin? Could you imagine selling out your country in this way for anything? Of course not-but that is precisely what the GOP has done.
The GOP sold the threadbare item known as its soul in exchange for this exact moment when they have a chance to gain complete control of the top court in the land. While we would never make such a bargain, Mitch McConnell is not a fool. He knows exactly how valuable the prize of a lifetime appointment, a Supreme Court justice is. Someone who could serve for 30 years or more and who could guarantee blocking worker rights, environmental protections, effectively ending a woman’s right to choose, repressing voting and civil rights for 30 years, blocking nationwide healthcare reform, reversing marriage equality. He knows what that’s worth and he’s willing to sacrifice the entire party to get it.
So, while Democrats aren’t and shouldn’t be willing to sell out every principle for a Supreme court justice, but shouldn’t we be willing to lose an election over one? After all, our fundamental principles are at stake with this scotus confirmation and one of those fundamental principles is not winning at any cost? Now I am not suggesting a Kamikaze mission.
If all 51 Senate Republicans hang together, Kavanaugh will be confirmed and Red State dems like Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Manchin ought to do whatever they deem politically useful. However, if we can get two Republicans, Murkowski and Collins, or Flake and Corker…just two to decide that this Presidency needs a check and balance not a rubber stamp, then we can block this nomination.
We can block Senators who represent a minority of the American people from being able to impose their will, some literally from the grave, for 30 years or more, on the reproductive rights of our daughters, on their ability to fight sexual harassment and to and clean up the poisoned environment they will inherit-if we can do that, then Manchin and Heitkamp and others should stand with the legacy of our children and grandchildren and block this nomination. And if they lose their seats and consequently Democrats don’t take the Senate, we can be proud of the fact that they lost for something meaningful and that we put duty and country ahead of near term political interest.
Krystal Ball is the co-host of “Rising,” Hill.TV’s morning news show.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill.
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