So it’s official.
As covered by my RedState colleague streiff, Donald Trump made it official in a Rose Garden announcement Saturday afternoon by nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week.
CNN — AKA: The Most Trusted Name in News™ — said of Barrett’s nomination, in typical CNN fashion:
The nomination comes at a critical time in history, as the President openly questions the integrity of the upcoming election and has not committed to a peaceful transfer of power in the event he loses.
He’s repeatedly said that the Supreme Court needed to have all nine seats filled ahead of Election Day, in case the court needed to weigh in on the legality of mail-in ballots being sent to Americans across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
And several weighty cases loom on the immediate horizon, should she be confirmed as swiftly as Republicans hope, including one that could determine the fate of the Affordable Care Act.
BREAKING: President Trump is nominating conservative federal appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett to succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court https://t.co/YPuRig4blh pic.twitter.com/Qlxchmmx97
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 26, 2020
CNN, along with equally-Trump-loathing MSNBC, will no doubt be among the primary media cheerleaders in aiding and abetting the Democrats in their herculean effort to derail Barrett’s nomination.
One former Democrat-turned-Independent senator thinks attacks against Barrett could backfire on the Democrats.
As reported by The Blaze, former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), an observant Jew, told Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Friday that “religious piety deeply resonates with Americans,” and that he believes attacks against Barrett’s Catholic faith “will hurt her opponents.”
“I found that the fact that I was religious and observant was actually a tie, a bond [with] people of other religions who were similarly observant.
“You can disagree with somebody based on whether they’re pro-life or pro-choice, but when you start to say that you’re against them because their religion, in this case, their Roman Catholicism determines their point of view, you’re doing something really abhorrent that I think is bigoted, is un-American, and incidentally, is unconstitutional.
“Article VI of the Constitution says that you can’t apply a religious test for any office of public trust in America. That’s how wise and fair the people who wrote the Constitution were.”
Lieberman: Attacking Judge Barrett over religion could hurt Democrats https://t.co/X2W9Gmwo4X @FoxNews #AAG #AAG2020
— All American Girl (@AIIAmericanGirI) September 25, 2020
Lieberman singled out Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-NY), the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, for her controversial 2017 comments to Barrett about her faith during her confirmation to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Getting on her best Yoda, Feinstein told Barrett: “The dogma lives loudly within you.” (Although Yoda would’ve probably said “Loudly within you the dogma lives,” but I digress.)
WATCH: Sen. Feinstein to appeals court nominee Amy Barrett, @NotreDame law prof/#Catholic mother of 7: “The dogma lives loudly within you.” pic.twitter.com/mpDgNZGRsa
— Jason Calvi (@JasonCalvi) September 6, 2017
Lieberman called Feinstein’s comments “improper” and “biased.”
“I thought Sen. Feinstein’s question, in that case, was really improper and was biased really. Everybody brings to the Senate, to the Congress, to [the] Supreme Court experiences and beliefs that they have. There’s no reason why a religiously observant person should be accused more of dogma than somebody who is particularly ideological in a secular way.”
Regardless of the outcome of the presidential election in just 38 days, with the nomination of Barrett, Trump has secured his place in history in the remaking of the Supreme Court. As reported by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has the votes to confirm Barrett.
While still in his first term, Barrett marks Trump’s third SCOTUS nominee — following Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. By contrast, Jimmy Carter, who served a single term, was not afforded the opportunity to fill a vacancy on the Court.
Watch it happen.
Trump makes his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett official: “She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution.”
WATCH it happen: pic.twitter.com/5qQPhHeCGU
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) September 26, 2020
President Trump said:
“I further urge all members on the other side of the aisle to provide Judge Barrett with the respectful and dignified hearing she deserves, and frankly that our country deserves. I urge lawmakers and members of the media to refrain from personal and partisan attacks.”
Probability of the above happening: minus zero.
President Trump: “I further urge all members of the side of the aisle to provide Judge Barrett with the respectful & dignified hearing that she deserves, & frankly that our country deserves.
I urge lawmakers and members of the media to refrain from personal & partisan attacks.” pic.twitter.com/dWKyxfyCbD
— The Hill (@thehill) September 26, 2020
Watch Barrett’s entire speech, courtesy of our “friends” at MSNBC.
WATCH: Full speech: Judge Amy Coney Barrett delivers remarks after accepting President Trump’s Supreme Court nomination. https://t.co/JALSTep8tu
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 26, 2020
In a “shocking” development, Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris “strongly opposed” Barrett’s nomination. [Yawn.]
Trump’s hand-picked successor to Justice Ginsburg’s seat makes it clear: they intend to destroy the Affordable Care Act & overturn Roe. This selection would move the court further right for a generation & harm millions of Americans.
I strongly oppose Judge Barrett’s nomination.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 26, 2020
Last but certainly not least, Joe Biden urged the Senate to work in a bipartisan manner and quickly confirm Barrett’s nomination.
Just kidding — Sleepy Joe said the Senate should reinterpret the Constitution and refuse to act until “after the American people select their next president and the next Congress.”
Supreme Court decisions affect our everyday lives, and the Constitution was designed to give voters a voice on who makes those decisions.
The Senate shouldn’t act until after the American people select their next president and the next Congress.
Americans deserve to be heard.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 26, 2020
Probability of the above happening: minus zero.
So it’s official. The Senate is expected to begin confirmation hearings Oct. 12, two Capitol Hill sources confirmed to USA Today.
Meanwhile, the battle has been joined in earnest.
