It took one week, but we finally have a SCOTUS nominee—the long time nominee apparent, Amy Coney Barrett. The Senate will begin confirmation hearings after waiting another two weeks. Then, hope to vote another two weeks after that on October 26. That will leave the perfect amount of time for Republican voters to get nervous, Democratic voters to worry themselves out, and a few days for all voters to learn that Senate Republicans did what Republican voters wanted. Yes, the Senate dragged its feet and showed its power by delaying power. SCOTUS will be full with 5-3 Conservative justices just before the election, rather than just after. If the Senate was in a hurry, McConnell would crawl over broken glass to begin hearings immediately.
This opens up a myriad of suspicions. If the election is challenged, the court will have six Republican-appointed “original intent” -minded justices, including the notorious swing vote, Chief Justice John Roberts. All six justices vote according to process and intent, usually with Republicans, but not always.
The three remaining Liberal judges, all of them appointed by Democratic presidents, always vote against Republicans and in favor of Democratic-Liberal ideals, regardless of “original intent”. They believe this is honest and ethical. But, they won’t be deciding any election disputes, the six rule-stickler justices will.
A Left-leaning professor this week observed that Trump acts much tougher than he actually is—and that Democratic voters should stop going for his bait. They might not be able to not go for the bait. But, knowing that the election won’t change the Supreme Court balance this time around, plus considering how boring Biden is, Democratic voters might not have the energy to show up to vote, not even with the October surprise about Trump’s taxes, which won’t change anyone’s mind anyway.