Days after Republicans in the senate nuked the filibuster to all but confirm Neil Gorsuch's somewhat dubious nomination, Sen. Ed Markey indicated on Monday that the Democrats were willing to undo the nuclear option, restoring the threshold to 60 votes for Supreme Court justice nominees.
Speaking with MSNBC's Katy Tur, the Massachusetts senator tried to take the moral high road when reflecting on Sen. Mitch McConnell's decision to eliminate the filibuster.
"When the Democrats return to the majority and capture the presidency, which we will, that day is going to arrive, we will restore the 60-vote margin," Markey told Tur. "We will ensure that, for the Supreme Court, there is that special margin that any candidate has to reach because that is essential to ensuring that our country has a confidence in those people that are nominated, rather than just someone who just passes a litmus test."
"You don't want anyone to be able to be confirmed just with a bare majority," Markey said. "You want to make sure that there are protections against extreme views being put on the Supreme Court."
Sen Markey to @KatyTurNBC: "We will restore the 60-vote margin" on #SCOTUS noms if Dems take back the majority: https://t.co/CeTh54qZaM
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) April 10, 2017
The filibuster empowered the GOP to steal the vacated seat in the first place. Blatant obstructionism, made possible by the filibuster, ensured that former President Barack Obama would not be able push through his nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, despite no one ever accusing him of having the "extreme views" that supposedly necessitate a 60-vote threshold.
Restoring the filibuster once the Democrats retake control of the government would undoubtedly allow Republicans to discredit Democratic-appointed judges of having "extreme views."
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