Jake ShermanVerified account

THE U.S. CAPITOL will be center stage over the next 15 weeks until the end of 2020, as the Congress considers this open Supreme Court seat.

THIS IS, QUITE LITERALLY, a mesh of MCCONNELL’S most animating interests: power and judicial nominees. The left frequently says that MCCONNELL is obsessed with power -- and nothing but power.

There is some truth to that -- MCCONNELL is acutely aware of what is afforded to him by being the majority leader, and he says it quite frequently: He controls what comes up for a vote, and what doesn’t and when.

HE USES THAT POWER and that leverage with maximum impact. you should expect that here, w a chance to reshape the court for decades to come & a better than even chance of slipping into the minority, @senatemajldr will leverage every ounce of power afforded to him to fill this seat

MCCONNELL has made his promise plain: “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.”

PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT MCCONNELL DOESN’T SAY: He doesn’t say when. Rushing the nomination could hurt some vulnerable senators. But it could also guarantee Republicans a Supreme Court seat.

As WaPo’s @pkcapitol put it: “[T]his is a rare moment where a congressional caucus leader's short-term & long-term interests seriously diverge, his/her immediate interests vs legacy. Fascinating political power play ahead.”

HOW HE’S FRAMING IT TO HIS COLLEAGUES: MCCONNELL wrote GOP senators: “This is not the time to prematurely lock yourselves into a position you may later regret. ... I urge you all to be cautious and keep your powder dry until we return to Washington.” https://bit.ly/33OCKfw