Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear this week declined to say whether he would follow a state law that says Republicans would get to choose a replacement for Sen. Mitch McConnell if the Senate GOP leader leaves Congress before the end of his term.
The Democratic governor was asked during a news conference Thursday about making an appointment in the event of a Senate vacancy but said he would not speculate on the matter.
In what way could he “commit” that would be legally binding anyway?
Frankly, the Republicans have created such an atmosphere of bad faith that it would be fair to just promise whatever was necessary to get Mitch out, then appoint a Democrat replacement anyway. He won’t, because Democrats care more about process than winning, but it would be fair.
If the shoe were on the other foot you know exactly what the GOP would do.
*have done
I seem to remember McConnell specifically whining about how unfair it was for Obama to appoint a replacement Supreme Court justice in the last few months of his term and denying Obama the opportunity, and then ramming his own party’s justice through when the tables had turned during Trump’s last months.
McConnell being replaced by a democrat against his party’s will would almost be poetic justice if he hadn’t have profoundly ruined our highest court in the process.
I was thinking the same thing. The Republicans deserve exactly the same respect for the law that they have demonstrated themselves. The governor should appoint whoever he likes and tell the Republicans to suck it.
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