The Democrats are stung by the treatment of Garland, and understandably so. But if they want to make Supreme Court nominations the hill to die on, they ought to appreciate the fact that no Republicans died on that hill in 2016. Trying the same thing while in the minority, however, is a different game entirely.
De-escalating Supreme Court picks is probably too much to wish for. But if Democrats want to create the same dynamic for every Cabinet appointment, from secretary of education to secretary of health and human services, they ought to consider what that will mean for the country and for the effectiveness of American government. And if they lack the prudence and patriotism to give that serious thought, they might consider what it means for the Democratic party, too: At the moment, Republicans control the presidency, the Senate, the House, the great majority of state legislative chambers, and more than twice as many governorships as Democrats. Senator Schumer believes that taking a more hard-line stance against Republicans, especially on economic issues, will bring him and his party back to power. But given a choice between the hard-line position of Senator Bernie Sanders and the more accommodating position of Mrs. Clinton, Democratic primary voters turned their noses up at the Vermont socialist. If Senator Schumer thinks the key to a Democratic comeback in Florida or Michigan is out-Sandersing Sanders, he probably is making a miscalculation. That he apparently intends to attempt this nifty trick while Democrat-aligned rioters are firebombing buildings at Berkeley and rioting in Washington suggests that he is bent on the kind of bold Democratic thinking that turned Richard Nixon from a 32-state winner in 1968 to a 49-state winner in 1972.
No one was more dismayed to see the Republicans nominate Donald Trump than I, and no one was more surprised to see Trump win the election. But win the election he did, and as president of these United States he is entitled to name a Cabinet that comports with his views and his goals. If Senate Democrats want to transform that into yet another bare-knuckled partisan brawl, then they ought to at least consider the possibility that it is a fight they are going to lose in 2017 — and the next time the president has a “D” next to his name.
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