Tomorrow the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. At least that’s what Republicans on the committee will be doing. Democrats have decided they will boycott the vote as a way to signal their displeasure with the outcome:

The plan hasn’t been finalized yet, according to a Democratic aide, but Democrats are preparing to fill their empty seats with poster-sized photos of people who would be hurt by Barrett potentially casting a deciding vote against the Affordable Care Act. These would be the same pictures of people Democrats had on display during Barrett’s confirmation hearing last week.

Democrats also intend to hold two press conferences to push back on Barrett’s confirmation ― one on the Capitol steps and one on the Supreme Court steps. They will go to one or both of these pressers during the committee vote, according to the Democratic aide.

Sen. Schumer has been doing his best today to signal he’s prepared to fight to the bitter end:

Republicans could never repeal a woman’s right to choose in Congress, so they are rushing to confirm a Supreme Court justice who is a threat to Roe.

A vote for Judge Barrett is a vote to curtail women’s reproductive freedoms.

We're fighting this.#WhatsAtStake

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 21, 2020

Democrats will boycott the illegitimate markup tomorrow of Judge Barrett’s nomination in Judiciary and not provide the quorum required

Health care is at stake. Rights are at stake.

But the GOP's showing they're concerned only with raw political power

We will not stop fighting

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 21, 2020

I am forcing a vote to adjourn the Senate until after the November election.

We are not going to have business as usual here in the Senate while the Republicans try to use an illegitimate process to jam through a Supreme Court nominee.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 21, 2020

Democrats made it very clear last week that they were very unhappy with Sen. Dianne Feinstein after she closed the confirmation hearings with praise for Sen. Lindsey Graham followed by a hug. It was bad enough they were going to lose, but to lose with grace and decency was just too much. There were lots of calls for Feinstein to immediately resign:

I really can't get over what a betrayal this moment was to the thousands (millions?) of progressive activists who have worked their asses off fighting Barrett's confirmation tooth and nail. Feinstein should be ashamed, and she should step down immediately. https://t.co/uPVDeQgrlC

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) October 15, 2020

Ed has more on the fallout from the hug coming up but suffice it to say Democrats want to see their representatives acting like the world is about to end, not heaping praise on the enemy. Meanwhile, barring some extraordinary event, the die is cast.

Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham has told reporters he still plans to vote and that a majority of his committee can act on the nomination and send it to the floor. GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he is planning a full Senate vote on the nomination on Monday.

The maneuver would ensure that Barrett could be sworn in before the Nov. 3 election and that she could participate in election questions that are already pending before the Supreme Court…

The Democrats’ boycott comes at a time that the progressive wing of the party is leaning on the Democratic Senate leadership to do more to call attention to what is widely viewed on the Democratic side of the aisle as an “outrageous” power play to get Barrett confirmed in record time for a nominee in modern times.

I can appreciate that Democrats aren’t too happy about seeing the most liberal member of the Supreme Court replace with someone who is conservative in just about every way. If the parties were reversed in this situation Republicans would be just as upset about it.

That said, I don’t think this little stunt planned for tomorrow accomplishes anything. Democrats made their case against Barrett last week and polls suggest they failed. But if having Chuck Schumer metaphorically ball up his fists and shake them at the sky makes Dems feel better, that’s fine with me. What worries me is that some of the more extreme elements of their coalition could go beyond that. I don’t even want to speculate how but the potential for crazy seems strong at this moment and Monday’s confirmation vote still feels like it’s a long ways off.