Worries grow about GOP enacting Supreme Court 'smokescreen' leading into the midterms

Reacting to reports out of the Beltway that Republican lawmakers are crossing their fingers and hoping either Supreme Court Justices Sam Alito or Clarence Thomas will make a surprise retirement announcement just prior to the midterm election, MS NOW Now’s Jonathan Lemire reported that Democrats have their own opinions about what is transpiring.

Last week it was reported that both of the elderly justices will be returning, which dashed the hopes of some far-right lawmakers who want Donald Trump to pack the court with younger right-wing extremists.

On Monday, the Hill reported, “Senate Republicans who fear their three-seat majority could be in danger in this year’s midterm election would welcome the retirement of conservative Justice Samuel Alito as an 'October surprise' that could change their political fortunes by rallying GOP-leaning voters to the polls.”

On “Morning Joe,” Lemire addressed the report with Politico’s Jonathan Martin.

“There are Republicans who are hoping for Justice Alito or Justice Thomas, they've both been rumored to potentially retire as a motivating factor for Republicans to come out…. Both justices have put it out there that they don't plan to,” he began. “But JMart, Democrats also are talking about this, and they have said –– I've talked to a couple in the last week or so who have said, ‘Wait, there's talk that Alito and Thomas are going to stay; that's actually a smokescreen that they are going to retire’, that they're banking on complacency and they are going to come out and they will fulfill that October surprise.”

Martin replied, “Yeah. You and I lived through 2018; otherwise a really good election for Democrats, also Donald Trump's first midterm in a previous life. But guess what happened in 2018? Well, you had the Brett Kavanaugh story and that had a huge impact on the Senate races.”

“I can go on and on, races that were thought to be competitive,” he recalled. “Democrats just collapsed, especially in red America, because of that Supreme Court story. I'm not saying that Kavanaugh is going to be analogous to whatever happens with the possibility of Alito or Thomas stepping down, but it does present the opportunity to juice the political right at a time when they are demoralized right now, because obviously, Democrats have enthusiasm, and President Trump hasn't given his folks a lot to come out for.”

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