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Senate Democrats Finally Start To Push Back Against Biden's Plan To Appoint Anti-Abortion Judge. [1]

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Date: 2022-07-12

[Note: I know there is a debate on Daily Kos and among some among pundits that progressive Democrats should not criticize President Biden, especially with the threat from the fascists in the midterms. Better to support Biden and show no divisions among the ranks is what I am reading. While there is some validity in that argument, I cannot be silent when President Biden makes a deal with Mitch McConnell to appoint Chad Meredith — a corrupt anti-choice Federalist lawyer — to the District Court in Kentucky. A constitutional right has been ripped away from American women, and there is no excuse for making a deal with the very forces who took that right away.]

It appears that Senate Democrats are waking up and smelling the stench from Biden’s deal with Mitch McConnell.

WASHINGTON — Several Senate Democrats said they would vote against the confirmation of a conservative, anti-abortion federal judge nominee if President Joe Biden follows through with a purported deal with Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The strong reaction from Democrats on Biden's planned nomination of attorney Chad Meredith in Kentucky raised the prospects of the president’s own party blocking the pick should he move forward. “All I’m going to tell you is I’m going to vote no,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii on Monday. "It’s his call, but if he asked me for my advice I would say I don’t know how many Democrats are planning on voting yes.”

Oh, and for those people who keep insisting, “This is much ado about nothing! Meredith’s appointment has not been announced, so get over it Merlin!”, you haven’t bothered to read the email from the White House to Governor Andy Beshear stating Biden would nominate Chad Meredith on June 24th. Please pull your head out of the sand and face a painful fact. But if you need proof:

Close hold

Marshall, Kathleen M. EOP/WHO

Thu 6/23/2022 4:16 PM

To:

Minix, Coulter C (Gov Office)

To be Nominated tomorrow: 8. Stephen Chad Meredith: Candidate for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky Stephen Chad Meredith has been of counsel at Squire Patton Boggs in Cincinnati, Ohio since 2021. Mr. Meredith was previously the Solicitor General of Kentucky from 2019 to 2021. From 2015 to 2019, Mr. Meredith served as Chief Deputy General Counsel to Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin. He was in private practice at Ransdell & Roach from 2011 to 2015 and Frost Brown Todd from 2009 to 2011. Mr. Meredith served as a law clerk for Judge Amul Thapar on the United States District Court

for the Eastern District of Kentucky from 2008 to 2009 and for Judge John Rogers on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 2007 to 2008. He received his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2007 and his B.A. from Washington and Lee University

in 2004. Sent from my iPhone

The above is the email that Gov. Andy Beshear decided to release to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Biden was all set to make that announcement on June 24th. Then, the reactionary SCOTUS decided to strike down Roe.

Yeah, but you know me. I hyperventilate. As does Congressman John Yarmuth. And Gov. Andy Beshear. And every other Kentucky Democrat.

And there is a simple little test for President Biden if he wants to do away with this pesky story. He can publicly state that he will not appoint Chad Meredith to anything. But Biden refuses to do that.

Instead, the story has metastasized to the point where the “don’t rock the boat” Senate Democrats finally started to feel a little sea sick.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judicial Committee, which takes up federal judicial nominations, said he spoke last week to the White House about the potential Meredith nomination. “What's in it for us? They didn't give a specific answer," Durbin told reporters, according to Politico. He said Democrats would not support Meredith's confirmation "on his merits alone." Durbin told USA TODAY he needs to "know more" including whether there was any arrangement with McConnell, adding: “It wouldn’t be my choice for judge."

Look at that. Sleepy Senator Durbin woke up and asked Biden about this deal. Durbin is an establishment Democrat. And he knows that there was a deal, but he claims Biden won’t tell him what if anything Democrats get out of this Biden/McConnell deal.

The Democratic women senators are just a bit more forceful that this is a “Hell No!” Meanwhile, with the exception of Schatz, the male Democratic senators are all over the map. Kaine is like, “I have only read a little about this guy Meredith.” Hickenlooper is all, “This is what hyperpartisanship gets us,” or something like that. Sherrod Brown is doing the “Well, he hasn’t been nominated yet.” But he did let Biden know that an anti-choice nominee is not cutting it with him.

Bottom line: Senate Democrats may be signalling, “Don’t do this Joe!”

I suppose President Biden can go and get all those Senate Republicans to vote for Chad Meredith, if Biden wants to commit political suicide and nominate this POS. And considering I am a loyal Democrat, I cannot afford for President Biden to commit political suicide. He’s the only president we have, and we all need him to fight for what he claims he believes in. And it is why I will not be quiet on this issue.

When your guy is being stupid, it is your duty to tell him he is wrong and get him to correct the course.

White House Email.

White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111. Open Monday through Thursday 11 A.M. to 3 P.M.

[Additional Note: Chad Meredith worked for corrupt Republican Governor Matt Bevin of KY. Meredith was involved with Bevin’s pay for pardon scheme. A notorious murderer was pardoned by Bevin after his family had made a hefty political contribution to Matt Bevin’s reelection campaign. Bevin is now under criminal investigation for those pardons. Meredith also worked with State Attorney General Cameron in a lawsuit that upheld the legislature’s right to strip Governor Beshear of all emergency powers to fight COVID-19.]

[END]
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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/12/2109792/-Senate-Democrats-Finally-Start-To-Push-Back-Against-Biden-s-Plan-To-Appoint-Anti-Abortion-Judge

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