If RBG’s seat is filled, Dems should go nuclear across the board

[Sir Mohamed]

Now I have said court packing is risky for valid reasons, but considering how this is shaping up and how much is at stake on countless issues, I think Dems should go full nuclear if they win a trifecta this November in case the GOP seats an RBG replacement. Maybe they should do so even if Trump's nominee is defeated (which I'm not optimistic about).

• Dems should nuke the filibuster entirely. It's a relic of the past, which wasn't even useful then. Merely an attempt to appease Southern segregationists to veto any legislation in the name of racism under the mantle of "states rights". The filibuster even then prevented civil rights laws for decades since Southern segregationists stood in the way. Not even weak bills could be passed for years because of the filibuster. After the threshold was already nuked from 67 to 60 after the 1964 Civil Rights Act, it should be removed entirely now. Biden has put forward an ambitious agenda, that even if half is enacted in 4 years, it would be bigger than Obama's agenda in 2009/10. I'm sick and tired of a GOP minority standing in the way of needed reforms. And I'm saying this as a standard Dem, not a Sanders hack, even though I agree with Sanders on some issues in general.
• Of course it may come back to haunt Dems, but the GOP's policy is unpopular with a majority of the American public. And as long as they don't move back to the middle, it won't change since their old white base is slowly dying off. Not even during the Trump Admin, they were unable to pass much other than a tax cut, that majority of the public didn't support at the time. If Biden and Harris are prevented from enacting the reforms they got a mandate for, it will lead to more frustration with the system, especially among Dems. As a result, they won't turn out in the next election and everybody will wake up with the GOP retaking congress, ending any hopes for reforms, while SCOTUS nullifies one Biden Executive Order after another.
• Dems should absolutely pack SCOTUS. McConnell has stolen a seat from Obama and is on track to do pull a trick again. Even putting the blatant hypocrisy from the GOP aside, a rightwing court not just threatens Obamacare, voting rights and so much more. Trump has been granted 3 nominations on the basis of a mandate from 46.0% of voters, or an NPV deficit of nearly 3 million. That + the stolen seat from Obama, who won his election fair and square, is the mandate to shape policy agenda for decades? I don't think so, tbh. Dems should add 4 justices rather than 2, expanding the number to 13. Biden would be able to fill all the seats and we have a liberal majority.
• Admit DC as a state and grant PR statehood, too, if they want it.

Now some, especially conservatives, may argue this is liberal bitterness/tears, but I'm done with running away from fights such as Dems have done for too long. For sure I wish there was more bipartisanship, but let's face it: It's almost entirely on the GOP that broke the political system. It started in the 1990s with Gingrich and the extreme partisanship as well as Fox "News" as some sort of alternate reality. They rigged the 2000 election through legal tricks and completely obstructed Obama for basically everything he has done after their dude, W, screwed everything up. Obama reached out so many times for compromises, they have rejected him time and time again. Needless to name all the examples. Then they started to weaponize the judiciary to impose their extreme policies (Citizens United, Shelby County v. Holder, ongoing attempts to sabotage the ACA and the never ending crusade against Roe v. Wade, which supported by 70% of the public). I could name more evidence, but most of you probably know all the examples from voter disenfranchisement to gerrymandering all too well. It's not even just federal offices, just look at the NC GOP that weakened gubernatorial powers in a last minute stunt during a lame duck session because the other dude was elected.

If Dems wins control in November, they should seize the moment, finally stop apologizing and play the same ruthless power game than the GOP has been doing, and, I have to admit, with great success. If just one side is willing to fight as hell, while the other is playing nice, it won't end well. As much as I regret it, the GOP should finally pay a heavy price for 25+ years of madness that goes beyond losing a presidential election.  

All the mentioned most likely won't happen in 2021 anyway, even if 2020 is a Biden landslide, but that's how I see after some thourough thinking. I don't expect this to happen and would already be satisfied with nuking the filibuster and potentially adding 2 SCOTUS seats.

Thoughts and opinions?

[Sir Mohamed]

Democrats should go a step further and, in addition to packing the court impeach the (now) five Republican Supreme Court justices.

On what grounds? For Kavanaugh there may be a case, but the others? It would just be a PR stunt, nothing that accomplished anything.

[Sir Mohamed]

Democrats should go a step further and, in addition to packing the court impeach the (now) five Republican Supreme Court justices.

On what grounds? For Kavanaugh there may be a case, but the others? It would just be a PR stunt, nothing that accomplished anything.

What you proposed isn't "going nuclear". What I suggested is.

All in all, it would be pretty bold from Dems, especially packing with 4 rather than 2 justices. Maybe nuclear is a bit too drastic in wording, though. DC statehood and court packing by 2 seats may actually happen though, and I'd already consider that a victory despite wanting to go further.

I'd also be open for Guam statehood, tbh.

[Sir Mohamed]

Statehood for PR & DC.  There is no valid argument against granting statehood to each.

In fairness for PR, there has yet to be a referendum there showing that a majority of the populace supports statehood. The 2012 referendum showed that of the 78.2% of voters who showed up, 54% wanted to change the status quo. Of those, 61.2% favored statehood. .782*.54*.612 = 25.8%. The 2017 referendum with 22.9% turnout showed 97.2% of voters favoring statehood. .229*.972 = 22.3%.

DC had a similar referendum in 2016 and vote 78% in favor.

But you know …. Republicans think it is better to disenfranchise 3.9 million Americans (total population of DC & PR combined).  But Wyoming's 500,000 get 2 Senators because …. cows.

Because...Wyoming is a constituent part of the Federal system in a way DC and Puerto Rico are not?

DC is literally the Federal system. Plus you never addressed his main argument as to why people in DC, Puerto Rico, and other territories are somehow less American than people on the mainland. Even France lets Guyane vote.

This, and if majority of PR citizens vote for statehood and 117th congress admits the island as a state through public law, there is really argument against other than GOPers complaining about 2 more Dem senators.

DC citizens also pay federal income taxes. That's reason enough to give them representation in the Capitol.