“We have the Senate,” President Donald Trump said Monday morning, with we meaning the GOP. And that means, in contrast with Barack Obama’s stymied 2016 attempt to fill a Supreme Court vacancy during a presidential election year, Republicans ready to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg “can sort of do what you want.”
As a description of crude power politics, that’s mostly true. (We shall see if more Republican senators pre-announce their intention not to vote on a SCOTUS nomination before Election Day.) But as power politics becomes more crude, is that good for the country on balance?
So begins the debate on this week’s Reason Roundtable podcast, starring Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, Matt Welch, and Katherine Mangu-Ward. The gang discusses political hypocrisy, congressional irresponsibility, and the mutual degradation of norms (and Norms), as well as the latest in federal corona spending, Trump’s ridiculously interventionist TikTok exertions, and prohibition baseball in quarantined California.
Audio production by Ian Keyser and Regan Taylor.
Music: “Casual Desire” by Ugonna Onyekwe.
Relevant links from the show:
“Half of Republicans Say New Justice Should Be Picked by Whoever Wins the Election,” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
“A Possible Deal on Ginsburg’s Replacement That Could Prevent Court-Packing,” by Ilya Somin
“The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Future of the Supreme Court,” by Damon Root
“After the Stimulus Binge, Brace for a Crash,” by J.D. Tuccille
“A Second Round of Airline Bailouts Would be Bad for the Industry and Consumers,” by Christian Britschgi
“Trump Wants More Stimulus Spending. Biden Wants a National Mask Mandate. Both Are Wrong,” by Eric Boehm
“Trump Administration Formally Bans TikTok, WeChat Apps from Online Stores in U.S.,” by Scott Shackford
“Trump’s 1776 Commission to ‘Promote Patriotic Education’ Is Executive Overreach,” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
“Trump May Tank TikTok Deal With Oracle Because Government Doesn’t Get a Cut,” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
“NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio Delays School Reopening at the Last Minute, Infuriating Parents,” by Robby Soave
Founded in 1968, Reason is the magazine of free minds and free markets. We produce hard-hitting independent journalism on civil liberties, politics, technology, culture, policy, and commerce. Reason exists outside of the left/right echo chamber. Our goal is to deliver fresh, unbiased information and insights to our readers, viewers, and listeners every day. Visit https://reason.com