From The Nation
A Republican Senate majority representing a minority of voters just packed the court with another right-wing judicial activist. This is why Senate races matter.
Amy Coney Barrett has begun her tenure as an illegitimate justice on the Supreme Court, which has been diminished by the antidemocratic charade that saw Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell elevate a right-wing judicial activist in a mad rush to avoid electoral accountability.
These are the facts that should be acknowledged in every media report on the rule-shredding process that concluded Monday evening with the Senate's confirmation of President Trump's third Supreme Court nominee by a 52-48 vote. The Senate vote hugged party lines. Every Republican except Maine's Susan Collins backed Barrett, while the 48 "no" votes came from 46 Democrats, two independents who caucus with the Democrats, and the embattled Mainer.
But another set of numbers explains Barrett's illegitimacy -- and demands a reckoning on November 3.
The 52 Republicans who voted to confirm Barrett represent states that are home to just 152 million Americans, while the 48 votes against her confirmation represent 170 million Americans.
The Senate that confirmed Barrett is an unbalanced chamber, and Republicans have exploited that imbalance to impose their will on the country -- not for a few months or a few years but for a few decades. Republicans moved with reckless haste to confirm Barrett because they know the arc of history is bending against them. In 2016, 51.5 million voters (56 percent) backed Democrat Senate candidates while just 40.4 million supported Republicans. In 2018, 52.3 million voters (60 percent) cast their ballots for Democrats while just 34.7 million voted Republican. There is reason to believe, though, that the 2020 election could rebalance the Senate to better reflect the will of the people.
"The reason the Republicans were willing to break every rule to jam through an illegitimate nomination eight days before the election is that they have realized a truth that shakes them down to their core: The American people are not on their side," explained Senator Elizabeth Warren.