As we’ve been telling you all day, Dems are furious over the recent 5-4 SCOTUS rulings getting decided, in part, because of Trump-appointed Neil Gorsuch. But Ezra Klein has a brutal reminder that the reason why Sen. Mitch McConnell was able to block Obama nominee Merrick Garland in the first place was because “turnout was abysmal” in 2014 and Dems got schlonged in the midterm election:
In 2014, Dem turnout was abysmal and Rs picked up 9 Senate seats. That gave them the votes to block Obama from replacing Scalia. Decisions like today's — and those that will follow if Trump replaces Kennedy with a Gorsuch-like conservative — are the result.
Midterms matter.
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) June 26, 2018
2014 had the worst voter turnout in 72 years. Politics was gridlocked, and few felt the election mattered. Then Scalia died, and it turned out to be one of the most consequential midterms in memory. The lesson: treat all elections like they matter. https://t.co/MA6ANuASUw
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) June 26, 2018
I'm reminded that I actually made this argument before the 2014 election, when Pew was calling it the "meh midterm": "The easiest argument for consequence that either party has is a morbid one: a Supreme Court Justice could retire or die." https://t.co/tMycTjXLRn
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) June 26, 2018
As we told you, then President Obama was desperate to help juice turnout but to no avail:
Obama tailors his GOTV message in WI, drops "Pookie" name – "you've got that cousin on the couch who is watching old Packers games"
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) October 29, 2014
Cousin Pookie is back! And, yes, he is still sitting on the couch. http://t.co/ZfLsUPWXcV
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) October 20, 2014
Obama to supporters of Anthony Brown, candidate for governor in Maryland. Get "cousin Pookie" to the polls pic.twitter.com/9xEEvg7PRm
— Toluse Olorunnipa (@ToluseO) October 19, 2014
Cousin Pookie never got of that couch and liberal dreams died. So sad.
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Related:
‘You CAN’T be this pathetic!’ Linda Sarsour proves she CAN be that pathetic with SCOTUS #TravelBan tweet https://t.co/jSkg5CZdO1
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 26, 2018
THANK YOU, @POTUS: Conservative majority on SCOTUS overrules FDR-era ruling that put Americans in internment camps #MAGA https://t.co/V3yIqC2xPG
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 26, 2018
Can someone please do a wellness check on Andrea Mitchell because we're pretty sure she's about to explode https://t.co/nrsO5S3lqy
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 26, 2018
