NRA is running ads in four states in an attempt to pressure Democrat Senators to vote for Neil Gorsuch. That’s good.
In addition, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has indicated he will vote for cloture on the nomination.
This concerns me:
“… Serious question: What leverage does the GOP have, really, over Joe Manchin? I know, I know — West Virginia’s one of the reddest states in the union and voted overwhelmingly for Trump, so in theory Trump could swoop in there next year and demand that Manchin be ousted. Realistically, though, Manchin’s going to end up voting with Trump and the GOP on a bunch of legislation over the next 18 months, which will put him back in the White House’s good graces no matter what he does on Gorsuch … On top of all that, Manchin has a strong electoral history in WV … The guy has never seriously been threatened back home …”
Here is the reason for my concern:
“… According to the NYT Mag, Manchin appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on December 14, 2016, the 4th anniversary of the heinous attack in which 20-year-old Adam Lanza stole guns, killed his mother, then went to Sandy Hook Elementary and killed 26 more innocents. While on air, Manchin again voiced support for his pet gun control item — an expansion of background checks in response to the Sandy Hook attack. Within an hour after his segment ended, Manchin received a phone call from Donald Trump. And while he did not divulge details of the call, he told NYT Mag reporter Robert Draper that he believes he has “a complete opportunity” to secure gun control under Trump …”
This is probably just hot air from Manchin, but I would not put it past the Republicans to offer him something in exchange for his Gorsuch vote.