Lisa Murkowski votes “no” on Brett Kavanaugh cloture, and all hell breaks loose
Today we saw the latest surreal development in the increasingly surreal Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination process. When it came time for a procedural vote on whether to hold the final vote for Kavanaugh, GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski voted “no” – and sent shockwaves. The other swing voters all voted “yes” on the cloture motion, meaning there will be a final vote. But after Murkowkski’s move, everything is up in the air.
Susan Collins voted “yes” on cloture, and then said that she’ll announce her final vote at 3pm today. This is notable for two reasons. First, if Collins announces a “yes” vote a full day before she votes, she’ll be knowingly making herself the target of massive protests beforehand. Second, Collins has a history of only seeking to draw attention to herself when she’s going to announce something that people will like. Still, she could go either way.
Jeff Flake voted “yes” but that doesn’t tell us much; he previously voted “yes” on Kavanaugh in committee before changing his mind and calling for an FBI probe. Red state Democrat Joe Manchin voted “yes” on cloture but this tells us nothing at all. If the deciding vote comes down to him, he’ll vote “no.” If the GOP has the votes to put Kavanaugh over the top, Manchin could vote “yes” with them, but it wouldn’t alter the outcome.
The bottom line is that if Collins announces this afternoon that she’s a “no” vote, then along with Murkowski having already signaled her intentions, this nomination is probably dead. Stay tuned, as the outcome is far from decided.
