As mentioned yesterday, the poor Democrats on the Judiciary Committee cannot move the remaining Biden judicial picks to a full floor vote, as it takes a majority vote to move them out of committee. Dianne Feinstein, the 89-year-old demented California Senator, is still absent with complications arising from shingles, all of which is exactly what you'd expect of the Party of Youth. (I stole that from, I think, Instapundit.)

Without Feinstein, Democrats and Republicans have equal votes on the committee.

The Democrats want the GOP to allow them to replace Feinstein with a temporary Substitute Senator, so they can start ramming these extremely unqualified judges through. Committee assignments are voted on at the beginning of a congressional term, and are meant to continue throughout the term. To make a change in committee assignments requires a full floor vote the Senate, and that vote can be filibustered.

So Dick Durbin is asking GOP Senators to vote with Democrats to end the filibuster so they can put another awful leftwinger on the Committee, and then ram through these picks on party-line votes.

Note that most of Biden's awful judiciary picks have been voted through, many with, of course, GOP support. But the ones that remain have been stuck in committee for a reason-- they're the worst and most unqualified DEI nominees.

And Durbin actually dares to demand the GOP help him in this scheme.

From Business Insider:

"It just boils down to this -- tomorrow this could happen to the Republicans, and they could find themselves in a vulnerable position through no fault of their own," he told a group of reporters, including NBC News, on Capitol Hill. "I hope that they'll show a little kindness and caring for their colleague. She's in a delicate part of her life and her Senate service and they should stand by her and give her a dignified departure from the committee."

"She is obviously sensitive to the fact that her absence has an impact on the committee," he continued. "I think we can take care of this issue, do it very quickly, and I hope we can find 10 Republicans who will join us in that effort."

Ed Morrissey points out that Dick Durbin was an architect of the Democrats' scheme to filibuster the nomination of Miguel Estrada to the DC Court of Appeals, for no reason except that he was a young, attractive Hispanic with a great record and solid-gold credentials who would one day be a lock for appointment to the Supreme Court.

So this request is particularly obnoxious coming from him.

"When Hell freezes over," responded Ted Cruz to the request.

Wait, wait -- that wasn't Ted Cruz. That was Mitt Romney.

NBC "News:"

"They'd like Republicans to help them speed the appointment of more liberal justices? Yes -- when hell freezes over," he said.

Even liberal John Cornyn refused the Call of Decency from Durbin.

And even Susan Collins refused. Susan Collins, however, couldn't just say no -- she had to pretend (or maybe this is even the reality!) that she was only refusing because she didn't want to take part in removing her "friend" Dianne Feinstein from the Committee.

"She's been an extraordinary senator. She's a friend of mine. During the past two years, there has been a concerted campaign to force her off of the Judiciary Committee. And I think that's wrong, and I won't be a part of that," Collins said.

That's bullshit; it's not Democrats keeping her off the Committee, it's advanced old age, dementia, and complications from shingles. The reason to refuse to cooperate is to deny the Democrats the ability to ram through the worst of all leftwing basket-cases diversity pick judges, but Susan Collins is such a liberal RINO she can't say that. She has to claim that she just won't vote to hurt her fwen.

Mitch McConnell also bases his refusal on the claim that he doesn't want to "sideline" Feinstein, though he does go on to say that he won't "sideline" Feinstein "jut so Democrats can force though their very worst nominees."

Seung Min Kim
@seungminkim

It's official. McConnell: "Senate Republicans will not take part in sidelining a temporarily absent colleague off a committee just so Democrats can force through their very worst nominees."

Not commenting: the woman Mitch McConnell spent millions so she could win the primary over an actual conservative opponent, Lisa Murkowski.