If anyone needed a reminder about what's at stake
in an election, well, last night, you got it. Because last night
Republicans took full advantage of their hold on the White House
and the Senate by officially sealing the deal
on their replacement for the late Supreme Court
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. NEWSMAN:
From judge to Justice Barrett. I, Amy Coney Barrett... Exactly one month after being
nominated by President Trump, Amy Coney Barrett now joins
the nation's highest court, concluding one of the quickest
and most controversial Supreme Court confirmations
in modern American history. The late evening event
punctuating the most partisan confirmation
in more than 150 years. All but one Senate Republican--
Maine's Susan Collins-- voting in favor of Barrett. Every Democrat
voting against her. NEWSWOMAN:
President Trump relishing in the made-for-TV photo op. It is highly fitting that
Justice Barrett fills the seat of a true pioneer for women. That's Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Say what you want
about the GOP, man, but this shit--
this was gangster. They swapped out a Supreme Court
seat in four weeks. This whole process-- this whole process
in four weeks. It was like watching a chop shop
strip down your car for parts.
Like, "Yo, I'll miss my Audi, but you
got to admire their technique. And I don't know about you,
but I was shocked to see the Senate
move this quick. I mean, normally they take
months to do anything, but here they moved so fast
it was disorienting. It was like when you call
customer service and immediately
speak to a human being. This is Janet.
How can I help you? Aah!
I wasn't ready. I mean, they just hustled
Amy Coney Barrett straight from the confirmation
to a midnight ceremony. Shit looked like
the basic cable version of Eyes Wide Shut. And guys, you know that any time you're doing
a daytime event at night, something is wrong. Like, if you're digging a hole during the day... -(kids chattering)
-(birds tweeting) But if you're digging
that same hole at night? -(crickets chirping)
-(owl hooting) And you got to admit,
Trump's comment about Barrett being the perfect
replacement for RBG is grade-A trolling. He knows what he's doing. Because, yes, RBG and Barrett
are both women, but Barrett is gonna dismantle
all of RBG's good work. So this would be like
if the Lakers replaced LeBron with Ben Carson. Technically, yes, they're
swapping one Black man for another, but good luck on making
the playoffs next season. (imitated Carson):
I'm gonna take... the shot as soon as I... (buzzer blares) (normal voice): But while
Republicans were celebrating, Senate Democrats
had some ominous warnings for their colleagues who had finally
crossed the line. Our Republican colleagues are shattering the norms and breaking the rules
and breaking their word, and there will be consequences. I think there are now
new rules in the Senate, and I think Republicans
have set them. The next time the American
people give Democrats a majority in this chamber,
you will have forfeited the right to tell us how to run that majority. If all of this rule-breaking
is taking place, what does the majority expect? What do they expect? They e-they expect
that they're gonna be able to break the rules
with impunity, and, when the shoe, maybe,
is on the other foot, nothing's gonna happen? Ooh. Democrats are not happy. This is the kind
of warning you hear at the beginning
of a horror movie. You'll rue the day you burned me alive
for being a witch. And I don't blame the Democrats
for being so pissed. For them, it has been a constant four-year losing streak, and every now and again
they get a win. At this point, they're basically
the Knicks of politics. But by the sounds of it, if Democrats
take control of the Senate, the gloves are coming off. Except for you, Mitch McConnell. Your gloves need to stay on
so people can eat. And these aren't
just empty threats either. If the polls can be trusted, Democrats actually have
a very good chance of taking control of the Senate
and the presidency next year. So the question is, what are they gonna do
for revenge? Well, according to Joe Biden... it's on. If elected,
would you move to add more justices
to the Supreme Court? If elected, what I will do
is I'll put together a national commission of-- bipartisan commission
of scholars, constitutional scholars--
Democrats, Republicans, liberal, conservative-- and I will, uh,
ask them to, over, uh, 180 days, come back to me
with recommendations as to how to, uh,
reform the court system, because it's getting
out of whack, um, the way
in which it's h-- being handled. And it's not
about court packing. There's a number of other things
that are-- constitutional scholars
have debated, and I've looked to see
what recommendations that commission might make. Really, Joe Biden? Democrats could have threatened
to do anything: expand the number of justices, make all the bathrooms
in Congress gender-fluid, get drunk and bulldoze
the Supreme Court! But, instead,
they're like, "You just wait, Mitch, "because, in six months, "the Democrats are gonna bring "a bipartisan commission
all up your ass. Rest in peace, Ruth.
We got you." (kiss) I mean, a six-month commission? I didn't know that you
could filibuster yourself. Read the room, Joe!
When everyone's like, "We're going to the club to shut
shit down!" (mimics air horn) ...you don't go,
"Or hear me out. Who's ever heard of Scrabble?" Look, here's the thing. The other day, Mitch McConnell
had a simple response to everyone who was concerned
about how he got Barrett on to the Supreme Court. You know what he said? He said,
"You can't win 'em all, and elections have
consequences." And you know what?
He's right. And there's another election
coming up in a week, and that's also gonna have
consequences, too. But elections are
only the beginning of the story. Republicans
didn't take over the court just because they felt like it. They did it because the people
who elected them made it clear
that it was a priority. So whatever your priority is for
the Supreme Court going forward, you better vote next week and then let the people
you put in office know what you expect from them.
