President Trump Meets With Key Senators Ahead of His Nomination for New Supreme Court Justice

RED STATE DEMOCRAT SENATORS IN A TOUGH PLACE FOR SCOTUS VOTE …

As reported at CNN, President Donald Trump met with key senators at the White House on Thursday ahead of President Trump’s nomination of the next Supreme Court Justice.  Trump met with three red-state Senate Democrats who are all facing tough re-election fights this year in states that Trump won easily in the 2016 elections: Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Trump won West Virginia, Indiana and North Dakota, 68.6% – 26.5%,  57.2% – 37.9% and 64.1% – 27.7%, respectively. These Democrat Senators are between a rock and a hard place. President Trump has already begun going to states with important Senate elections in 2018 and telling the voters he needs more GOP Senators to pass his agenda and continue to mane America great again. All three of these Senators voted in favor of President Trump’s previous SCOTUS nominee Neil M. Gorsuch. The vote is expected to be prior to the 2018 midterm elections which means if these Senators hgave any hope of winning, they will have to vote in favor of Trump’s SCOTUS nominee, or face a sure loss this November.

President Trump also met with moderate, pro-choice Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins, of Maine, as well as Chuck Grassley of Iowa. All, also voted in favor of Gorsuch. President Trump is putting his ducks in a row and making sure he has the votes. However, what type of pressure will Democrat Senate Majority Leader  Schumer put on Democrats to resist Trump’s nominee, no matter who it is?

President Donald Trump met with key senators at the White House on Thursday as the administration goes into a full-court press to nominate and confirm a new Supreme Court justice before the midterm elections next fall.

Trump met with three red-state Democrats who are all facing tough re-election fights this year: Sens. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly, of Indiana, and Heidi Heitkamp, of North Dakota. The meetings came a day after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced he’ll retire on July 31. The White House plans to nominate a new justice by July 9, CNN reported earlier Thursday.

Trump also met with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, Susan Collins, of Maine, and Chuck Grassley, of Iowa. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump’s team also talked with a dozen other senators.

“Tonight President Trump met with Senators Grassley, Collins, Murkowski, Manchin, Donnelly, and Heitkamp to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy,” Sanders said in a statement. “The President’s team also talked with more than a dozen other Senators today as part of ongoing outreach to get views and advice from both sides of the aisle on this important nomination.”

All three Democratic senators are facing tough votes when Trump nominates a replacement for Kennedy. Their states went overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016 and a vote against the President’s nominee to the court could end up costing them votes from Trump supporters they would have needed to stay in office.

Heitkamp, who was previously praised by Trump as a “good woman” before he campaigned against her in North Dakota on Wednesday, said following the meeting that she’s still willing to hear him out on his court choice.
“Political speeches are just that, but the next day, I’m ready to get to work. As I said, if the President wants to meet with me, I’m ready to participate and advocate for North Dakota. And that’s exactly what happened today,” she said.

As Politico reports, if Trump nominates a woman to the SCOTUS, will that be a game changer? Will it really matter? Female justices can be pro-life too. President Trump said that his nominee will come from his previous released list of 25. This means that Democrats cannot whine about Trump rushing too fasy because they already had the list and would have been previously vetted when Gorsuch was chosen.

No matter whom President Donald Trump picks for the Supreme Court this time around, the nominee is almost certain to come under withering liberal attack as a grave threat to women’s rights. Several conservatives close to the White House, however, say they know just how to blunt that looming assault: Pick a woman for the job.

Of the 25 people on Trump’s public list of potential nominees, six are women. Four — 10th Circuit Judge Allison Eid, 6th Circuit Judge Joan Larsen, Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces Judge Margaret Ryan and 7th Circuit Judge Diane Sykes — were on lists released during the 2016 presidential campaign. Two — 7th Circuit Judge Amy Barrett and Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt Grant — were added last November.

Justice Anthony Kennedy handed President Donald Trump and the Republicans a major midterm gift by retiring now. Maybe he thinks this is a make up for all of the swing vote decisions that he made when he sided with the liberals on the court. Justices Kennedy’s decision to retire has put further pressure on the other US Senate races like in Missouri, Montana and Florida where Democrat Sens. Claire McCaskill, Jon Tester and Bill Nelson find themselves in tough battles. These three Democrat Senators did not vote for Gorsuch. Trump won these states in the 2016 elections by 19.1, 20.5 and 1.3 percentage points, respectively.

Make no mistake, the Democrats will be viscous and vile this time around. As if they had been civil in the past. The comical part about this is that Democrats are demanding that trump pick a comparable nominee similar to moderate Justice Kennedy. Ha, like that would have occurred had Hillary Clinton won the election.  Elections do have consequences and to all the never-Trumpers, with two SCOTUS pics in less than a year, you need to sit down and shut up at this point. With regards to Democrats demanding that Trump pick a moderate like Kennedy, do you honestly think that when Reagan picked Kennedy, he ever thought that Kennedy would side so much with the liberals on the Court?

Six Months Out to the 2018 Midterm Elections … The 10 Most Vulnerable Senators … 9 Out of 10 are Democrats

TOP 10 SENATOR MOST VULNERABLE IN THE 2018 ELECTIONS … BLUE WAVE? DEMOCRATS LOOK TO LOSE MORE SENATE SEATS.

What do you notice about the Top 10 US Senators listed below who are most vulnerable? None out of ten are Democrats. This election cycle there are an overwhelming number of Democrats up for reelection as opposed to Republicans. Many are in red states that Trump won handily. So before the LEFT starts talking about a blue wave, they have a blue wall to defend. One that came crashing down in 2016.

I agree with the ones on the list; however, I do not agree with the order. The most vulnerable is Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana. With Mike Pence as the VP, Indiana becoming a solid red state and Trump having won by 20% in 2016, Donnelly is all but gone. I would have Tester at #2, McCaskill #3, Manchin #4, Heitcamp #5 and something tells me that Ohio is going red as well in 2018.  If Manchin does survive and the GOP gets big wins, look for him to maybe switch parties.

With Democrats all but losing their lead in the Generic ballot polls where even CNN, the all fake news, hate trump news all the time has it at just a 3% lead for Dems or the GOP. In December 2017 CNN has it at 56% Dem and 38% Republican. Reuters is down to 1%.

1. Dean Heller, NV, Republican
2. Claire McCaskill, MO, Democrat
3. Joe Donnelly, IN, Democrat
4. Heidi Heitkamp, ND, Democrat
5. Joe Manchin, WV, Democrat
6. Bill Nelson, FL, Democrat
7. Jon Tester, MT, Democrat
8. Tammy Basldwin, WI, Democrat
9. Sherrod Brown, OH, Democrat
10. Bob Casey, PA, Democrat

ROLL CALL PICKS THE TOP 10 SENATORS IN MOST TROUBLE IN THE 2018 MIDTERM ELECTIONS.

Nevada Republican Dean Heller remains in top spot.

Senate Democrats are still defending 10 states that President Donald Trump won in 2016, but six months out from Election Day, the most vulnerable senator remains a Republican.

Nevada Sen. Dean Heller no longer faces a primary threat, but he’s the only Republican up for re-election in a state Hillary Clinton won, and in this national environment that’s a tricky place to be.

The Democrats’ odds of flipping a few GOP-held open seats in Arizona and Tennessee have increased over the past six months, but this list — like the one we did a year out from Election Day — ranks incumbents most likely to lose — not seats most likely to flip. That means nine of the 10 senators are Democrats, with the second and third spots remaining unchanged.

North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin III have traded places, with Heitkamp now at fourth and Manchin at fifth. Democrats would have been happy to face Don Blankenship in the West Virginia Senate race, but they’re also not getting Rep. Evan Jenkins, whom they spent nearly $2 million against in the primary.

The biggest change is Florida Sen. Bill Nelson moving up from eighth to sixth with Gov. Rick Scott’s entry into the race. That pushes Montana Sen. Jon Tester and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown down a spot each to seventh and eighth, respectively.

Seven Senate Seats Most likely to Flip in 2018 … I Believe There is Even More, This One Goes to 11

DEMOCRATS HAVE A TOUGH BATTLE IN THE SENATE IN 2018 … ITS A NUMBERS GAME.

As reported from The Hill, there are 7 US Senate seats that are likely to flip in the 2018 elections. However, they may not exactly flip the way the media thinks they will. Just from the mere numbers that both parties have to defend, the GOP has an advantage. Republicans, who will only defend eight seats, two of which are considered vulnerable. By comparison, Democrats have to defend 25 seats, including 10 in states that Trump won in 2016. Many of the states Trump won wide huge margins. The MSM is so quick to reference President Trump’s “dismal” approval rating. However, you know who has an even worse approval rating by far? Congress does. One would think that Democrats from Montana, Indiana, North Dakota and Missouri are all but gone. Why these “RED” states have Democrat Senators is puzzling at best.President Trump needs to vigorously campaign for these GOP candidates and preferably hand pick ones that are not Rino’s, but actual Republicans and preferably Conservatives.

The one GOP seat that will most likely flip is Heller in Nevada. The state has been trending blue for years. However, I disagree with Sen. Flake of Arizona. One of two things will happen. Either Fake will be primary challenged by a candidate backed by Trump and win or Flake will get his act in gear. My personal opinion is he must go. Others that need to be added to the list of flipping is Democrat Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Robert Casey of Pennsylvania and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. All are obstructionist Democrat senators from states won by Trump in 2016. The GOP has an opportunity of a lifetime in 2018, the questions is, will Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blow it.?

Next year’s midterm elections will provide Republicans with a major opportunity to build their majority in the Senate — if they can overcome President Trump’s dismal approval ratings and internal party rancor.

The 2018 Senate map heavily favors Republicans, who will only defend eight seats, just two of which are considered vulnerable right now. By comparison, Democrats have to defend 25 seats, including 10 in states that Trump won in 2016.

1. Dean Heller (R-Nev.)

Heller is the only Republican up for reelection in 2018 who represents a state that Hillary Clinton won last November. Making matters worse for Heller, he’s had a rough 2017.

Democrats are largely falling in line behind Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), a strong challenger with backing from former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the dean of Nevada Democrats. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) is still weighing a bid, but Democrats’ near-uniform support for Rosen could squeeze Titus out of the race and give the party more time to focus on Heller.

2. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.)

McCaskill is one of the few statewide Democratic officeholders left in Missouri, which Trump won by 19 points in November.

The two-term senator spent 2016 as one of Hillary Clinton’s top surrogates, mounting a strong defense of the Democratic presidential nominee that McCaskill’s rivals believe will become a weakness in her own campaign.

McCaskill’s party also just lost Missouri’s 2016 Senate race, despite a strong campaign from Democrat Jason Kander.

3. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.)

Donnelly leveraged a bipartisan approach to politics and his blue-collar appeal into a Senate seat in 2012, but he’ll have to fight yet another tough battle if he wants to keep his Senate seat in a state Trump won by 19 points.

4. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)

Flake wouldn’t rank this high in a normal election year, but a Republican president threatening to support a primary challenge to an incumbent GOP senator isn’t normal, either.

The Arizona senator’s path to reelection has grown more difficult as his feud with Trump heats up. Earlier in August, Trump called Flake “toxic” in a tweet where he applauded Kelli Ward, Flake’s primary opponent. And the president’s upcoming Tuesday rally in Arizona could give him a stage to take more shots at Flake or even officially endorse a primary opponent.

5. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)

In 2016, West Virginia went for Trump by a larger margin than any other state — 42 points.

That resounding victory hasn’t been lost on Manchin, who’s made it a point to try to work with the president and Senate GOP colleagues. Another factor counting in his favor: Manchin’s consistent record of winning statewide office in the West Virginia since 2001, despite the state’s rightward drift.

But Trump’s popularity in West Virginia has drawn interest from strong Republican candidates, and the winner will pose a serious threat to Manchin’s political future. And Democrats can’t be encouraged by Gov. Jim Justice’s decision to ditch them and become a Republican last month, a decision he announced with Trump at his side.

6. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.)

Heitkamp hails from another deep-red state — North Dakota went for Trump by about 36 points.

Like Manchin, Heitkamp has walked the line between the party’s opposition to Trump and his popularity among her constituents — briefly floated as a potential Agriculture Secretary, Heitkamp, like Manchin, voted for more than two-thirds of Trump’s Cabinet appointments.

7. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.)

Republicans have a lot to like about their Montana prospects. Trump won the state by more than 20 points in November, and Republican Greg Gianforte just won the state’s at-large congressional seat in a special election — even after he assaulted a reporter.

Tester has never hit 50 percent in either of his two Senate bids, winning each election with 49 percent after a libertarian candidate siphoned off part of the vote.

Democrats Feeling the Pressure of the 2018 Miidterm Elections … Sen. Manchin (D-WV) is One of Three Senate Democrats who Didn’t Sign Party Line Letter on Tax Reform

25 DEMOCRAT & INDEPENDENT SENATORS WHO CAUCUS WITH THE DEMOCRAT PARTY ARE UP FOR REELECTION IN 2018, MANY IN STATES WON BIG BY TRUMP ARE FEELING THE PRESSURE,  …

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Joe Donnelly (D-IN) are among three U.S. Senators who did not sign the Democrat party line letter on tax reform. Although, Manchin hedged his bets and said he supported the fiscal ideas. Even though Manchin claimed his decision had nothing to do with politics or reelection, it had everything to do with it. What do these three Democrat Senators all have in common? They all are up for reelection in 2018 in “red” states that Donald Trump won big in 2016. Trump won West Virginia 68.6% to 26.5%, North Dakota 64.1% to 27.7% and Indiana 57.2% to 37.9%. So do you think Manchin, Heitkamp and Donnelly are not feeling the pressure to break from the Democrat party line? If they continue along the path of the far-LEFT leadership of their party, all will lose in 2018. Long gone are the days of the Blue Dog Democrats, this party is bordering on socialism these days.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is one of three Senate Democrats who didn’t sign a letter establishing the party line on tax reform, though he said Tuesday he agrees with all its components.

Manchin, who is up for re-election in 2018, said even though he supports the Democrats’ fiscal ideas, he won’t sign on without efforts to bring Republicans on board. He also said the election is not influencing his decision-making.

“The bottom line is, if it doesn’t help West Virginia, it doesn’t make sense to me, and just because there’s an election doesn’t mean I sign on or don’t sign on,” he said. “If you look at all the time I’ve been here, there’s stuff I don’t sign on to. I just don’t think it’s a good way to do business when you don’t try to get people from the front end.”

Sens. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., and Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., didn’t sign either. All three Democrats are up for re-election in states whose electorates voted for President Donald Trump by wide margins.

The letter was sent to Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and GOP Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch. It outlines three main policy points: tax reform should neither increase the burden on the middle class nor lessen it on high-wage earners; it should go through regular Senate procedure, not a fast-tracked process like budget reconciliation; and it should not increase the federal deficit or cut programs like Medicaid.

When confronted by about his unwillingness to tote the party line Manchin replied with, “I don’t give a sh*t …”  The reality is, Manchin, like the governor of West Virginia should probably think about changing parties. Or, the voters of WV need to vote him out of office as the Democrat party power-base does not. West Virginia has become a dark red state, so why would they think a Democrat Senator would serve them?

Because in the end, who is is his ear?

“I don’t give a s–t, you understand? I just don’t give a s–t,” he said. “Don’t care if I get elected, don’t care if I get defeated, how about that. If they think because I’m up for election, that I can be wrangled into voting for s–t that I don’t like and can’t explain, they’re all crazy.”

“I’m not scared of an election, let’s put it that way. Elections do not bother me or scare me. I’m going to continue to do the same thing I’ve always done, extremely independent.”

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) Says on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ …Obama’s Personality Makes It More Difficult For Senators To Work With Him

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) stated this Sunday morning on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ that Barack Obama’s personality makes it more difficult for Senators to work with him. Folks, this is coming from a Democrat Senator can you imagine how the GOP ones feel? Hmm, hasn’t it been the MSM and Democrats saying that the GOP has been inflexible and its those conservatives’ fault? You have a Democrat Senator saying that it is Obama’s personality, one might say driven by a one-way ideology, that is to blame for Senators to work with him.

CNN:

The President’s failure to build friendships with lawmakers has damaged his chances of finding bipartisan support for legislation, a senator from his own party said Sunday.

“It’s just hard to say no to a friend,” Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“When you build that relationship and that friendship, you’re looking for ways to try to work things out and find a compromise and, you know, that friendship means an awful lot. When you don’t build those personal relationships, it’s pretty easy for a person to say, well, let me talk about it, you know, and not really make, you know, that extra effort.”
“You know, we all have different styles,” Manchin said. It’s “just not in the president’s nature to pal around,” the conservative Democrat said, adding that Obama doesn’t have a gregarious personality like former President Bill Clinton.

With the partisan gridlock and many senators up for re-election, Manchin, who has called for congressional action on tighter gun laws, said it’s going to be challenging to get such legislation passed next year, though he remains hopeful.

Full VIDEO can be seen HERE.