began reaching out to conservative allies after 85-year-old ginsberg missed monday s oral arguments for the first time in her 25 years on the bench. sources familiar with the conversation says the white house began taking the temperature on possible short list candidates, reaching out to key stakeholders very quietly because the idea is not to be opportunistic but just to be prepared so we aren t caught flat foot. despite her absence ginsberg is participating in cases receiving briefings and filings at home while she recovers from cancer removal surgery last month. however, should she leave the bench it would trigger the second bitter supreme court confirmation battle of trump s tenure and allow the president to create the court s strongest conservative majority in decades. ginsberg said she plans to remain on the bench for at least another five years or as long as she can do it at quote full steam ahead. let s get a check on your
voteses to win a decision, but they also have a certain culture the there. and that you had several of the liberal democrats showing up not only on saturday night for the official swearing in, but showing up certainly last night at the white house for what really was more of a rally, ceremonial moment in prime time, but you had braeuer and ginsberg the breyer and ginsberg there. yes, they will be working for voting with you have a potential ally. and is so they start out with the proceed inings sworn in to a member of the court, and he sat next to elena kagan and they were chatting and smiling and joking, and that is the way it is going to go. and of course, they know each other well from the legal circles and law school circles. yes, she brought him in to teach at harvard, right. when she was dean. and i should point out that
these are democrats appointed by clinton and obama. from ginsberg with 96 votes to kagan with 63. now republican nominees by bush 43 and now president trump. from roberts with 78 to brett kavanaugh with 50.senate democrats have been much less likely to cross the aisle and vote for a republican nominee the republicans have been to vote for democratic nominees. let me also point out some of those were below 60. the filibuster was not used until neil gorsuch to change the number from 60-50. so the change senator mcconnell made to the rules on the supreme court, really caused us to be much more partisan in this. chris: but in fairness, you did it first in 2013. not for the supreme court but lower court judges. i agree. - - we go back and forth here.
clinton. these are democrats appointed by clinton and obama. from ginsberg with 96 votes to kagan with 63. now republican nominees by bush 43 and now president trump. from roberts with 78 to brett kavanaugh with 50.senate democrats have been much less likely to cross the aisle and vote for a republican nominee the republicans have been to vote for democratic nominees. let me also point out some of those were below 60. the filibuster was not used until neil gorsuch to change the number from 60-50. so the change senator mcconnell made to the rules on the supreme court, really caused us to be much more partisan in this. chris: but in fairness, you did it first in 2013. not for the supreme court but lower court judges. i agree.
of justices that work together. they actually are professional, they listen to judgments. we are not talking about kavanaugh sitting on the supreme court bench, being accused of criminal activity. something that he feels unjustly so you will not see that kind of response. and if we look historically, i mean look at the fact that antonin scalia and ginsberg, who have polarized ideologies in opposite directions, they were even reputed to be very good friends spending lots of personal time together. so this is not what people are expecting from you know, all of the political hype that we are seeing. kavanaugh is not going to upturn and become this outrageous, angry man on the bench. it is just not how the supreme