Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in 2013: “We much prefer the risk of up or down votes and majority rule [on judicial nominees], than the risk of continued total obstruction. That’s the bottom line no matter who’s in power.”
Schumer now: “The irresistible, immutable logic is, if the nominee doesn’t get 60 [votes], you change the nominee, not the rules.”
Senator Tim Kaine in October 2016: “If [Republicans] think they’re going to stonewall the filling of [the SCOTUS] vacancy or other vacancies, then a Democratic Senate majority will say, ‘We’re not going to let you thwart the law.’ And so we will change the Senate rules to uphold the law.”
Kaine now: “The way I look at it is the Supreme Court is the only position that requires you to get to a 60-vote threshold, which means it mandates that there be some bipartisanship and that is appropriate. Life tenure. Highest court in the land. Should have to get to 60 votes.” And, “I will oppose his nomination.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren in November 2013: “If Republicans continue to filibuster these highly qualified nominees for no reason than to nullify the president’s constitutional authority, then senators not only have the right to change the filibuster, senators have a duty to change the filibuster rules.” And she also said, “We need to call out these filibusters for what they are — naked attempts to nullify the results of the last presidential election.”
Warren now: “I believe Judge Gorsuch’s nomination should be blocked.”