The NRA, according to which figures you want to believe, has somewhere between 3 million and 4.5 million members. That’s a pretty hefty voting bloc. In contrast, the NEA has about 2.7 million members and the Teamsters 1.4 million.

By throwing down that gauntlet, McConnell is backing himself and his party into a corner. What if, notwithstanding the “lame-duck session” phrase, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders is elected president in November? Does anyone really believe that their nominee would be acceptable to the NRA?

Or even Donald Trump. Sarah Palin would certainly be approved by the NRA. But what if Trump decided to nominate someone who did not meet the NRA litmus test?

And what of other nominations? Must the NRA approve of a future president’s cabinet nominees? And the Federal Reserve and the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

So, would the country simply go with eight justices on the highest court in the nation until an NRA-safe Republican is elected president? And I won’t even get into all those federal judges who also need the consent of the Senate.

With the makeup of this court, most decisions are going to wind up 4-4. That means the decision of the lower courts stands. Should we fill-in with a pinch-justice until the NRA makes up its mind?