Poor Merrick Garland, he’s now a trading card. And Chuck Schumer just played him.

As the July 9 date for Trump to announce his pick to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy nears, there is a vicious multi-front war evolving.

Of course, Democrats are attacking every likely nominee, with the anti-Catholic bigotry against Amy Coney Barrett the most prominent. Barrett would be the most finger-in-the-liberals-eye pick, and not just because of her Catholicism. She has seven (7) children — that is a provocation in the minds of liberal feminists and the people who love them that cannot be abided.

There also is major league sniping within conservative circles against various nominees, particularly Brett Kavanaugh.

Against that backdrop comes one Chuck Schumer, playing peacemaker.

Schumer reportedly urged Trump to pick Merrick Garland to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy as a way of uniting the country.

WaPo reported:

Democrats, meanwhile, prepared for the political war over the high court that could dominate the summer, with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) making his own suggestion for Trump. Schumer privately urged the president in a phone call earlier this week to nominate federal judge Merrick B. Garland, who was Obama’s third nominee to the Supreme Court and was summarily shunned by Senate Republicans in 2016. Trump called Schumer on Tuesday afternoon for a Supreme Court-centered conversation that lasted less than five minutes, according to a person familiar with the call. Schumer, the person said, pressed the president to name Garland to succeed Kennedy, arguing that doing so would help unite the country.

Yeah, that should work.

But it has spawned some speculative dealmaking prospects.

Varad Mehta suggested:

Trump should respond that if Schumer can convince Stephen Breyer to retire, he’ll be happy to nominate Merrick Garland to replace him.

James Taranto wants a better trade:

no, hold out for sotomayor!

Poor Merrick Garland, he’s now a trading card. And Chuck Schumer just played him.



