It's the election, stupid

The Senate is back at work after recess.

Well, that might be overstating it a bit. They are back in Washington, mostly.

I'm back too, somewhat. In the six months in which your hero has been distracted, some stuff has happened. Trump has risen, and may be falling. Jeb! screwed the pooch. And, Scalia is a doornail. Predictably, the President has appointed a moderate Republican-approved replacement.

Senate Republicans are holding steady on their threat not to give the guy a hearing, or even meet with him. Of course their reasons are make-weight and ridiculous, of course there is no such thing as the "Biden Rule". And, of course, it has nothing to do with the expectation that a Republican will be elected President and nominate a conservative. They know that Judge Garland is the best they will do now, or in January 2017.

It is precisely BECAUSE they expect to be dealing with a President Clinton again that they are holding fast on the Garland nomination -- it's the only way they can counter the Trump (or Cruz) down-ballot drag. Intransigence means they can hold out the prospect of the Supreme Court coming after their guns and offering their teenage daughters abortions on demand through November. Unless given a better reason to come out than Trump or Cruz, they know that a good chunk of their kind will sleep in on election day.

So, sign all the MoveOn petitions and write all the huffy editorials and letters of outrage, your reason is irrelevant and weak when measured against the desperation of trying to save Congressional majorities.