We’re only one day away from the beginning of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing, and it’s already shaping up to be a three-ring nightmare circus. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) predicted that the Democrats would use any tactic at their disposal to delay or subvert the hearings. 

In an appearance on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Cruz stated that the Democrats would pull some “shenanigans” to tank Barrett’s confirmation hearing, scheduled to begin on Monday. He said, “I hope we don’t see Senate Democrats turning it into a political circus.” 

He continued: “I think we’re going to see, by the way, some more procedural games and shenanigans. I don’t know what they’re going to do, whether it’s try to boycott meetings or try to impeach the president.”

Cruz also expressed confidence that the Democrats’ efforts will be ineffective. “The delay tactics of the Democrats aren’t going to work,” he insisted, as he discussed calls for mandatory coronavirus testing for lawmakers who attend the hearings. “I think they are looking for anything to delay things even a day or two or three,” he added.

The senator also stated that he believes Senate Republicans will “follow the guidance, the medical guidance of the Capitol physician, and we’ll go through — we’ve managed to have hearings for months in a way that has been safe and has protected everyone’s safety. We do it socially distanced, we do it following medical guidance, and we’ll continue following the medical guidance.”

Cruz also reiterated that the GOP would have enough votes to confirm Barrett before Election Day. 

Democrats are banking on the possibility that Cruz might be wrong. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) also appeared on the show and said that “two Republican senators have said they’re not going to participate in this farce.” He pointed out that if two more GOP senators do the same, “then it’s game over.” 

So far, GOP Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) indicated that they oppose moving forward with the hearings before the election. However, Murkowski later moderated her position, saying that she will meet with Barrett and agreed that “this process is moving forward with or without me.” 

The Democrats have been calling on Senate Republicans to delay the hearing until after the election. But the GOP has remained undeterred. The GOP’s refusal to acquiesce to these demands will likely push Democrats to pursue more extreme measures to delay or stop Barrett’s confirmation. House Democrats have threatened to launch another impeachment effort against President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr. Others have even indicated that they might boycott the proceedings. 

But, as Sen. Cruz argued, it is unlikely that the Democrats will have enough tricks up their sleeves to stop, or even delay Barrett’s confirmation. Despite their complaints about the supposed unfairness of the Republicans’ actions, the GOP knows that the Democrats would not hesitate to push through one of their favored candidates if the situation were reversed. 

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