Fifty-four percent of Americans want the Senate to hold a vote on Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court, according to a new poll released this morning. Only 37 percent believe Democrats should prevent one.
This is according to the new NBC News/SurveyMonkey online poll of more than 7,600 adults. The survey also shows that President Trump’s job approval rating has basically held steady since last month, with 42 percent approving (down from 43 percent) and 56 percent disapproving (up from 54 percent).
Meanwhile, interest in the issue of healthcare has gotten higher since this month’s debacle on the House floor over the Obamacare repeal bill, with 21 percent saying it’s the issue that “matters most right now,” up from 14 percent last month. The propensity of voters for loss aversion also makes itself apparent: After years of majority public disapproval, the public now favors the law, 53 to 43 percent, just as its future hangs in the balance.
What strikes me in these numbers is their apparent stability. One would expect Trump to take a hit after the healthcare disaster, and some polls have shown just that, but not this one. Meanwhile, Americans’ concern over Supreme Court nominations remains a mile wide but an inch deep. In 2016, Republicans’ decision to ignore Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland cost them nothing politically, despite many polls showing support for hearings and a vote.
Then again, the conservative base is much more serious about that issue after watching decades of liberal judicial activism. It was likely the deciding factor in bringing many Republican voters home to vote for Trump last November.
Either way, it is unlikely that Senate Republicans will pay any kind of political price for forcing a vote using the so-called “nuclear option.”
