I want to be careful not to over-interpret this, but a few more Republican senators have said today they would be willing to meet with Merrick Garland. That is at odds with what Senate GOP leadership and conservative outside groups have been calling for, mainly because they want to avoid going down a slippery slope where it becomes about the nominee rather than their blanket opposition to Obama naming the next Supreme Court justice.
Also of note is that there seems to be a emerging acknowledgement by some GOP senators that if Hillary Clinton wins in November, they would be willing to consider Garland in a lame duck session. That also represents a crack in the facade, since the rationale for opposition has been that the next president gets to decide.
You can certainly see how the politics will have changed if Clinton wins in November. The people will have spoken and Garland may be the best the GOP could possibly hope for at that point, but this idea undermines the broader opposition strategy.
Still, these little fissures are worth watching closely. United, unwavering opposition is the political key to keeping all Senate Republicans in line. That’s why McConnell took an immediate hardline.
