[The Lone Ranger]

My suspicion is that McConnell will not hold hearings before the election.

It's not that Trump's or McConnell's loyalists care in the slightest about the rampant hypocrisy that holding a vote before the election would entail. But ... there are several Republicans -- including McConnell himself -- who face the prospect of losing their re-election bids. Displaying such blatant hypocrisy and partisanship might turn off enough "swing" voters to cause Republicans to lose those races.

What I suspect WILL happen is that McConnell will wait until after the election to hold a vote. Then, right after the election, and regardless of who wins -- he'll try to force through Trump's preferred nominee before the changeover of power.

That way, McConnell will get to have his cake and eat it too.

Am I being too cynical? Where McConnell and Trump are concerned, I don't think that's possible.