Politics –
Supreme Court: Obama Preps,
GOP Missteps
Republicans are so up in arms over President Obama’s intention to do his job and name a successor to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, that their short-sighted political antics may have just handed Democrats the White House in November.
Politics
Justice Scalia passed away unexpectedly over the weekend, giving President Obama yet another opportunity to put his stamp on the Supreme Court with yet another nominee. However, out of fear that Mr. Obama’s pick would almost assuredly not be the staunch conservative that Scalia was, Republicans have been tripping over themselves in an ill-advised attempt to change the rules and stop the president from fulfilling his constitutional duty. Huge mistake.
Almost immediately after Scalia’s death, the GOP played their entire deck of cards. They let it be known that if President Obama doesn’t let them change the rules and leave the court seat vacant until after he leaves office (so that a possible Republican president can make the pick instead), they will throw a child’s temper-tantrum and filibuster any appointment until they get their way. Not only is such a threat juvenile, it’s politically amateurish.
If Republicans were smart they would have kept their big yaps shut, allowed the president to select the nominee of his choosing, held Senate hearings with the nominee, asked pointed questions about his/her qualifications, then simply rejected the nominee after the process had run its course. But Republicans are dumb. After 8 years they are still so emotionally out to get President Obama, that they made an uncalculated move with their hearts instead of their heads. Again, huge mistake.
Now, instead of looking like grown-up statesmen who are capable of being handed the keys to the White House while already controlling both the House and Senate, Republicans look like spoiled, 4-year-old idiots. Their inept political posturing might easily turn off centrist and independent voters at the ballot box, thereby assuring a Democratic win in November. This is a huge gift from the GOP — all wrapped in a huge, red bow and hand-delivered to Democrats on a silver platter.
Politics
While the GOP looks back over the past few days, they know the damage is already done and it’s too late for them to dial it back. They just proved they can obstruct but they can’t govern.
As Hillary Clinton said over the weekend: “Barack Obama is President of the United States until January 20, 2017. That is a fact, my friends, whether the Republicans like it or not.”
Well, Republicans don’t like it, so they probably won’t like the fact that President Obama is (yet again) proving to be the adult here and is proceeding with plans to name a nominee.
Mr. Obama met with his team of advisors on Monday and has already begun compiling a list of potential names he would like vetted and considered. Perhaps the most interesting name being considered is Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Born the son of Indian immigrants, Srinivasan is the former Justice Department lawyer who successfully convinced the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013.
Selecting Srinivasan as the nominee would be a politically shrewd move for President Obama. Not only could he become the first Indian-American to serve on the high court, but Republicans already confirmed him in May 2013 for the Circuit Court post by a unanimous vote of 97-0. So, they’d be hard pressed to justify why Mr. Obama’s choice should be rejected now after he was unanimously approved only a few years ago.
Another prime candidate is current U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Her tough record on crime as a former prosecutor would make it difficult for Republicans to paint her as liberal and delay/ignore her nomination. She would also be the first black woman to ever serve on the court.
How could congress filibuster and/or reject either the first Indian-American or the first African-American female Supreme Court nominee during an election year without political consequence? They couldn’t!
Realizing he is in a position of extreme power, Mr. Obama said “This is not the first time that Republicans have come out with a lot of bluster, only to have reality ultimately sink in. At each pass, they took a hard-line. They tried to play politics. But ultimately, they were not able to back up their threats.”
So, once again — Republicans are playing checkers, while President Obama is playing chess!
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Another fine post DJ, from start to finish. Well Done.
The sentence that simply says it all: "Almost immediately after Scalia’s death, the GOP played their entire deck of cards."
And every sentence after that is just icing on the cake because you detail beautifully the absolute ass-foolery that is the Republican leadership.
I would posit that beginning with Ronald Reagan's Presidency the Republican party has devolved in so many significant ways that the party has finally reached a real tipping point. Today, what passes for Repub leadership is little more than a collective of (mostly) White men who just AREN'T that bright. Not at all.
Beginning with the likes of Mitch McConnell, it goes downhill from there. It's no wonder they've shown themselves incapable of actually governing responsibly and effectively, They have NOT a clue as to how to do any of that. They seem only to know how to LIE, scheme, plot, Hate, obstruct, Scapegoat and FAIL. That's it. Just a vicious cycle.
Btw- IF there is ONE thing Trump should be given credit for it's that HE alone has pulled the covers off of the entire Republican charade, Exposing the rot and sewage within. Trump even took a meat-cleaver to the Bush/Cheney Presidency and chopped it to pieces when he called them OUT for LYING the U.S. into the illegal Invasion of Iraq which ignited total upheaval in the Middle East, gave rise to numerous terrorist groups and led to all kinds of catastrophic losses (blood and treasure) that continues to this day. But I digress.
I said yesterday, the President will do his job and NOT give a flying fig about the Repubs. IMO, he can't go wrong nominating either U.S. AG, Loretta Lynch or Judge Sri Srinivasan.
As noted by DJ, the Repubs have *played* themselves…yet again. They will (of course) reject Obama's pick.
But no matter. This President will NOT bow. And most certainly, he will NOT break.
To borrow a thought from William Shakespear's Macbeth…..
The myth of the GOP's supposed power to defeat Pres. Obama has become "a tale told by {idiots}, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
You are on a role this week DJ. Everything you laid out is spot on. Repubs definitely played their whole deck of cards because they can't help themselves. Like Truth said they are not too bright. Now this is all about to backfire on them. Democrats have a brand new weapon they can use on the Repubs for the rest of the election. I love it.
(earlier this evening)
Obama: 'The Constitution Is Pretty Clear' On SCOTUS Nominations
President Obama punched back Tuesday at Republicans who have threatened to delay the nomination of a successor to the late Justice Antonin Scalia until there is a new president.
"The Constitution is pretty clear about what is supposed to happen now," the president wryly noted. “There's no unwritten law that says that it can only be done on off-years.”
His remarks came at a press conference at the U.S.-ASEAN summit in California.
“When there is vacancy on the Supreme Court, the president of the United States is to nominate someone, the Senate is to consider that nomination, and either they disapprove of that nominee or that nominee is elevated to the Supreme Court," Obama said. "Historically, this has not been viewed as a question.”
“I'm amused when I hear people who claim to be strict interpreters of the constitution suddenly reading into it, a whole series of provisions that are not there," Obama said. "There is more than enough time for the Senate to consider in a thoughtful way, the record of a nominee that I present and to make a decision.”
H/T: TalkingPointsMemo (TPM)
Wed. 2-17-16
In response to news that some Repub Senators are already beginning to break rank with McConnell on this:
RedState Reader:
Once again the base has idiotically pushed the GOP into a no win situation. They demand the GOP reject all candidates sight unseen which makes it trivial for Obama to nominate someone highly respected and then say ‘look how unreasonable the GOP is being.’ And he’s objectively right. But if the GOP relents now the base will go completely nuts.
I almost feel bad for the GOP Establishment, but then I remember that they encouraged this madness in their base when it suited their purposes. So screw them. […]
RedState Reader:
Dope GOP solution: hand Obama another easy political victory by pre-emptively refusing to even engage with him. Because these dopes are scared of the conservative base that they don’t like and don’t understand. They think the base will hate them even more if they engage with Obama.
THAT ISN’T WHY WE HATE YOU. WE HATE YOU BECAUSE YOU LOSE. We want Republicans to BEAT Obama, not lose by refusing to play and other stupidities. Rejecting his nominee in a confirmation vote is a LOSS for Obama. Refusing to even consider a nominee from Obama is a WIN for Obama. These idiots like McConnell don’t have a damn clue. […]