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.
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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.
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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… Read more »