The Republicans have already announced that they are going to refuse to confirm (or even have a hearing to consider) anyone nominated by Obama to replace Antonin Scalia. Even before they hear who Obama is going to nominate. The Party of NO is nothing if not consistent.
The GOP claims that it is standard practice to not consider a Supreme Court appointment in the last year of a president’s term. So, how does that explain Anthony Kennedy, who was unanimously approved by a Democratic Senate in February during the final year of Ronald Reagan’s second term? Or the many other judges appointed in the last year of a president’s term.
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Incredible how ravenous the GOP candidates at times like this, such an unhelpfully competitive dialogue. However as noted by more comedic pundits, Mitch McConnell has on camera said that he does not believe in the Thurmond Rule (re: Bush II’s midnight appellate appointments) however hypocrisy has never been a huge obstacle for republicans so we’ll most likely see every blocking attempt short of a Jacobin barricade.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/15/gop-cynicism-on-the-supreme-court-reaches-a-new-low.html
Thanks Diogenes, nice piece of historical perspective. I’m searching in vain for any reference or hint of the Thurmond Rule in the Constitution, a document Republicans herald only slightly less reverently than the Bible. Or as Elizabeth Warren recently tweeted “I can’t find a clause in the Constitution that says…”except when there’s a year left in the term of a Democratic President.”
Ironically, Scalia, a strict literal Constitutionalist, would likely be the first to point out this Republican hyper-hypocrisy. Doubly ironic, their stance if it holds may well end up costing them their Senate majority out of voter disgust and result in an even more liberal judge than might otherwise be the case.
I think the printer that prints the paychecks for Congress is broken, maybe we should wait til next Congress before we fix it.
Good opinion in WaPo about this — https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2016/02/16/the-absurdity-of-the-debate-over-replacing-scalia-2/
Well to be honest, Republicans are not the only party of No, even though they’ve been that group since 2010.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/white-house-obama-regrets-filibustering-samuel-alito/article/2583457
It seems out POTUS now regrets being a party to No, now that the shoe is on the other foot.
Things that make you go Hmmm.
Do we need a Senate, the US version of the House of Lords? Can’t we have a House of Commoners only, and let them select a president, justices, etc?