Selecting a person who will have to make it through a voting process is innately “politics”. Maybe other duties of the president aren’t, but when you get into determining figuring vote tallies, you’re in politics territory.
Even assuming that Obama is sincere about considering Sandoval, it’s not a terrible choice. In a “half a loaf” sense, you’re replacing a hard right conservative with a moderate who’ll probably agree with your stance on a number of issues. And you’re locking down the seat so, heavens forbid, should Clinton lose in November then at least it’s not being filled by a Scalia clone. If Clinton should win, well, she’ll still get to fill Ginsburg’s seat (and likely one or two others).
I don’t understand what the Republicans gain by continuing to stand firm at this point. If they think Obama is “playing politics” then why not call his bluff?!
“Sandoval? Sure, we’ll have a hearing if you’ll nominate a Republican.”
Sigh. A sitting POTUS should not have to look outside his party for a nominee the opposing party would consider. Obama won the election. Did not get any help from me, but he won. As such, he gets to nominate people to various offices, including SCOTUS. So long as his nominee is at least reasonably qualified, the Senate should confirm.
This ridiculous partisan grandstanding is outrageous, and should not be tolerated. If it takes a state by state recall of the entire fucking Senate, then so be it. I’m about as disgusted as I’ve ever been with the GOP.
Because then Obama finds a more liberal Republican, or a judge who doesn’t identify with a party, and says “if you’ll consider Sandoval, why won’t you consider this one?”. I kind of get the intransigence – the only Republican hope is to close the door on any possibility… though I think it’s hopeless. Some Republican Senators (and all the Democratic Senators) will meet with whoever Obama nominates, and it will be very, very difficult for the Republican leadership to go for months and months denying all the requests for hearings or even meetings.
It’s really, really hard to say no for months and months to “why won’t you even meet with this guy/lady?”.
It may seem like an academic point. But when people refrain from voting because they’re holding out for some ideal government in which politics plays no role–as if that were possible!–then democracy is damaged.
Also: Sandoval really does look like a smart pick for Obama–due to Sandoval’s personal qualities on many fronts, snubbing him will make the GOP look bad. (Only four years on the US District Court–but even so he will have ruled on some interesting cases. I don’t see a rundown of his decisions readily available, but no doubt one will be posted soon.)
I’m not sure how the process works. If Obama nominates someone, and the GOP were to decide to have hearings and confirm that nominee, is Obama obligated to let him go through, or does he have the option to withdraw the nomination?
I know someone in a government-relations position that’s on a White House e-mail list, and got the news that way early this afternoon. This is completely real.
I think this is politics. The GOP backed themselves into a corner by stating that they wouldn’t even meet with a possible nominee. So, the White House leaks a reasonable Republican. Either they dig in their heels and they look ridiculous and obstructionist, or they relent and they look ridiculous and inconsistent. Either way, they lose because they shot themselves squarely in the dick within an hour of Scalia’s death.