Your prediction is likely to be tested. Sri Srinivasan is socially liberal and pro-business. He defended Jeffrey Skilling and unions hate him.
I predict you’re wrong–the GOP will still oppose him, successfully.
Considering the Republicans have established a practice of nominating the most conservative judges that can be found, why should the Democrats meet them halfway by nominating moderates?
Maybe he’ll nominate the Vice President.
In which case the Republicans would have a valid reason to obstruct his confirmation.
All this talk about nominating a politician is nonsense. Not going to happen.
Say! I like that idea! Put their little noses to the grindstone and rub them in it!
Considering Republican history on this topic, I’d be completely cool with a recess appointment.
It would outrage the GOP and the tea party. Question is would it then make the democrat supporters complacent but increase GOP turnout in November?
I don’t think a recess appointment would help the Democrats in any way. It’s probably the best way they could possible come up with to shoot themselves in the foot.
So who do you think Obama is going to appoint during recess?
So far the Republicans in the Senate don’t seem to be open to considering any possible Obama nominee.
Republicans will be hurt politically by refusing qualified moderate nominees. They will be helped politically by blocking liberal nominees.
If Obama wants to grand stand and throw up left wing liberal nominees out of spite he can but that’s not going help Democrats win elections.
I agree, IMO he should nominate someone liberal right away that he knows the GOP will reject. If they vote to reject nominate another liberal. Or if they stall then two months before general election withdraw the nominee and put forward a slightly left compromise candidate.
If the republicans are seen to be still stalling after six months it will be a huge election issue and guarantee a huge democrat turnout.
Ahem. He may not want to further alienate the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which is what a pro-business nominee would accomplish. It would not be HIS problem but it would CERTAINLY be his successors. Frankly, all we have to do is start yelling “We don’t want another pro-Citizens United Justice!” and that would be that … what Democrat would dare support a nominee that was pro Citizens United?
Oh, COME ON! Anyone to the left of Attila the Hun will be described as a raging liberal by the Republicans.
It would be hard to imagine many things more conducive to getting out the liberal vote than a still-open seat on the Supreme Court, to either be filled by the Democratic nominee or by the Republican nominee, depending on who wins in the general election.
If Obama is able to fill the slot during his remaining time, so be it, but it will not be a crying shame for American liberals / Democrats if he doesn’t. Sanders voters who might otherwise stay home sulking will come out in droves to vote for Clinton, if that’s the way the primary season goes, rather than risk a Republican prez getting to fill that slot. Likewise Clinton voters pissed at a second defeat of their preferred candidate to yet another upstart —they’ll vote Sanders lest Jeb Bush or Ted Cruz for godssake or Donald Trump fill that empty chair.
The Republicans have never tried to torpedo liberal Court nominees the way Democrats have “borked” conservative nominees.
And the Democrats never accidentally appoint justices who are more conservative than anticipated.
The Republicans have never tried to torpedo liberal Court nominees the way Democrats have “borked” conservative nominees. Nor have the Democrats nominated a justice who turned out to be more conservative than expected (not since Felix Frankfurter).
That’s a guarantee. The question is whether people will believe them or not.
It’s not just something he “gets” to do. Not just an authority. It is something he is charged with doing–a duty. The American people chose Barack Obama to have exactly this responsibility, now.
No President can make a Supreme Court Justice a recess appointment. The nominee must first be approved by the Senate. This isnt republican Rome people.
Also, there is nothing in the Constitution demanding there by 9 justices on the bench. Remember FDRs massive failure when he tried to expand the Court to 15? And that was with a massive Dem majority in Congress.