This election has just changed, Justice Scalia has died

[ElvisL1ves]

I have no doubt that Obama, Clinton, Reid, and Schumer are on the same page.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

Agreed. And I still think Garland will be taking his seat at 1 First St. NE, Washington sometime between Nov. 8 and Jan. 20.

[Buck_Godot]

@oft_wears_hats

McConnell won’t even try to hide the hypocrisy, he’ll just say that Garland is an excellent candidate and it would be reckless to risk letting Clinton elect some sandal-wearing hippy. All previous statements about how “the next president should select Scalia’s replacement” will be conveniently forgotten.

I highly doubt it. I don’t think that the difference in 4/5 court splits with Garland on the Bench vs whomever Clinton could get through would make that much difference in the grand scheme of things. Also McConnell is much more concerned with his own personal career than he is with the overall conservative agenda. The down side of coming out and admitting that he was a liar and the court appointment was held up for purely political reasons, hurts him far more than a slightly more liberal justice would.

[oft_wears_hats]

@Buck_Godot

I highly doubt it. I don’t think that the difference in 4/5 court splits with Garland on the Bench vs whomever Clinton could get through would make that much difference in the grand scheme of things. Also McConnell is much more concerned with his own personal career than he is with the overall conservative agenda. The down side of coming out and admitting that he was a liar and the court appointment was held up for purely political reasons, hurts him far more than a slightly more liberal justice would.

At this point, I think McConnell and other GOP hardliners are doubling down on political obstruction specifically because they think it’ll keep them in office. They’re appealing to the wingnuts in their base who want them to resist Obama at any cost. McConnell filibustered his own bill a few years back; this is not a man who is acquainted with reason. If Obama came out and endorsed cellular respiration, McConnell would be mailing cyanide pills to his flock with instructions to swallow them immediately.