Because if Obama nominates a federal judge from a lower court who has already been confirmed by a majority of Republicans in the Senate, that can be used against them in the general election. One of the candidates many think should be on the short list is Sri Srinivasan, who was confirmed by a 97-0 vote. Hard for Republicans to turn around and say he is now unqualified. So they just want to avoid the vote altogether.
Likewise Diane Humetawa, confirmed 96-0 with the support of McCain and Flake.
Man, that is pretty astounding. And Graham says he won’t even MEET with a nominee.
I hope the President nominates some tremendously solid moderate, and the Dems just HAMMER the Repubs over this uncesasingly. Of course, we’ve seen before how the Repubs can persuade their loyalists by repeating the big lie…
Will really be disappointing if no 5 Repubs will actually do their frigging jobs and govern. Enough Dems voted for the embarrassment that is Thomas, even tho it cost some of them their jobs… Wouldn’t be hard to name someone more qualified and less objectionable that that asshole.
Actually, I’m quite upset by this naked obstruction. We were already at a new low in what people can expect of Congress, and the Republican position shows that we were far too optimistic in thinking that things couldn’t get much worse. They have.
Starve the beast is at least a mid range game.
Supply side economics is so long term that our star will probably supernova before we feel its effects.
There is a difference between Republican obstructionism and Democratic obstructionism. The Republicans have a reputation for obstructionism. Their decades as the loyal opposition have given them a solidarity that the Democrats never had.
Republicans clearly obstructed Obama purely for partisan purposes on at least a couple of occasions and we cannot point to very many cases where Obama got full Democratic support as well as a significant amount of Republican support. The TPP is about as close as we get.
Democrats voted to reform bankruptcy in favor of creditors.
Democrats voted to repeal Glass-Steagal
Democrats voted for NAFTA.
Democrats voted for the Iraq War.
Democrats voted for more than a few Bush budgets.
Democrats voted for the Welfare reform Act of 1996.
Democrats voted for a whole slew of shit that would give Bernie Sanders an aneurism.
Republicans have voted against stuff that pre-Bush Republicans would have no trouble supporting.
So I suspect that Republican obstructionism will come back to bite them in the ass and give Hillary a filibusterproof majority in the senate and maybe even a majority in the house and governor’s mansions.
I’m starting to think that the political hard-line from Senate leaders (e.g. no vote, no hearing, no meeting, no possibility of considering an Obama nominee) is out of incredible fear that some of their own might turn “reasonable” for individual political reasons. McConnell and co are desperately afraid that Kirk, Collins, and others might force them into an actual hearing and vote (which might be for an eminently qualified and reasonable candidate like Sri Srivathanan that they voted for unanimously already for a lower court), so they’re trying to jump ahead of that by eliminating any possibility of a hearing, or even a meeting with the nominee.
You’re wondering if the leaders Republican Party, the rank and file of which is trying to decide whether Ted Cruz or Donald Trump are the best men to lead the country, is worried about appearing “reasonable”?
Uh, yeah. Obviously.
Maybe I misstated it, but I think McConnell is desperately afraid that some GOP Senators might actually call for a hearing (which I’m calling a reasonable action), once Obama names someone, and the ensuing political pressure will force an actual hearing.
No I’m not - I am making the patently obvious claim that both sides are doing or have done exactly the same thing.
Regards,
Shodan
My prediction: McConnell is hamboning to make sure the nominee is as illiberal as possible. He will not prevent hearings for 9 months. A moderate is the best he can hope for.
You should provide a cite for McConnell if you believe that.
There was a whole list of asymmetrical R behavior upthread.
The *claim *is obvious, yes. The factual support for it, not so much.
How many of Obama’s SC nominees to replace Scalia has the Senate actually obstructed the nomination on? Oh yeah - ZERO.
The Senate Majority Leader and all Republican members of the Judiciary Committee have told the President not to even bother nominating someone (uh, isn’t that a constitutional duty of his? And senators are telling him to ignore his responsibility?). How many times has that happened in history? Oh yeah - ONE.
I claim that it is a proven scientific fact that I am a more advanced form of life, with an intellect far beyond what you mortals can imagine.
The trouble is, both your claim and my claim are easily disproven.
I’ve said this in another, related thread- If I were a Republican, I’d be increasingly concerned that my elected officials seem to think that they don’t need to do the job I elected them to do.
There are many, apparently many more, Republicans who think their elected representatives are doing exactly what they were sent to Washington to do.
So a threat is actual obstruction? Nope - it’s called politics. Maybe Obama should grow a pair and not cave in to the threat.