Do you agree with Republicans refusing to vote on an Obama Supreme Court Nominee?

[Maren]

With the death of Antonin Scalia, the Senate Majority Leader, and other Republicans, are saying they will not debate or vote on anyone that Pres. Obama nominates to the Supreme Court.

For the poll, do you support the Republicans to wait until after the election to fill the empty seat on the Supreme Court?

Further, how do you believe this will effect the November election? Will it hurt Republicans as they are painted as "obstructionists" and as another example of a "Do Nothing" Congress? Or, will the public side with the idea that we should wait a year to fill the open seat to ensure the American Public gets the chance to be heard on what type of nominee is selected?

 

[Tiny Bible]

The behavior of the GOP since Obama took office is a shame on them all. And that's largely why he's been bypassing their disruptionist politic and writing EO's.
Likely he'll do that again since SCOTUS must be a body of nine and were scheduled to reconvene next Monday. The GOP disruption agenda can't be allowed to stop SCOTUS and I doubt Obama will let it.

 

[Vylo]

They should not fall into this trap. They will drive away the independents and undecideds if they do this with so long until the election. It will be seen as extremely underhanded. They control the senate, so they should bring them up to a vote and just make sure their people aren't going to vote for any looney toons.

 

[Maren]

The behavior of the GOP since Obama took office is a shame on them all. And that's largely why he's been bypassing their disruptionist politic and writing EO's.
Likely he'll do that again since SCOTUS must be a body of nine and were scheduled to reconvene next Monday. The GOP disruption agenda can't be allowed to stop SCOTUS and I doubt Obama will let it.

I don't believe there is anything Pres. Obama can do, other than nominate someone to the Supreme Court. He can't issue an Executive Order to put someone on the Supreme Court, nor would he try.

What may be interesting is to see if Pres. Obama tries to make a "Recess Appointment," which is basically gives the nominee one year to be approved by the Senate, if not approved the nominee's appointment ends at the end of the year. Though this may also cause the Republicans to attempt to keep the Senate in session, somewhat difficult in an election year, so that Obama can't make a Recess Appointment. I'm sure there are a lot more political games that will be played before this is over; and it will likely to energize the "anti-establishment" voters even more.

 

[Maren]

They should not fall into this trap. They will drive away the independents and undecideds if they do this with so long until the election. It will be seen as extremely underhanded. They control the senate, so they should bring them up to a vote and just make sure their people aren't going to vote for any looney toons.

This is my thinking on the issue. I think it is exacerbated if Cruz ends up winning the Republican nomination -- he is already to "poster boy" for government shutdown, which makes him already disliked by Independents. Refusing to even vote on a nominee, like he is already calling for, I suspect would even further hurt his standing with Independent voters.

 

[Winken]

The behavior of the DEMS since Obama took office is a disgrace, muddying government of, by and for the people. Dictatorial decrees, bypassing the three branches of government, including the dictatorial appointment of an Obama-Clinton clone to the Supreme Court. Hopefully, the GOP conservative voting bloc will block anything Obama does from this point on. Articles of impeachment are long overdue.

 

[Vylo]

The behavior of the DEMS since Obama took office is a disgrace, muddying government of, by and for the people. Dictatorial decrees, bypassing the three branches of government, including the dictatorial appointment of an Obama-Clinton clone to the Supreme Court. Hopefully, the GOP conservative voting bloc will block anything Obama does from this point on. Articles of impeachment are long overdue.

And how did Obama dictate the appointment of an "obama-clinton clone"? and you realize that's not a clone if its a combination of 2 different people.

 

[BrianJK]

This is typical of recent Republican leadership. They are fine with putting government employees out of work if they don't get their way. Now they're fine with a damaged judicial system unless they get their way. It's always "my way or the highway" with them. Temper tantrums!

 

[Winken]

And how did Obama dictate the appointment of an "obama-clinton clone"? and you realize that's not a clone if its a combination of 2 different people.

He didn't. The point is that he and the AG will do everything possible to find a way. And it will still be a clone, since Clinton is vociferous in her support of Obama. I suspect all the lines to the White House are tied up at the moment ---- but that's OK, no one gets to speak without Obama's permission.

 

[MerlinJ]

Considering Obama's got about a year left in office, and the longest nomination process in history took less than half a year, republicans are going to have to let it go if they don't want to risk the presidency. The democrats would paint them as obstructionists all the way to election day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nominations_to_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States

 

[tulc]

The behavior of the DEMS since Obama took office is a disgrace, muddying government of, by and for the people. Dictatorial decrees, bypassing the three branches of government, including the dictatorial appointment of an Obama-Clinton clone to the Supreme Court. Hopefully, the GOP conservative voting bloc will block anything Obama does from this point on. Articles of impeachment are long overdue. (emph. added)

uhmmm...You do know for someone to be impeached it takes more then just doing things you don't like/agree with, right?
tulc(wonders if naming say 6 things President Obama has done worthy of impeachment would be asking to much?)

 

[Vylo]

Considering Obama's got about a year left in office, and the longest nomination process in history took less than half a year, republicans are going to have to let it go if they don't want to risk the presidency. The democrats would paint them as obstructionists all the way to election day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nominations_to_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States

This. They are going to have to work with Obama to find a nominee or it is going to make an already uphill presidential battle impossible for them.

 

[tulc]

Wait...the Republicans in Congress not do something? Man I did not see that coming.
tulc(no, really)

 

[pakicetus]

This. They are going to have to work with Obama to find a nominee or it is going to make an already uphill presidential battle impossible for them.

You guys overestimate the rationality of the American public. In recent years, the Republicans in Congress have threatened to default on the debt—twice—and shut down the government to repeal a law they didn't have the votes to repeal, and each time, everyone said it would hurt them in the long term, and it didn't. When you consider all the other crazy stuff they've done, it's clear to me that predicting anything at all will hurt their popularity is premature.

 

[Maren]

USA Today has posted an article about a likely Supreme Court candidate, Sri Srinivasan. He seems like he would be a great nominee for Obama to select, one the Republicans would have a very hard time defending not approving him -- especially with the Senate recently approving him for the US Court of Appeals for DC with a unanimous vote.

 

[Maren]

You guys overestimate the rationality of the American public. In recent years, the Republicans in Congress have threatened to default on the debt—twice—and shut down the government to repeal a law they didn't have the votes to repeal, and everyone said it would hurt them in the long term, and it didn't. When you consider all the other crazy stuff they've done on top of that, it's clear to me that predicting anything at all will hurt their popularity is premature.

Actually, if Cruz is the candidate the government shutdown will hurt him, since he was considered one of the prime instigators of the shut down, and how he has tried to shut it down since. He is rated poorly by most Independent voters, largely because it seems things need to be done his way or shut the government down.

But the big difference will be the immediacy. If the Republicans refuse to hold hearing on Obama's nominee, then this fall you will have a nominee for the Supreme Court who the Republican's still haven't held hearings for -- it will still be ongoing, complete with the vacancy on the Supreme Court, and not something that happened 8 months previously.

OTOH, if Obama nominates a staunch liberal, the Republicans might be able to "Bork" that candidate -- that Obama was trying to play politics with an election coming up; particularly in replacing a conservative justice. In that case, I can see the Republicans not being hurt.

But if Obama nominates someone like Sri Srinivasan, who I posted about above, and either rejects him or refuses to hold hearings -- especially after just having been confirmed without a dissenting vote -- I think it becomes a major issue the Republican candidate (and maybe some Republican Senators) has to overcome in November.

 

[NotreDame]

With the death of Antonin Scalia, the Senate Majority Leader, and other Republicans, are saying they will not debate or vote on anyone that Pres. Obama nominates to the Supreme Court.

For the poll, do you support the Republicans to wait until after the election to fill the empty seat on the Supreme Court?

Further, how do you believe this will effect the November election? Will it hurt Republicans as they are painted as "obstructionists" and as another example of a "Do Nothing" Congress? Or, will the public side with the idea that we should wait a year to fill the open seat to ensure the American Public gets the chance to be heard on what type of nominee is selected?

Yes. The practical reality of today is the nomination process is now one of ideology and politics. It's no secret, the party who dominates appointments to the Court can most affect its ideological proclivity and decisions.

 

[NotreDame]

The behavior of the GOP since Obama took office is a shame on them all. And that's largely why he's been bypassing their disruptionist politic and writing EO's.
Likely he'll do that again since SCOTUS must be a body of nine and were scheduled to reconvene next Monday. The GOP disruption agenda can't be allowed to stop SCOTUS and I doubt Obama will let it.

Congress has the discretion to legislate or not to legislate, and refusing to legislate does not justify EOs.

Scotus can function with less than 9, they have before, and Congress refusing to bless Obama's appointment does not baptize him with the power to act.

 

[NotreDame]

USA Today has posted an article about a likely Supreme Court candidate, Sri Srinivasan. He seems like he would be a great nominee for Obama to select, one the Republicans would have a very hard time defending not approving him -- especially with the Senate recently approving him for the US Court of Appeals for DC with a unanimous vote.

I doubt Republicans would suffer the criticism you allude to above. This is, after all, a Supreme Court nomination, not a court of appeals nomination in which much more is at stake with a Scotus nomination. Hence, is Scotus nomination hearings and votes have been highly politicized, acrimonious, and partisan votes.

 

[farout]

With the death of Antonin Scalia, the Senate Majority Leader, and other Republicans, are saying they will not debate or vote on anyone that Pres. Obama nominates to the Supreme Court.

For the poll, do you support the Republicans to wait until after the election to fill the empty seat on the Supreme Court?

Further, how do you believe this will effect the November election? Will it hurt Republicans as they are painted as "obstructionists" and as another example of a "Do Nothing" Congress? Or, will the public side with the idea that we should wait a year to fill the open seat to ensure the American Public gets the chance to be heard on what type of nominee is selected?

As a Republican, either way this can be bad. If Clinton wins she will appoint a very liberal person. If Obama gets to nominate it will be a liberal, ONLY if a republican gets elected is there any chance to get a conservative on the Court.