Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa: “Given that we are in the midst of the presidential election process, we believe that the American people should seize the opportunity to weigh in on whom they trust to nominate the next person for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina: “As I have repeatedly stated, the election cycle is well underway, and the precedent of the Senate is not to confirm a nominee at this stage in the process. I strongly support giving the American people a voice in choosing the next Supreme Court nominee by electing a new president.” Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina: “It is essential to the institution of the Senate and to the very health of our republic to not launch our nation into a partisan, divisive confirmation battle during the very same time the American people are casting their ballots to elect our next president.” Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas: “It has been 80 years since a Supreme Court vacancy was nominated and confirmed in an election year. There is a long tradition that you don’t do this in an election year.” Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida: “I don’t think we should be moving forward with a nominee in the last year of this president’s term. I would say that even if it was a Republican president.” Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado: “I think we’re too close to the election. The president who is elected in November should be the one who makes this decision.” Sen. Mike Lee of Utah: “We think that the American people need a chance to weigh in on this issue, on who will fill that seat. They’ll have that chance this November, and they ought to have that chance.” Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania: “With the U.S. Supreme Court’s balance at stake, and with the presidential election fewer than eight months away, it is wise to give the American people a more direct voice in the selection and confirmation of the next justice.” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota: “Since the next presidential election is already underway, the next president should make this lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.” Subscribe to the Politics email. From Washington to the campaign trail, get the latest politics news. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas: “President Barack Obama has exercised his authority to nominate someone to fill the vacancy, but the Senate has an equal authority to determine whether to proceed with that nomination. I believe the American people deserve to have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court justice, and the best way to ensure that happens is to have the Senate consider a nomination made by the next president.” Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa: “We will see what the people say this fall, and our next president, regardless of party, will be making that nomination.” Sen. David Purdue of Georgia: “The very balance of our nation’s highest court is in serious jeopardy. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will do everything in my power to encourage the president and Senate leadership not to start this process until we hear from the American people.” Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia: “The American people are going to the polls in November to pick the next president, and I think the next president ought to be the one who fills that vacancy, not the one who’s on the way out.” Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina: “In this election year, the American people will have an opportunity to have their say in the future direction of our country. For this reason, I believe the vacancy left open by Justice Scalia should not be filled until there is a new president.” You simply can not trust Republicans
Integrity? Who needs it. Winning is all that counts. Might makes right. Unfortunately, the fish starts stinking form the head. This kind of lack of integrity, morals, ethics, and principles will permeate into the general population, making all of society worse (it probably has already). When winning counts more than everything else, we are in big trouble.
Now do a "Democrats then and now" thread showing how they wanted to shove an obama pick thru.....shoe is on the other foot now.
There is certainly no excuse because there was never meant to be one given no matter that this situation might come up. This is what has become of our country. We have become unprincipled and 38 - 40% of Americans embrace and celebrate it. We are broken.......and that makes us vulnerable.
“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." "There's nothing in the Constitution that says the president stops being the president in his last year," Ginsburg said in a 2016 New York Times interview in which she called for Garland to receive a confirmation vote in the Senate. It looks like the Republicans are not going to consider either of her wishes. Why would you question my honesty and not Lindsey Grahams?
They couldn't do it because they didn't have the majority in the Senate not because they respected Republican wishes. They tried to do it for 10 months.
And the Repubs prevented them from filling a seat during an election year claiming a seat should not be filled during an election year. This is an election year. Seat should not be filled during election year, right? Or does that only pertain to when a Dem is sitting in the WH?
That's political jousting not a legal process. Could Obama legally nominate a judge? Yes. Did he? Yes. Could Congress decide to not confirm? Yes. Did they decide to not confirm? Yes. Can Trump legally nominate a judge? Yes. Did he? Most likely he will. Could Congresd decide to not confirm? Yes. Did they decide to not confirm? We'll see.
Except the reason not to confirm Obama's nomination was that a judge should not be seated in an election year. It's an election year. Judge shouldn't be seated in an election year, right?
Ironically Dem Senators said the opposite of what they are saying now, in 2016....moreover, RBG herself said the hearings should go foward because that's what the Constitution demands...undermining the Biden Rule...and a good reason for McConnell to have dropped it https://www.foxnews.com/politics/flashback-in-2016-ginsburg-senate-election-year-vacancy and of course we have never got a straight answer from Chucky on this....flip flop https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/chuck-schumer-supreme-court-antonin-scalia-219392 WE NEED NINE! https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/newsroom/research/democrats-were-clear-we-need-nine SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): ‘Every Day That Goes By Without A Ninth Justice Is Another Day The American People’s Business Is Not Getting Done’ SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member: ‘The Court Needs Nine Justices To Function Properly’
Lesh, I felt the same way. I'm over it now. The time for recrimination is over. It's time to mobilize and use the majority we hold among the voters to extinguish the POT. To render them powerless. We need to dismantle the mechanisms by which the minority gained power. EC, gone. Disproportionate representation of the red states in the Senate, gone. The majority needs to seize rightful control of the country, as the founders intended.
Congress (The Senate) did not decide not to confirm. There was no discussion. There was no vote. No proceedings of any kind were held on Garland's appointment. McConnell refused to allow discussion even in committee and 11 Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee signed a letter saying they had no intention of consenting to discussion of any nominee from Obama.
“When you have the Senate, when you have the votes, you can sort of do what you want as long as you have it,” Trump said in an interview with "Fox & Friends." There you have it. "Doing what you want," meaning imposing the will of the minority.
“I want you to use my words against me. If there’s a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said let’s let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination.”
Repubs said seat shouldn't be filled in election year. It's an election year therefore the seat shouldn't be filled, right?
They will of course back into SOME kind of rationalization that means nothing and would be abandoned the second it was politically expedient to do so.
Then and now changes for both parties depending on who is president. 2007 Schumer stated the Democrats shouldn't vote on any SCOTUS nominee from G.W. Bush if an opening occurs during his last year and half of his presidency. 2016 McConnell no vote on Garland 2016 Schumer a vote on Garland needs to occure 2016 Ginsberg "There's nothing in the Constitution that says the president stops being the president in his last year," Ginsburg said in a 2016 New York Times interview in which she called for Garland to receive a confirmation vote in the Senate. As for whether the Senate should take up a vote on Garland, Ginsburg said at the time, "That's their job." https://www.foxnews.com/politics/flashback-in-2016-ginsburg-senate-election-year-vacancy 2020 Schumer, no vote on any Trump nominee. Contradicts his 2016 stance 2020 McConnell, a vote will occur on Trump's nominee. Contradicts his 2016 stance 2020 Ginsberg, Ginsburg, whose death was announced Friday, reportedly told her granddaughter Clara Spera, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." Contradicts her 2016 stance. And like you I could go on and on. As you see neither party has any core values or has a stance on these things that is consistent. You can also check debt ceiling votes. During G.W. Bush almost every democrat voted against raising the debt ceiling, almost every Republican voted for raising it. Change presidents, Obama, now almost ever democrats vote for raising the debt ceiling, almost every Republican against raising it. No core value, both parties only believe in anything that might give them a political advantage. Even if just four years their belief was totally opposite. The true stripes of both parties are exposed nakedly by these things. No core beliefs, just a belief in whatever gives them a political advantage. So enough of this, we have nothing but total hypocrites in Washington, both parties. Idiots. Party above country and core beliefs, but wait, neither has any core beliefs.