Overpromises And Litmus Tests: How The GOP Is Boxing Itself In On SCOTUS

[DonViejo]

By LAUREN FOX Published NOVEMBER 7, 2016, 6:00 AM EST

If Hillary Clinton wins, conservatives have already devised a new litmus test for how truly anti-Clinton a Republican is: Will they commit to blocking any Clinton nominee to the Supreme Court?

Over the last year, preserving the Supreme Court has become the symbol by which Republicans have rationalized falling in line behind unpredictable, conservative poser Donald Trump. Evangelicals have ignored Trump's crass comments about grabbing p***y in the name of Roe v. Wade. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) won't say the nominee's name on the stump, but he's quick to point out the importance of voting for the "Republican nominee" in order to preserve the balance of the court. And slowly but surely, vowing to block Hillary Clinton from ever getting a nominee through the Senate if she is elected has become normalized.

What began as brash campaign rhetoric is now being adopted by the conservative base as the litmus test of what it means to be a Republican. Anything short of it could be construed as RINO territory.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) became one of the first lawmakers to reveal that thinking. During a radio program campaigning for Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), McCain said he promised “that we will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up." (Later his campaign clarified he'd look at their qualifications first before making a final decision on how to vote.)

-snip-

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/behold-the-supreme-court-is-the-next-republican-civil-war

[vlyons]

1. Many "republicans" will be leaving the GOP

The ones that we consider at least "semi-sane" will drop the "R," because they understand that obstruction and disfunction is damaging to our country. They can't get their own moderate Repubican candidates through the primary process, as the alt-right takes over their party. Most will probably become Independents, some will become Libertarians. So as the alt-right Republicans get uglier and uglier and crazier and crazier and shut the government down over and over, moderate republicans will just go elsewhere. Many will vote for our Dem candidates in the general elections. Plus add in the pressure of Hispanics and millenials voting against crazy alt-right candidates. This won't happen overnight. It may take several cycles to take back the House.

[Dadgumit]

2. Garland should be pulled and a more liberal nominee put forth!

Appeasme t on this issue has not worked. Why should we nominate someone they would want in the first place? Ok, so we proved they would not vote for someone just because Obama nominated him. Now put forth the next RBG!!!!

[procon]

3. It seems like every year the Republicans get more extreme.

Look how narrow and petty their views and interests have become since Obama was elected. With Hillary as President, they will just continue to dig themselves ever deeper into a hole until they make themselves extinct as a viable political party.

They don't have the courage to change, but to survive, Republicans must revamp their whole identity to become more open to change and welcome to new ideas and different views from a much broader swath of people. They couldn't do that after their own autopsy report in 2013, and they have become even more entrenched since then.

Even if Republicans embrace sweeping change, or a new party arises from the ashes, it will be many years before they attract a new national following. The leaves the Dems a pathway to consecutive political victories, but there will be many pitfalls along the way.