Obama's Nominee Leaves Senate Out on a Limb

[Purveyor]

4 Mar 16, 2016 12:19 PM EDT
By Jonathan Bernstein

Barack Obama's choice for the Supreme Court is a compromise twice over. Merrick Garland, a D.C. Circuit Court appellate judge, is a moderate, and he's 63 years old.

Republicans will regard him as a radical liberal and publicize quotes from his judicial career “proving” he is out of the mainstream. Keep in mind, however, that Republicans also consider Chief Justice John Roberts a liberal traitor.

Garland is a less long-term replacement for the late Antonin Scalia than some other possibilities, such as the 49-year-old Sri Srinivasan. Obama could have chosen an even older nominee as an even more obvious compromise, but went straight up the middle.

Unlike Obama, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley are in no mood to compromise. While senators have a right to block a candidate they think is out of the mainstream, will their blockade against any Obama nominee hold now that he has chosen someone to be confirmed, rather than a nominee to help Hillary Clinton get elected in November?

Republicans could face a Clinton victory in November and a Democratic majority in the next Senate, giving the new president a chance to pick a younger and more liberal justice. They also think Donald Trump, the front-runner to be the Republican nominee, would be entirely unreliable when it came to Supreme Court nominations (or anything else).

more...

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-03-16/obama-s-nominee-leaves-senate-out-on-a-limb

[PoliticAverse]

1. If we get close to November and it looks like Democrats will capture the Presidency and Senate

do the Republicans rush to confirm Garland?

[Purveyor]

4. Doubt it. The repubs will be much more satisfy with the Clinton pick as she is much more closer to

'them' than is President Obama.

The GOP will be just fine with a clinton presidency.

[2naSalit]

2. Nominee is a scarificial lamb.......nt

[LonePirate]

6. I agree. Obama knows the nominee will not get approved so he nominates someone to make Rs squirm.

[gcomeau]

3. Still hasn't learned.

Just caving in and making your starting offer basically what the GOP would want gets us NOTHING. They're going to demonize anything you do anyway so for fucks sake stand up for principle and nominate a good judge, not the damn compromise candidate.

[old guy]

5. I suspect they will go through the motions,

have weak hearings and refuse to confirm. That will satisfy their base and fulfill their obligation.

[monmouth4]

7. Did I read where Garland is Grassley's cousin? I'm sure I did...n/t