Good grief, the Justice of the Supreme Court has not even been deceased a week and the GOP that claimed they would block an Obama nomination is already showing signs of weakening. What in the world is wrong with these people? There is no one on Obama’s short list that is even remotely close to Justice Antonin Scalia. How can they possibly even think about allowing Obama to appoint another leftest liberal Supreme Court Justice? This is not something that can be played around with. Once it’s done, that’s it! C’mon ladies and gents in the Senate, put on your big boy and girl drawers and do this! Block his nomination no matter what!
Here is why they are saying they have to be careful in blocking Obama’s potential nomination. – Allen West
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GOP Showing Signs of Backing Down From Vow to Block Obama SCOTUS Pick
By Dave Boyer and Stephen Dinan | The Washington Times
Cracks were emerging Tuesday in congressional Republicans’ position of blocking automatically any candidate nominated by President Obama to fill the Supreme Court seat of the late Antonin Scalia.
Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican, voiced caution Tuesday about the GOP blocking any Obama nominee without a hearing.
President Obama called on Senate Republicans Tuesday to give his eventual Supreme Court nominee a fair hearing in his bid to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, as cracks emerged in the Republican leadership’s position of automatically blocking any nominee.
“I expect them to hold hearings. I expect them to hold a vote,” Mr. Obama said at a press conference. “There’s no unwritten law that says it can only be done on off years.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, and others including presidential candidates Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida have vowed to block any Obama nominee, saying the next president should select Justice Scalia’s replacement.
Mr. Obama blasted that rationale.“This is the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land,” the president said. “It’s the one court where we would expect elected officials to rise above day-to-day politics. I understand the stakes. I understand the pressure that Republican senators are undoubtedly under. This would be a deciding vote. But that’s not how the system is supposed to work.”
Even before Mr. Obama stated his case, there were signs that Republican unity was wavering on the notion of blocking any nominee out of hand.
“I would wait until the nominee is made before I would make any decision,” Mr. Grassley said Tuesday in a conference call with Iowa radio reporters. “In other words, take it a step at a time.”
Asked whether he thought the controversy over filling the court vacancy might endanger his re-election chances this fall, Mr. Grassley said, “I think I have a responsibility to perform, and I can’t worry about the election. I’ve got to do my job as a senator, whatever it is. And there will be a lot of tough votes between now and the next election.”
His comments appeared to be a softening from a statement shortly after Justice Scalia’s death, when Mr. Grassley said it was “standard practice” not to nominate or confirm candidates for the Supreme Court in an election year.
“It only makes sense that we defer to the American people who will elect a new president to select the next Supreme Court Justice,” Mr. Grassley said in a statement Saturday.
Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican, voiced caution about blocking any Obama nominee automatically.
“I think we fall into the trap if [we] just simply say, sight unseen, we fall into the trap of being obstructionists,” Mr. Tillis said on Tyler Cralle’s radio show.
But Mr. Tillis added of the president, “If he puts forth someone that we think is in the mold of President Obama’s vision for America, then we’ll use every device available to block that nomination.”
A top aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, responding to Mr. Tillis’ comments, predicted that Mr. McConnell will eventually retreat from his stance of blocking any Obama nominee without a hearing.
