WOW! GOP Senator Breaks Ranks, Calls Party’s Supreme Court Strategy ‘Obstructionist’

[kpete]

GOP Senator Breaks Ranks, Calls Party’s Supreme Court Strategy ‘Obstructionist’



Within minutes of Justice Antonin Scalia passing away on Saturday, Republicans declared that they would automatically block any replacement Obama would appoint during the 11 months he has left in office. Soon after, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced his intention to block any replacement until a new president takes office in 2017.

But a conservative senator from North Carolina is breaking with his colleagues and calling for the GOP to at least give consideration to a potential replacement.

Appearing on The Tyler Cralle Show on Tuesday morning, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) cautioned against vowing to automatically block any nominee.

“I think we fall into the trap if just simply say sight unseen, we fall into the trap of being obstructionists,” Tillis said.



more plus audio:
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/02/16/3749883/gop-senator-obstructionists/

Rs may end up enabling President Hillary to pick Scalia's replacement, with Dem Senate majority: http://wapo.st/1oGqDL9
Grassley now saying he might hold hearings for an Obama SCOTUS nominee. #RINO http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/us/politics/senator-charles-grassley-hearings-supreme-court-nominee.html …

[nichomachus]

1. Too late, senator, already too late

You'll be tarred with the same brush as your idiot colleagues.

[davidn3600]

2. Tillis says if the nominee isn't in the mold of Scalia, he'll vote against him

Basically he's saying let's wait to see who Obama nominates, but if it isn't another Scalia...forget it.

[ProfessorGAC]

4. How Convenient!

"I won't say we just won't listen, but if we don't get a smug, originalist clone, i ain't voting for him anyway." It's the exact same result!

Does he think that obstructionism is more politically damaging than blackmail?

[world wide wally]

3. An honest Republican?

I thought they were extinct

[hollysmom]

5. doesn't impress me. Tillis is corrupt and totally tea

There is money behind it somewhere

[meow2u3]

6. I'm shocked!

[blue neen]

7. It's refreshing to at least hear a Republican Senator say something different from this:

"President Obama insists that he will nominate someone for the Court. He certainly has the authority to do so. But let's be clear - his nominee will be rejected by the Senate. In addition to the normally high level of scrutiny accorded to a Supreme Court nominee, this nominee would have to pass an additional level of scrutiny, which is the question of whether he or she ought to receive a lifetime appointment this year, when one could be made with a broad public stamp of approval less than a year later. That is a standard no nominee is likely to be able to meet."

Yep, "But let's be clear - his nominee will be rejected by the Senate". This quote is from PA Senator Pat Toomey's webpage. Someone please remind me of anything constructive that Pat Toomey has done while in office. Anything he's done for Pennsylvania? Anything at all to earn his paycheck?

[cui bono]

8. So he's not necessarily opposed to obstructing once the nominee is known,

he just doesn't want to tip their hand and let the people see they actually are just obstructionists.

It would be interesting to know his voting record regarding repealing the ACA and other nonsense. OTOH, I don't care enough about this guy to look it up.

.