General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTalkingpointsmemo: Supreme Court Snub Is Ultimate Delegitimization Of First Black President
President Barack Obama said it best this week.
When it comes to who gets to appoint Supreme Court justices, the Constitution is pretty freaking clear.
"I'm amused when I hear people who claim to be strict interpreters of the Constitution suddenly reading into it a whole series of provisions that are not there," Obama said.
But in the blatant declaration that Obama should not even put forward a new Supreme Court nominee to fill the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia's death, Republicans are continuing to delegitimize a president that they have long sought to undercut. Many observers view the Supreme Court emerging drama in the Senate as the pinnacle of the drawn out, deep-seated and racially tinged effort to block America's first black president from leaving a lasting legacy on the country that elected him twice.
more...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/supreme-court-snub-is-ultimate-delegitimization-of-our-first-black-president
Triana
(22,666 posts)Rohde said no candidate exists on the face of the Earth that the Republicans would confirm if nominated by Obama, adding: The Republican position is that the only thing that matters here is the party of the nominator.
SOURCE: https://dukecampaignstop2016.org/north-carolina-southern-politics/nc-likely-wont-play-big-role-if-primary-delayed/
As you point out, not only is the PARTY of the nominator what matters to Republicans, but also the COLOR of the nominator. I think we all know damn well it's both and possibly even more the latter than the former.
TampaAnimusVortex
(785 posts)I don't think the republicans would appoint anyone that a current democratic president put forth if they were white, red, yellow, or green. This is obviously about pure politics.
kentuck
(111,107 posts)...and that they can continue to have a Supreme Court that will do the bidding of the conservatives in our government. They have no problem with a "political" Supreme Court, so long as they rule for their side. Democracy or rule of the people have little to do with their desires and wishes.
TampaAnimusVortex
(785 posts)The did allow Obamacare after all. Granted, there's probably a dozen decisions handed down that can be grabbed on by either side to prove they are unbalanced. If they were really conservative, you would see abortions outlawed as well as gay marriage probably. It's probably best to say its not liberal as much as some of us would like...
kentuck
(111,107 posts)moreso than it is a status quo for the insurance companies.
TampaAnimusVortex
(785 posts)But you can't argue its a conservative program either given that it was basically voted in on party lines.
mdbl
(4,973 posts)It's always "along party lines". Which is why I wonder every day of my life why any voter would put the Greedy Old Party in office. The way they have treated the Obamas is just icing on their cake, and completes my disgust of them.
brett_jv
(1,245 posts)Regardless of the 'party line' vote, had the exact same program been presented by a Republican President, the vote would've gone the exact opposite way (assuming the GOP felt some real pressure to actually do some kind of health care reform).
It's absolutely a 'free-market' solution to the particular problem at hand, through and through.
To argue the Supreme's 'lean liberal' on the basis of a 5-4 vote upholding Obamacare ... is highly tenuous. Because it's NOT a particularly 'liberal' program.
Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)A Democrat nominating a candidate who would shift the Court to a 5-4 Left leaning Court would be opposed by the Republicans regardless of the race or gender of that President. These animals will even attack the Pope.
Jerry442
(1,265 posts)...they wouldn't let Bill, Jimmy, Lyndon, John, Harry, or Franklin fill Scalia's seat either.
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)Apparently the Republican "originalists" think a black President only gets 3/5 of a term.
Donald Ian Rankin
(13,598 posts)Bucky
(54,041 posts)If it'd President Kerry, or Clinton, or Biden, or Richardson... I think the Republicans would figure they could run out the clock for 11 months. Maybe their unity is about race, maybe, but I think it's mostly about the conservative tendency to delegitimize anyone with a D behind their name. It's about Republican tribalism once more trumping American loyalty.
while there is no doubt some racism playing into it, I think it would be the same with anybody with a (D) after their name - remember, the death of Vince Foster had almost as many investigations as Benghazi, and the GOP investigated Socks the Cat under Clinton. The Republicans also changed the senate rules when they got the majority under Clinton to slow down his ability to appoint federal judges as well.
I'm also sure that if Hillary had won in 2008, we'd be seeing almost as many articles about sexism and the GOP as opposed to racism and the GOP with Obama.
JoeyT
(6,785 posts)After all the other bullshit they pulled over the last 7 years, how the hell could you tell? The right were assholes before he was even sworn in, and just kept being assholes the entire time.
markj757
(194 posts)Last edited Tue Feb 23, 2016, 06:06 AM - Edit history (1)
The ultimate attempt to try to de-legitimize the first black President was and is the birther movement. If any Democratic President was in this position, Republicans would attempt the same maneuver to try and block his nominee at any cost, but I do agree it doesn't help that it is Obama (for all the reasons they don't like him anyway including his race)
randome
(34,845 posts)But, yeah, the birther nonsense was #1. It's one for the history books.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]
cactusfractal
(496 posts)...from people who've never considered President Obama to be more than 3/5 of a President?
houston16revival
(953 posts)delegitimizing the will of the voters who elected him
So their whole effort is tinged with racism
GOP Senators refuse to do their job
Hopefully voters will fire a few of them
L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)is the word I'm looking for. The Republicans just lost their majority on the Supreme Court, they know it, they can't stop it, but they may not know they are screwed yet.
They self-delude too easily and in their bubble they may think this obstruction is the path to winning the Presidency. That would be to gamble on the one issue that is THE single-issue-decider most unfavorable to them, women's rights. It may play well in Mitch's Kentucky with Kim Davis, but the Presidency is decided elsewhere.
How does this issue play into winning control of the Senate? That may be a lot more complex to analyze.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)Motivated is my choice because that has been the M.O. since "LIAR" was shouted, setting a precedent, never having happened ever, to a sitting POTUS, at Barack Obama's first SOU address......
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)any second term president is a lame duck and should not be able to make appointments to the court. It is certain that position will be abandoned if there is another republican president.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)They insist on having the playing field tilted their way at all times.
And the other party keeps letting them get away with it.
(Sorry, read too fast -- I see you've already made that point)
struggle4progress
(118,320 posts)benld74
(9,909 posts)Keep to the same statement or lie
Repeat as naseum
Until it becomes the truth