WTF? Obama offers Supreme Court hints; top Democrat suggests Republican governor

[blackspade]

A Repub? No, Senator Reid.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/24/politics/obama-supreme-court-nominee/

[berniepdx420]

1. Welcome to the Third Way of governance... vote Progressive...vote Bernie Sanders

[Raster]

2. I can understand the reasoning: put forth a SCOTUS candidate that the rethuglican...

...Congress will have to pretzel-bend to disapprove of, and show the obstructionist republican Congress for just what they are: petty, conniving, obstructionist assholes.

[Dawgs]

3. Really? What if they delay up until they realize they will lose the election.

And then go ahead and appoint the candidate as the next SCOTUS. It would guarantee, win or lose the election, that the next SCOTUS would be a Republican.

Do you still support this reasoning?

[Raster]

4. Hold on there one minute: I did NOT say I supported that reasoning....

...I said I could understand it. Nothing more.

If it were up to me, I would say that President Obama should pick the most qualified candidate, with appropriate life experience that will work to bring a more centrist - if not outright LIBERAL - stance back to the SCOTUS. And whether we like to admit it or not, there are progressive, thinking, qualified candidates out there with and (R) behind their names, or at least I hope there are.

[Dawgs]

12. OK. Understand or support, it's still dumb reasoning. n/t

[Johonny]

6. But is this really Obama's choice or a trial balloon of Blue dogs and GOP

since the GOP as a whole does not want the seat open come November as it will dominate the debates.

[saturnsring]

5. maybe WE ought to let hillary pick the next scoutus when she's potus

[Raster]

7. Not. Going. To. Happen.

Hillary Clinton may well finagle and maneuver a primary win... after all, she has the whole DLC/DNC//DWS machine going full throttle for her. But she is un-electable in the general election. The rethuglican hate machine has been primed for their "Shrillary" moment for years. They have material in the can they've crowd tested over-and-over again. There is absolutely no other candidate - not even "the Black man" - they hate more than Hillary Clinton. The GOP faithful - hell, even just somewhat faithful - will crawl across broken glass and through fire to VOTE AGAINST CLINTON. The GOP and rethuglican dirty tricks squad - if Hillary is the candidate - will paint this as a simple good-vs-evil battle for the generations.

And just to be clear: If Hillary is the candidate - and I sincerely hope she is not - I will crawl across broken glass and through fire TO VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE.

[msongs]

8. one can hardly tell the difference between repubs and the sanders crowd talking about "shillary" nt

[Raster]

10. I'm sure you can't. Nuance seems to be lost - hell intelligent conversation - seems...

... to be lost on certain DU members.

You don't get it. Oh wait, you don't want to get it. Because Bill and Hill must have their "date with destiny" and it's Hillary's turn, darn it!

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

9. I get it, too. That's this President's M.O., and tbh, that's what Dems let Rs do to them

Rs will select the next Justice, be it Obama's appointment, Hillary's, Bernie's, or Trumps.

[One_Life_To_Give]

11. A Liberal and Popular Repub to replace Scalia?

Puts the Pubs in an awkward spot. It would be hard for them to oppose one of their own. Yet he appears to fail all of their so called litmus tests. Pubs might have gotten backing if a truly liberal candidate were to be nominated. But this doesn't look like Obama is stacking the Court toward the left as much as it would appear to actually accomplish. Obama gets to say, Hey I gave them another Repub to replace Scalia. Even though he is more of a Lincoln Chaffee than a Ted Cruz.

[Nevernose]

13. He's pretty moderate

And even helped raise taxes for schools last term. Apparently his judicial record is pretty moderate, too.

Of course, he might just be playing the moderate for election ambition and actually be batshit Tea Party crazy. Either way I wouldn't vote for him, but he's probably the safest choice Obama could make.

The Republucans will look like lunatics if they turn down a popular Republican governor, and they're already looking pretty nuts.