So nothing could be done about McConnell and the SCOTUS hostage ?

[G_j]

I was never sure I understood how they got away with that.

[Funtatlaguy]

1. Had it been the other way around

The Repubs would have closed down the country .

[Garrett78]

14. This is true and we all know it.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. If there had been

don't you think that President Obama and the Democrats would have done it?

[Jake Stern]

3. The constitution only states "with the advice and consent of the Senate"

It doesn't mandate the Senate take up a presidential appointment.

The Republicans are quite adept at exploiting the ambiguity of the constitution to achieve their ends.

[Liberalhammer]

4. Obama could have appointed a SCOTUS

Democrats are still playing by the old rulebook. I think most democrats still don't understand that the old rules are dead. Both parties need to abide by them to work.

The right, Repulicans, and Conservatives are Nazis and authoritarian.

The need to be attacked and their power diminished as such.

[fallout87]

8. Obama could not appoint a judge

Without Senate confirmation. And a recess appointment would have been only temporary.

[LenaBaby61]

16. "A recess appointment would have been only temporary."

True.

However if by some chance, Dems do gain both the House/Senate, would Schumer/Nancy even impeach fatso? Might I hear both or one say "That for the GOOD of the Country, we must heal ourselves, move on, and get down to the people's business," or some shit like that

I'm sorry, but after seeing Schumer/Nancy go after Maxine the other day the way that they did, and saying little to self-described-pussy-grabber-in-chief--who goes after both of them on the regular, I no longer trust them to do what's right, which would mean IMPEACHING tReasonous-in-chief IF Dems gain the House/Senate at some point.

[fallout87]

21. I agree 100%

Notice how neither one of them have been talking impeachment? Maxine is one of the few who have the guts to do it despite a huge percentage of America that wants him impeached.

[mythology]

9. No he couldn't

Just stomping your feet and saying so doesn't mean it's true.

Be specific in how Obama could have appointed with the Senate in session.

[Liberalhammer]

11. Jeez

I was wrong. Chill!

[awesomerwb1]

5. I could be wrong but I seem to remember there was a way

kind of a sneaky to have appointed Garland. No doubt the reps would've done it if the roles had been reversed.

[fallout87]

10. Recess appointment

Mitch would just keep the Senate in session.. and even if he did sneak a recess appointment in, it would have only been temporary. Those are the rules per the constitution.

[Power 2 the People]

6. We did not fight them

President Obama thought it was best to always be civil and not stoop to their level. He truly didn't understand the makeup of those animals on the other side. He never properly used the power of the bully pulpit. We should have scratched and clawed and gone after them with every ounce of our beings. Imagine if the same thing happened to Trump? Trump may be a dumpster fire but he would have been on the attack 24-7 until McConnell relented. He would have signed executive order after executive order targeting Kentucky and everything McConnell.

Our only hope is to elect a Democrat in 2020 and pray that God and Father Time visit Alito,Roberts,Gorsuch and Thomas.

[LeftInTX]

7. Obama's "recess" appointments were overruled by the SC

Apparently the Senate was not in "recess".

I don't know what could have been done.
But then, he could have appointed an "uber liberal" and the "uber liberal" could have refused to recuse themselves and find that they had been legally installed.

[Vinca]

12. I guarantee that if Dems take the Senate and pull a similar move on the GOP they'll come up

with something that probably lands in the Trump-biased Supreme Court. Democrats really gave the Turtle a pass when they shouldn't have. It pisses me off.

[manor321]

13. The truth is the Democratic leadership didn't fight, including Obama

We need all new leadership with all fighters.

[onenote]

15. The truth is that the Democratic leadership expected Hillary to win

as did most everyone here, as I recall.

[LenaBaby61]

20. The truth is that the Democratic leadership expected Hillary to win.

She won, but the election was rigged. Whether it was gerrymandering, voter-suppression or the ruskies interfering (They've never stopped interfering, and are expected to really meddle in this Fall's mid-terms). I don't care which Dem ran, they'd have lost to tRumputin as well--even a Senator Barack Obama would have lost given the dynamics of this last rigged General Election.

[LenaBaby61]

18. "We need all new leadership with all fighters."

THIS ^^^ ALL DAY LONG.

[JI7]

17. He comes from a right wing state

Voting matters.

There were people on here celebrating mary landrieu losing and Democrats losing the senate seat.

It comes down to who your voters are.

[MichMan]

19. Even if Garland had received a vote, he likely woud have been voted down by the RW

Nothing in our constitution requires that the president's choice always gets approved. Garland should have received the opportunity for a vote, but had he been voted down, he still wouldn't be on the bench.