Senate Dems Fighting for Traction on SCOTUS Nominee
Source: Real Clear Politics
Senate Democrats have thrown everything they have at Republicans in recent weeks to force action on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, but their GOP counterparts haven’t budged an inch.
As senators prepare to spend a week in their home states for Memorial Day and as the end of the Supreme Court session approaches next month, Democrats hope to keep their foot on the gas by seizing any opportunity to highlight the court vacancy. They’re convinced they’ve got a winning issue in both the near and long term, and that their actions so far have been effective.
But despite Democrats’ varied tactics, not a single Republican senator has switched his position on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland. ... Both sides insist public opinion is on their side. Democrats point to polls showing independents and even some Republicans favoring hearings for Garland, while Republicans insist that Americans who vote based on the makeup of the court are staunchly opposed to the confirmation.
Democrats have turned to increasingly creative strategies in recent weeks to draw attention to the vacancy. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland joined the president of the American Federation of Teachers and other education groups at a press conference last week to highlight the anniversary of the famous Brown v. Board of Education decision and the need for a fully functioning court. Later in the week, Sens. Cory Booker and Al Franken joined national youth organizations for an event on the steps of the Supreme Court calling for Republicans to take up the nomination.... “{Republicans{ were betting on two things: One, that we would just let it go because there’s so much going on, and we haven’t,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. “Two, they were betting that the public wouldn’t care, and I guess we’ll find that out in November, but overall {polling} still shows the public does care."... Sen. Dianne Feinstein admitted that Democrats probably haven’t raised as much attention for the court vacancy as they would like, but insisted they are exhausting all ways to highlight the issue. ... “We’re doing what we can do and I think that’s important. Everybody’s got a job to do and it’s now out there and people are understanding. Some care more than others, but that’s the way it goes. We can only do what we can do."
Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2016/05/25/senate_dems_fighting_for_traction_on_scotus_nominee_130666.html
The best way to push this confirmation forward would be for a rising voice in the Democratic Party to urge Garland to withdraw if not given a hearing and vote by Labor Day.
The truth is that Garland is a decent guy, but he is (1) WAY too old to be a smart pick and (2) too centrist to make a real mark on the court.
If the Republicans only understood how truly ambivalent progressives are about Garland, and how much stronger (and younger) the replacement nominee will be, they would shut up and eat their peas. By allowing for the possibility of a lame duck appointment, the Republicans believe that they can have their cake and eat it too (not appoint Garland in the hope Trump will win but appoint him during the lame duck period if the Democrat wins). We need to kick that crutch out from under the Republicans in the Senate so they realize that we are going to move on to a younger and more progressive candidate if they don't act over the summer.
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