Obama tries to motivate Democrats with Supreme Court warning

[IDemo]

Source: CBS News

Attempting to mobilize donors at a Democratic fundraiser Monday night, President Obama suggested that some Supreme Court justices may soon step down.

"What's preventing us from getting things done right now is you've got a faction within the Republican Party that thinks solely in terms of their own ideological purposes and solely in terms of how do they hang on to power. And that's a problem," Mr. Obama said at the Tisbury, Mass., home of Roger H. Brown, president of the Berklee College of Music.

"And that's why I need a Democratic Senate. Not to mention the fact that we're going to have Supreme Court appointments."

Four of the nine Supreme Court justices are over 70 years old, but none has suggested they have plans to retire soon. Liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the oldest justice on the court at 81, recently made clear she in fact plans to stay on the court for as long as possible. She suggested that even under the Senate's current Democratic control, Mr. Obama wouldn't be able to successfully nominate a liberal to the court.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-tries-to-motivate-democrats-with-supreme-court-warning/

[Iliyah]

1. "tries"

With Dems - tries

With GOPers they are energized.

VOTE!

[savalez]

15. No shit. Bias reporting all the way.

[MrTriumph]

2. What makes us think Pres. Obama would nominate a Democrat?

x

[durablend]

3. What makes us think any of them would actually step down?

The ones who are considering it probably want a Republican in the WH anyway.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. no kidding. His whole administration can be described in three steps

a. adopt the GOP position and try to negotiate by giving up.
b. Stab liberals in the back.
c. avoid conflict, never use the bully pulpit, ignore dealing with those who might disagree with you.

I first notice these disturbing trends during the run up to passing the ACA. Where was he when the Kochs and the GOP were concocting death panels and other lies? He left the democrats out to hang without any support, and he basically hid all of that August. He created many of his own problems.

Regardless of what happens in November, I am beginning to dread his upcoming inaction and aloof approach. It won't just be gridlock, it will be paralysis. And while the GOP is clearly to blame for much of the mess, from a clear eyed perspective, Obama must be considered responsible to some degree, as well.

[blkmusclmachine]

12. We MUST keep the Senate. We need a check on unrestrained "bi-partisanship"

[vi5]

6. Exactly

Especially if whoever is being replaced is one of the conservative justices. Then there will be all sorts of cries from the Republicans and the media (forgive my redundancy) that he needs to replace them with someone of similar temperment and views or it will somehow tarnish their/his/whoevers legacy.

All it takes is for his heroes in the beltway media to implore him to do something and he listens. He wants their approval more than he wants ours.

[blkmusclmachine]

13. No doubt BHO would replace a righty with another righty. Gotta keep "bi-partisanship" burning bright

for our Third Way con men.

[Cali_Democrat]

11. What do you think of Sotomayor and Kagan?

What do you think of their voting records on the court?

They're both Obama appointments. What do you think of their voting records when it comes to things like Citizens United?

Serious question.

[savalez]

16. Sotomayor and Kagan

[vi5]

18. He was replacing liberal justices

When the conservative justices retire there will be 10 times the pressure to appoint someone in keeping with those justices philosophies.

And we've all seen which way things break in this adminstration when there's pressure from the left and pressure from the right.

[Hekate]

17. Obama picked Kagen and Sotomayor, yes? What's your beef with them, overall? nt

[L0oniX]

5. Well that was a nice little chat.

[Dopers_Greed]

7. He's right

With the gridlocked Congress, Supreme Court appointments are the greatest power that a president has. Junior is still wreaking havoc on the country through the ones he appointed.

And we know its not the Repug-appointed justices that are going to be stepping down anytime soon.

[Fred Sanders]

8. Anything Obama says needs to be amplified, because the media will only report on the things

they can distort into saying are bad.

[Iliyah]

9. Corporate media is horse. .shit

All I've noticed that some here on the DU are basically saying it doesn't matter because the President will side with the right in nom a new Justice . . . but these posters seem to forget the justices that he picked are Moderate to Liberal and are sane.

[Fred Sanders]

10. Some posters here are also victims of the mass media mass propaganda...it is used because it works.

And of course CBC does its part by framing what the the President said as an appeal to donors, when it is really an appeal,to voters, they always try to deflect.

And calling it a "warning", a call for voters to vote, how does that frame the issue for the mass media?

[rickyhall]

14. TOO many people think voting is a waste of time.

I have friends who think in a liberal way but I've tried and tried pleading with them to please vote, it's for their own good but I'm afraid I just can't convince them. It's depressing. I'm too old for it help that me much. I'm thinking of my grandkids trying to get by in this bladerunner we're entering.