12 Republican senators statement on 2016 SC pick.

[Shermann]

17. The 2016 play was interesting

They could have said, hey the people elected a Republican Senate majority in order to push a Republican agenda. We're going to delay until 2017 because we have the right and we have the duty. Basically, say then what they are saying now.

But they didn't. They manufactured this new precedent out of thin air. Why? Did they feel they needed to justify this action with the voters? Perhaps for the Republicans in vulnerable positions? Or did they fear retaliation by the Democrats for playing brazenly hardball politics? Did they do the math and determine this had less of a chance of coming back to haunt them?

Regardless, they formed a kind of verbal contract that they are now breaking.