Americans Are Divided Over When Senate Should Vote on Scalia’s Replacement

Justice Scalia was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan and was the longest serving member on the court. He also served as Chancellor of Queen’s University, Belfast between 1999 and 2009.

Picking a Supreme Court justice is naturally a political act (and Democrats will of course politicize this as well) but conservatives are tripping over themselves to prevent Obama from doing what a president is supposed to do.

Republicans can’t come right out and say the truth, since “we hate the president” isn’t a compelling talking point, so they tend to frame their concerns as high-minded.

“For the sake of our nation and decency, I hope it isn’t politics keeping President Obama from the funeral”, said Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren.

Reid added that he thought Senate Republicans were going to eventually hold hearings on a nominee, and a vote will eventually be taken on the Senate floor.

In a separate event on Wednesday after a meeting with district superintendents in Dallas, Cornyn said he didn’t think having eight out of the nine justices of the court until 2017 was a big deal.

Scalia died Saturday morning at a West Texas hunting resort. The challenge for Obama is finding a nominee who Republicans, particularly Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, find politically hard to refuse.

But Senate Republicans, who must approve the nominee, have made it clear they do not intend move forward with the process until after the 2016 election. Earnest rebuked critics who he said “want to use the funeral of the Supreme Court justice as some sort of political cudgel”.

“It doesn’t get less than zero but yeah, I do think his characterization is accurate in so far as talking about what should happen”, he said. Would it not be in the national interest for President Obama and Senator McConnell to talk with each other to see whether they can agree on a nominee who is the first choice of neither but acceptable to both?

“Well, you just have to pick the best person you can under the circumstances, as the appointing authority must do”.