Posted on 01/30/2017 11:46:47 AM PST by NYer
President Trump hasn’t even announced who his Supreme Court nominee will be and already Senate Democrats have announced their intention to use the filibuster to oppose his nomination.
With Trump prepared to announce his nominee on Tuesday evening, Sen. Jeff Merkle, a pro-abortion Oregon Democrat, said in an interview on Monday morning that he will filibuster any pick other than pro-abortion Judge Merrick garland — who pro-abortion president Barack Obama named to replace pro-life Justice Antonin Scalia.
“This is a stolen seat. This is the first time a Senate majority has stolen a seat,” Merkley said in an interview. “We will use every lever in our power to stop this.”
It’s a move that will prompt a massive partisan battle over Trump’s nominee and could lead to an unraveling of the Senate rules if Merkley is able to get 41 Democrats to join him in a filibuster. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) also reminded her Twitter followers on Sunday night that Supreme Court nominees can still be blocked by the Senate minority, unlike all other executive and judicial nominees.
Any senator can object to swift approval of a nominee and require a supermajority. Asked directly if he would do that, Merkley replied: “I will definitely object to a simple majority” vote.
Merkley’s party leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, has said he will fight “tooth and nail” any nominee that isn’t “mainstream.”
It will be only the second time in modern history that the Senate has mounted a filibuster against a nominee. Democrats, including then-Sen. Barack Obama, tried to block the confirmation of Justice Samuel Alito in 2006 but failed.
The Democratic stance dashes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) hopes to return to the tradition of not filibustering Supreme Court nominees. In an interview with POLITICO on Friday, McConnell said the “practice was that you didn’t do it even though the tool is in the toolbox.”
“There are a lot of tools in there. Until Bush 43, the filibuster tool was always there. But it wasn’t done,” McConnell said. “Two good examples: There was no filibuster against Bork and of course the most controversial Supreme Court nomination ever was Clarence Thomas. Democrats were in the majority, he was approved 52-48.”
President Donald Trump indicated today that he will announce his Supreme Court nominee on Tuesday. The president previously said he would pick a “truly great Justice.”
In a tweet Monday, Trump said he has made his selection.
“I have made my decision on who I will nominate for The United States Supreme Court. It will be announced live on Tuesday at 8:00 P.M. (W.H.),” Trump said.
The announcement will come just short of one year after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, who favored overturning Roe v. Wade.
Most high court observers believe Trump has narrowed his list of potential nominees down to a few people including Eleventh Circuit Judge William Pryor and Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch.
Pryor has condemned Roe vs Wade, the Supreme Court decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions. In a previous statement, Pryor did not mince words when it comes to his feeling about how wrong and far-reaching the Roe case was decided.
He once called the high court’s decision in the controversial abortion case of Roe v. Wade the “worst abomination in the history of constitutional law.”
Meanwhile, Pryor told a Senate panel, “I believe that not only is [Roe] unsupported by the text and structure of the Constitution, but it has led to a morally wrong result. It has led to the slaughter of millions of innocent unborn children.”
Gorsuch also has made pro-life comments about abortion and strongly opposes assisted suicide. He has written a book, The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, which (as Princeton University Press puts it) “builds a nuanced, novel, and powerful moral and legal argument against legalization [of assisted suicide and euthanasia], one based on a principle that, surprisingly, has largely been overlooked in the debate—the idea that human life is intrinsically valuable and that intentional killing is always wrong.”
Meanwhile, as National Review reports, “Gorsuch wrote a powerful dissent from the denial of rehearing en banc in a case involving funding of Planned Parenthood.” NR indicaes Gorsuch has written “human life is fundamentally and inherently valuable, and that the intentional taking of human life by private persons is always wrong.”
During the election, asked what he would do to protect the “sanctity of human life,” Trump said it starts with the Supreme Court.
“I will protect it and the biggest way to protect it is through the Supreme Court and putting people in the court — and actually the biggest way to protect is electing me as president,” he said.
Trump went on to say that he favored overturning Roe v. Wade and that, “I will appoint Supreme Court judges who will be pro-life.” His comments, along with hiring a pro-life advocate as his domestic policy director, will go along way to assuring pro-life voters they can consider him in November.
When it comes to abortion, for pro-life voters there was no more important issue in the presidential election than who will control the appointment process for one or more Supreme Court judges who will determine the fate of abortion for decades.
One of the exit poll question asked how important the Supreme Court was in people’s vote. 56% of those who voted for Trump said it was the most important factor, compared to 41% for Hillary Clinton–a whopping 15 point advantage for Trump.
What’s the record for the longest a filibuster has ever gone on?
There’s an election in 2018, with 23 Democratic Senators up for re-election. Talk about a record of obstruction—forcing Trump to govern by EO while they talk to block a nominee. It won’t play well in Peoria. Well, maybe in Peoria, but not in mainstream America, no matter how much the MSM tries to paint it as noble defiance against a would-be dictator.
Leaders from their behinds.
For some reason these liberals just love killing babies. It’s all about the right to murder innocent kids. Go figure! (Good luck at the Pearly Gates folks).
Nuclear option is the only way. Dingy Harry already killed the filibuster for everything else, it’s time for this to go too. The very notion that the Rats will go along peaceably knowing what it means to the Court is laughable.
Kill the filibuster, then pass Trump’s nominee. Gotta do it!
Nuclear option is the only way. Dingy Harry already killed the filibuster for everything else, it’s time for this to go too. The very notion that the Rats will go along peaceably knowing what it means to the Court is laughable.
Kill the filibuster, then pass Trump’s nominee. Gotta do it!
The end of 60 votes for cloture. AMEN!
Go nuclear.
If McCain tries to throw a wrench in that, can we still bring him up on charges for his Keating Five corruption??? If not, I’m sure the crook has some other skeletons in his closet.
Somebody of influence needs to call out the Left for simply declaring Trump et al the enemy, and attacking over absolutely everything regardless of the issue at hand.
Scott Adams (”Dilbert”) just wrote a blog post about “Don’t wish for Hitler”. They are, and by doing so they’ll box Trump into a position where he has no choice but to (in their eyes) be.
Merkle said he would support Garland.
Our biggest problem will the the RINOs. Book it.
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Agreed, but Mr. Trump has so far successfully steamrolled everyone who has gotten in his way, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts.
If they’re going to go nuke, they ought to do it right away. Show the minorities they’re not going to be controlling the debate.
Azzhats say what? Losahs ...
Besides being a mental disease, liberalism is submission to Satan. And that is why they like killing babies.
“For some reason these liberals just love killing babies.”
It’s not hard to figure out. Babies make people take responsibility and grow up. People who are responsible and grown up tend to be self-sufficient and more conservative, instead of liberals sucking on the teat of government.
Make the babies go away and you can keep people childish liberals forever.
The democrat fools are going to step on their own tails by bumping refugee immigration ban off the news by TRYING to filibuster SCOTUS nominee, triggering the nuclear option, which will green light ALL future Trump judicial appointments.
Not tired of WINNING yet.
The democrat fools are going to step on their own tails by bumping refugee immigration ban off the news by TRYING to filibuster SCOTUS nominee, triggering the nuclear option, which will green light ALL future Trump judicial appointments.
Not tired of WINNING yet.
Why do you keep screaming at us? Direct your outrage at the individuals who piss you off, not fellow FReepers.
Back in 2012 Senator Indian Princess had this to say:
After her election to the Senate in 2012, Elizabeth Warren (D.-Mass.) declared that on her first day as a senator she would attempt to amend the Senate rules in this way: “On the first day of the new session in January, the senators will have a unique opportunity to change the filibuster rule with a majority vote, rather than the normal two-thirds vote. The change can be modest: If someone objects to a bill or a nomination in the United States Senate, they should have to stand on the floor of the chamber and defend their opposition.”
A majority vote is democracy, r-r-right?
So what’s the problem? Let them speak ...
Then gut them like squirrels.
Merkle?
McConnell has one job here: Invoke the Reid rule and blow their filibuster attempts to smithereens.
Drop the nuke.
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