Life After Scalia
Justice Antonin Scalia |
None of the rest of us will get any.
Why? An often conservative 5-4 majority is gone. The court is now tied, deadlocked, at 4-4.
"With the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia, President Barack Obama will make another nomination to the Supreme Court," explained an email from the very liberal Democracy for America (I'm on a lot of lists). "It is critically important that President Obama choose a strongly progressive person who can lead the Supreme Court and our country in a new direction."
That's Obama's prerogative, of course. But the president's nominee must be approved by the United States Senate -- controlled 54 to 46 by Republicans.
And guess what?
Almost as fast, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued this statement: "The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President."
Now, our Democratic president could negotiate with the Republican Senate majority, come up with a consensus (yeah, right) or compromise choice (watch out).
But don't hold your breath.
You may also want to plug your ears. There will be shouting. The media will overwhelmingly take Obama's side -- surprise, surprise -- and berate Republicans for obstructing.
Republican Senators have a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent to the president's pick. Unless Mr. Obama's choice will improve the High Court, those senators should withhold their consent.
This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
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Paul Jacobs is author of Common Sense which provides daily commentary about the issues impacting America and about the citizens who are doing something about them. He is also President of the Liberty Initiative Fund (LIFe) as well as Citizens in Charge Foundation. Jacobs is a contributing author on the ARRA News Service.
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1 Comments:
Stand strong.
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