TPM article
And guess what it is?
Not abortion. Abortion is so 20th Century.
But one sentence especially stood out: "There is much at stake, as the court's interpretation of the Constitution in the coming years could significantly affect the implementation of domestic polices approved by the president and Congress over the past year."
Yes, Sessions has gone full tea party.
The implications seem clear: the GOP expects Obama to nominate a SCOTUS justice who will side with the lawsuits against the HCR bill. And anyone who doesn't agree with them on that issue is unqualified to serve and deserves to be filibustered.
Think about it. The GOP actually expects Obama to nominate someone who will overturn the law he put more effort into than any other thus far. If not, they will pitch a tantrum.
So, some thoughts:
- We need to get this done prior to November, since we may lose seats in the election.
- The GOP knows that, and will fight tooth and nail to delay the nomination.
- The Republicans have such a sense of their own righteousness it is nauseating.
- It is unlikely Obama will nominate a "pure" liberal, for the simple reason that he doesn't want someone who will vote HCR down from the left.
- No one Obama can nominate will avoid an attempted filibuster. The President must find one Republican Senator with a soul.
- Anyone who thinks Obama is no different than Bush, or McCain, is welcome to compare this nomination to Roberts and Alito. Of course, due to (4), I'm certain there will be disappointment in the nomination.
So, I predict the following:
Obama will nominate someone who has passed muster with Senate review recently. This both speeds the Q&A process, and tends to undercut Republican arguments that the person is a dangerous radical.
Obama's nomination will not be very far to the left, and may not be as liberal as Stevens is. This is both to get that one GOP Senator, and to avoid losing a HCR challenge to an unlikely coalition of left and right.
The Republican antics on this will cause nausea and should be viewed / read about in small doses.