If parties and circumstances were reversed, does ANYONE think the Republican president would wait until the next term to give their successor (potentially a Democrat) a chance to nominate? Expecting Obama to not nominate a SCOTUS is naive at best.
I agree it’s naive, and that Obama will nominate someone.
But we expect that he will appoint someone who is very liberal. Such a nominee will give us five solid Obamabot liberals on the Supreme Court, which is why there’s so much consternation over this.
Another Obama nominee will sharply tilt the court to the left.
We may not have seen the same reaction if one of the liberals on the court had died. Replacing one liberal with another would not have tipped the balance. Replacing Scalia with a liberal does tilt that balance.
I fully expect him to nominate someone. Further, I think he should. It is his Constitutional responsibility. Thinking only in a non-partisan way, 11 months is a long time for the vacancy to just sit without some action.
Now, here is the BIG problem. The Republican Senate MUST hold firm. Obama would have to peel away 14 R's to confirm any nominee.
The distress among Conservatives and other Republicans should not be that the President will nominate a candidate; the concern SHOULD BE that their own party will stab them in the back during a confirmation battle.
Republicans aren't afraid of Obama; they are afraid of their own party. AGAIN.
Will the establishment FINALLY find a backbone in an election year? I doubt it.
Remember that pending immigration case that the Supreme court is going to rule on this summer? The one about executive branch over reach. Should Obama be able to stack the Supreme court in his favor