Reid: Grassley Worse Than Civil Rights Era Segregationists for Supreme Court Block

PJ Media ^ | February 23, 2016 | Bridget Johnson

[Kaslin]

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), because of his determination to stop a lame-duck vote on a Supreme Court nominee, is worse than a segregationist who tried to stop the Civil Rights Act.

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) today vowing to not hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee until the next president is sworn in.

"We intend to exercise the constitutional power granted the Senate under Article II, Section 2 to ensure the American people are not deprived of the opportunity to engage in a full and robust debate over the type of jurist they wish to decide some of the most critical issues of our time," the senators wrote. "Not since 1932 has the Senate confirmed in a presidential election year a Supreme Court nominee to a vacancy arising in that year."

"And it is necessary to go even further back - to 1888 - in order to find an election year nominee who was nominated and confirmed under divided government, as we have now."

In addition to Grassley, the pledge to block a Supreme Court nominee at the committee level was signed by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), David Vitter (R-La.), David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Outside a closed policy luncheon on Capitol Hill today, Reid blamed McConnell for getting "every Republican member of the Judiciary Committee to say they won't even hold a hearing."

"Hard to comprehend, but it appears that Senator Grassley's going to follow through on this plan. He will go down in history as the most obstructionist Judiciary chair in the history of our country. Now, that says a lot because we knew about the Judiciary Committee chairs during the Civil Rights Era," Reid added.

In 1964, the Senate majority leader had to take maneuvers to keep the Civil Rights Act from landing in Senate Judiciary Chairman James Eastland's committee, given the Mississippi Democrat's fervent opposition to the landmark legislation.

"I can't imagine. Senator Grassley -- I've served with him in Congress for more than three decades. Is this the legacy that he wants? Is this the choice he's making by following Senator McConnell down this path of Trump and Cruz?" Reid continued, adding soon after that "Ted Cruz and Donald Trump took over the Republican Party and now the Judiciary Committee itself."

The minority leader charged that Republicans are "threatening to abandon the Senate's responsibilities."

"It's what Donald Trump and Ted Cruz want. Remember, Trump said delay, delay, delay the Supreme court nominees. They're doing that in a way that I'm sure Trump couldn't imagine. They've taken that to a new -- new height. It's wrong and the American people, I really do believe, won't stand for this," Reid said. "...Republicans must take their duty seriously and reject the extreme approach of Trump and Cruz."

Reid warned that McConnell "hasn't seen the pressure that's going to build -- it's going to build in all facets of the political constituency in the country."

"The Republicans themselves are saying through their right-wing outlets that they would rather the Republicans lose the Senate than allow a vote on the nominee. So that says it all," he said. "I think -- I think it -- let's look at it this way. Doing something never done in the history of this country, never done in the history of this country, is not going to help them, let's put it that way."

Outside the Senate GOPs' luncheon, McConnell told reporters that the "overwhelming view of the Republican Conference of the Senate is that this nomination should not be filled, this vacancy should not be filled by this lame-duck president."

"That was the view of Joe Biden when he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 1992; Chuck Schumer who I assume will be my counterpart next year had the view that you shouldn't fill a vacancy in the last 18 months going into a presidential election year. And certainly, that was Senator Reid's view as well in a different era," McConnell said.

Cornyn added that the Judiciary Committee's stand is "not about the personality -- it's about the principle."

"It's up to the American people in this next election no matter who they choose to make the nomination for this important seat on the Supreme Court," Cornyn said. "Justice Scalia served for 30 years, so this clearly extends far beyond President Obama's term of office. It's that important."

McConnell said he would be "not inclined" to meet with Obama's nominee, and Cornyn said he doesn't "see the point of going through the motions if we know what the outcome is going to be... and creating a misleading impression that something else is going on here."

"I have many faults, but getting off-message is not one of them," McConnell said. "This nomination will be determined by whoever wins the presidency in the fall. I agree with the Judiciary Committee's recommendation that we not have hearings. In short, there will not be action taken."

[Secret Agent Man]

Should have finished the job.

[Kaslin]

The rat’s have standards? Oh yeah very, very, very low standards

[Kaslin]

Well what do you expect from that hypocrite?

[SoFloFreeper]

Miguel Estrada.

Janice Rogers Brown.

Two conservative judicial candidates....one hispanic, one black. Harry Reid the bigot opposed both.

[Kaslin]

You hit the nail square on the head.

[Kaslin]

Isn’t Trump the one who is demonizing his opponents?

[Organic Panic]

Harry Reid knows how stupid a majority of voters are. If democrats tell them it was mean old republicans that fought to keep the black citizen down with segregation and Jim Crow laws idiot democrats will believe it.

When confronted by facts then there was a magical time when all the democrats saw the light and the republicans were really the racist party.

Reid knows who runs the public schools.

[Crucial]

The Left is throwing a hissy fit.

[kiryandil]

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), because of his determination to stop a lame-duck vote on a Supreme Court nominee, is worse than a segregationist who tried to stop the Civil Rights Act.

It's not nice to speak ill of the dead, Mr. Reid:

"Sheets" Byrd

Civil Rights Act of 1964

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964

Northern Democrats: 45–1 (only DEMOCRAT Robert Byrd of West Virginia voted against)

On the morning of June 10, 1964, Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) completed a filibustering address that he had begun 14 hours and 13 minutes earlier opposing the legislation. Until then, the measure had occupied the Senate for 57 working days, including six Saturdays. A day earlier, Democratic Whip Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, the bill's manager, concluded he had the 67 votes required at that time to end the debate and end the filibuster. With six wavering senators providing a four-vote victory margin, the final tally stood at 71 to 29. Never in history had the Senate been able to muster enough votes to cut off a filibuster on a civil rights bill. And only once in the 37 years since 1927 had it agreed to cloture for any measure.

[niteowl77]

The rat’s have standards? Oh yeah very, very, very low standards.

It's the "limbo party" party.

Mr. niteowl77

[kiryandil]

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), because of his determination to stop a lame-duck vote on a Supreme Court nominee, is worse than a segregationist who tried to stop the Civil Rights Act.

It's not nice to speak ill of the dead, Mr. Reid:

"Sheets" Byrd

Civil Rights Act of 1964

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964

Northern Democrats: 45-1 (only DEMOCRAT Robert Byrd of West Virginia voted against)

On the morning of June 10, 1964, Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) completed a filibustering address that he had begun 14 hours and 13 minutes earlier opposing the legislation. Until then, the measure had occupied the Senate for 57 working days, including six Saturdays. A day earlier, Democratic Whip Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, the bill's manager, concluded he had the 67 votes required at that time to end the debate and end the filibuster. With six wavering senators providing a four-vote victory margin, the final tally stood at 71 to 29. Never in history had the Senate been able to muster enough votes to cut off a filibuster on a civil rights bill. And only once in the 37 years since 1927 had it agreed to cloture for any measure.

[MortMan]

In other words - obstructing Obama is acting like the dems did and still do.

Got it, Dingy.

[Wallace T.]

While, unlike Robert Byrd, Reid is not an ex-Klansman, he is a member of a faith, Mormonism, which barred blacks from the priesthood until 1978.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Shut up Dingy, you ass. Get your ass in there and start packing up your office. You’re gone ahole.

[Kaslin]

It sure was

[Constitutional Patriot]

Would someone please kick his ass again and tell him to STFU?!?!

[Kaslin]

Before you mouth of on Senator Tim Scott make sure he is in in the Judiciary Committee. He is not

[DAC21]

Harry Reid, one eyed, senial, drooling clown. Was I too mean? I know, Reid couldn’t come up with his list of prescriptions, let alone his brand of his diapers without his staff. Maybe we should expose his left of Karl Marx staff as they will be looking for jobs next year. They should rot in hell.

[mrsmith]

Reid isn’t on the Judiciary Committee, and he can play the race card - but Scott has to be on the Judiciary to rebuke him?

[Windflier]

“The American people couldn’t understand that: they truly think that Republicans are anti-civil rights.”

Perceptions and attitudes are shifting more than you may be aware of.

I sometimes lurk at a site where lots of millenials and Gen-Xers post. The commentary at that place runs overwhelmingly pro-America and anti-lib.

You think Freepers are tough on libs? You ain’t seen nuthin til you read the comments of those young folks. You can’t even re-post most of it here.

Trust me when I tell you that most Americans are sick to death of the liberals always throwing the race card.