Ted Cruz’s appearance on This Week today:
http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/sen-ted-cruz-death-justice-scalia-2016-presidential-36930642
He was also on Meet The Press today:
CHUCK TODD:
Well, moments ago I spoke to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, and I began by asking him how he might go about replacing Justice Antonin Scalia in the court.
(BEGIN TAPE)
CHUCK TODD:
Let me go to litmus tests. Do you have them for potential Supreme Court justices?
SEN. TED CRUZ:
Well, my litmus test for any Supreme Court justice is whether he or she will faithfully apply the constitution of the law. It’s not a specific issue. It is rather a jurisprudential approach. And the only way to determine that is if they have a proven record. If they have spent years demonstrating they’ll be faithful to the law. That’s the job of a justice.
It’s what liberal activists don’t do. Liberal activists want to instead legislate from the bench. And, you know, a perfect example of that is Justice Scalia. Justice Scalia was a lion of the Supreme Court. He’s one of the greatest Supreme Court justices in history. He spent three decades on the court. But before he was on the court, he was a law professor for many, many years, he was a court of appeals judge, he had a long-proven record so that you knew exactly what you were getting with him. I knew Justice Scalia for 20 years.
CHUCK TODD:
Yeah, is this a mistake you think that was made with John Roberts? Because you were a big supporter of him.
SEN. TED CRUZ:
Of course it is.
CHUCK TODD:
But in hindsight, you’re not. Is that because you think that he didn’t have a track record?
SEN. TED CRUZ:
He didn’t have a track record. And I would not have nominated John Roberts. Once George Bush nominated him, I supported the nomination as a Republican nominee. But I would’ve nominated Mike Luttig, my former boss, who was a court of appeals judge, who was Justice Scalia’s very first law clerk, and like Justice Scalia, had a long-proven track record. And Chuck, just as Ronald Reagan was to the presidency, so Antonin Scalia was to the Supreme Court. He had that big an impact.
CHUCK TODD:
No doubt.
SEN. TED CRUZ:
And I think his passing yesterday really underscores the stakes of this election. We are facing our fundamental rights in a balance.
CHUCK TODD:
Let me ask you, does the United States Senate have an obligation to at least consider a nomination that President Obama puts forward? I understand that you guys don’t want it, and you would prefer to let the elected... but doesn’t the United States Senate have an obligation to at least go through the process and have an up or down vote?
SEN. TED CRUZ:
Not remotely.
CHUCK TODD:
Why?
SEN. TED CRUZ:
It has been 80 years since a Supreme Court vacancy was nominated and confirmed in an election year. There is a long tradition that you don’t do this in an election year. And what this means, Chuck, is we ought to make the 2016 election a referendum on the Supreme Court. I cannot wait to stand on that debate stage with Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders and talk about what the Supreme Court will look like depending on who wins.
If Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders wins, or for that matter, if Donald Trump wins, whose record is indistinguishable from them on a great many issues, then we will see the Second Amendment written out of the constitution. And another thing we’ll see, and this is very relevant for conservatives in South Carolina. If Donald Trump is the nominee, or if Hillary Clinton is the president, we will see unlimited abortion on demand throughout this country, partial-birth abortion, taxpayer funding, no parental notification. And we’ll also see our religious liberty torn down, our basic rights.
CHUCK TODD:
All right, but I want to go back to the United States Senate here. So you believe the presidency is only three years long in each term? I mean, if we go down this road, we’re cutting off a presidency with a year to go. And more importantly, Senator Cruz, the risk here for conservatives is that if you have all these four-four ties in the court, then the more liberal leaning circuit will then have, you know, their rulings will take precedent.
SEN. TED CRUZ:
Look, the consequence of a four-four tie is that the judgment of the court of appeals is affirmed by an equally-divided vote. This has happened many times in history that there have been vacancies, sometimes on a closely-contentious case. They’ll hold it over for the next term, when the replacement justice arrives.
In an election year, we have a long tradition that a lame-duck president doesn’t get to jam a Supreme Court nominee through on the very end. L.B.J. tried that and the Supreme Court rejected it. And particularly when the court is five-four, is balanced, an Obama liberal nominee would dramatically shift the U.S. Supreme Court.
CHUCK TODD:
Okay, I understand that. But why not go through the process? Shouldn’t the United States Senate do its duty and go through the process? Reject it, Senator, but go through the process.
SEN. TED CRUZ:
By the way, the Senate’s duty is to advise and consent. You know what? The Senate is advising right now. We’re advising that a lame-duck president in an election year is not going to be able to tip the balance of the Supreme Court.
That we’re going to have an election, and if liberals are so confident that the American people want unlimited abortion on demand, want religious liberty torn down, want the Second Amendment taken away, want veterans’ memorials torn down, want the crosses and stars of David sandblasted off of the tombstones of our fallen veterans, then go and make the case to the people.
I don’t think the American people want that. I’m very happy to take that case directly to Hillary Clinton, directly to Bernie Sanders. And I would note, look, how do we know Donald Trump’s record on this is going to be bad? He has supported liberals for four decades: Jimmy Carter, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid.
Anyone who cares about judges would not be supporting Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer and John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. And the consequence is, if either Hillary or Bernie or Donald Trump is the president, we will see the Second Amendment written out of the constitution. This is a basic question, who will defend our liberties?
CHUCK TODD:
Senator Cruz, I have to leave it there this morning. A lot more to get to. I look forward to hopefully having you on perhaps next Sunday, and we can get to more of that. Thank you, sir.
SEN. TED CRUZ:
Excellent.
Thank you for that transcript.
Perfect.
Chuck Todd unable to trap him at all.
You can tell, with Scalia’s passing, that Cruz is terrified that long time liberal Democrat Trump who “SAYS” he ain’t that way no more is going to become president and then give the Democrats their fifth Leftist judge on the SCOTUS.
And he will.
Until any one of the benighted starry eyed Trump trolls can provide ONE just ONE piece of hard evidence that Trump is a REPUBLICAN much less a CONSERVATIVE all of us along with Ted have a reason to be terrified.
Not since 1930s Germany have so many religiously accepted the WORDS of a loud, screaming unhinged demagogue with no record of public service.