Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

The frogs are rarely mistaken.

Never forget that he train is barreling down on Trump, even as he dances on the tracks.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

Ah, the different things are different argument.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. don’t touch it.”

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Everyone is in a bubble, but some bubbles model reality far better than others!

Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.

I’m more Christian than these people and I’m an atheist.

Democrats are back in array!

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Days Since JD Vance Insulted Women Across America: Zero

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

You are here: Home / Politics / Activist Judges! / Open Thread: A Gift That Keeps on Giving

Open Thread: A Gift That Keeps on Giving

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Given the chance to self-immolate (again), the GOP Senate simply could not resist…


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155Comments

  1. 1.

    MomSense

    Scalia dies on the eve of the first Valentine’s Day when gay marriage is legal and during Black History Month in a Year when Dems controlling the court is a BFD. Thank you FSM.

  3. 3.

    mark

    Mitch McConell says the people should decide. Well, the people have decided, they elected Barrack Obama. He is our President. The Constitution says the President shall appoint the next Supreme Court Justice. The Senate is required to have hearings on the person that the President appointed.
    Do your job Mitch!

  5. 5.

    RaflW

    I don’t really want her as a SCOTUS member, but I have heard Amy Klobuchar put forward as an idea. It would be very hard for the GOP Senate to just screw her over totally. I think they would, they are playing totally and entirely for keeps on this oppose-Dems-at-all-costs tactic.
    I just want to see the Dems, and Obama in particular, make sure that “at all costs” is as expensive as possible!

  6. 6.

    sm*t cl*de

    Mitch McConnell, November 2016:
    The position of President is too important to be left to a College of Electors. The vacancy should remain open until the American People have their voice in 2020.

  7. 7.

    RaflW

    @mark: We The People also elected McConnell and the other 99 persons of varying integrity and brains. No (valid) reason why these 101 duly elected representatives can’t decide a damn nominee in the next 300-something days.

    The heat’s gotta be turned up real high on ol’ Mitch and his fellow reprobate bastards.

  8. 8.

    TheMightyTrowel

    (My new-to-me cats are still cute and they’re becoming very cuddly, though I did scare the crap out of them this morning when the news of Scalia’s death broke and I made many loud inarticulate noises in their presence)

  9. 9.

    Poptartacus

    You don’t troll Obama he trolls you. Going too take a lot of rags to clean up all the heads that are going to explode

  10. 10.

    Rathskeller

    @RaflW: Absolutely. Let Obama nominate reasonable people, let them be shot down by the Justice Committee, be unable to to be brought by a vote.

    They can accept a reasonable nominee, or be seen as the unreasonable people that they are.

  12. 12.

    Kropadope

    @mark: Why wait until the President’s last year in office to invoke the will of the people and the upcoming election? The President shouldn’t be allowed to nominate for the Supreme Court, or to any post for that matter, during his final term in office.

  15. 15.

    jl

    I guess the news on Scalia blows away the GOP debate train wreck and Jerry Springer special featuring the issues of deluded aging men. I missed it except for the first few minutes where the vicious dingbats smeared Obama and praised obstruction, but from what I read and clips, it was a doozy.

    Trump made more sense than the others in clips I saw, which shows what a mess the GOP is.

    The news punditry treats it as if it were a pro-wrestling show, who was tougher and won what stare or shout down. Nothing on the issues. But then, on the issues they are all insane, so what is there to say.

    Except, when Trump said W was incompetent, lied and committed malfeasance before 9/11 and Iraq invasion, and I guess that is considered too rude to talk about in polite company.

  16. 16.

    Kropadope

    @redshirt: Maybe they would hold a Republican president to the same standard. Maybe their real goal isn’t to opportunistically stop Obama and the Dems from getting representation on the court, but rather to further their principle of ensuring the government doesn’t function as it should.

  17. 17.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Imagine if Democrats had the nerve to say a Republican couldnt fill vacancy in last year of term and allow court to become dysfunctional with endless ties. Beltway media would be going ballistic. Of course, IOKIYAR.

  18. 18.

    jl

    @redshirt: Joint presser with both of them and Harry Reid.

    “I wanna say, to my GOP friends, that in my view, if you think I will nominate someone more conservative than my friend Brarack Obama here, you would be sorely mistaken. You can vote for an establishment liberal justice now, or you can try to hide from the hordes of BernieZombies bashing down your door and crawling through your windows, when you try and stall my Democratic Socialist Progressive who passed my Citizens United litmus test nominee later.”

    Edit: I can’t do a spoof HRC statement

  22. 22.

    redshirt

    @jl: I don’t think BHO should go to the SC. He can do more good elsewhere.

    We need to use this appointment like a weapon with which to kill Republican chances in November – up and down the board.

    Dread Cruz was doing the same – rightly – for his twisted viewpoint.

  24. 24.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Rathskeller:

    Absolutely. Let Obama nominate reasonable people, let them be shot down by the Justice Committee, be unable to to be brought by a vote.

    They can accept a reasonable nominee, or be seen as the unreasonable people that they are.

    And show clip after clip, a la The Daily Show, of McConnell and other Republicans saying “up or down vote!”

  25. 25.

    jl

    @redshirt: I didn’t say Obama should go to the SCOTUS. I was just writing a spoof Bernie Sanders threat.

    I think Obama is smart enough to kill two birds with one stone. Nominate someone who would be very good, and unobjectionable, and with Reid’s help, make the GOP utterly miserable, and maximize chances that they will pay a price at the polls, if they try to stall all the way through to the end of his term.

  26. 26.

    amk

    missed scalia tweets in the aftermath of rethug cage fight. my bad.

    Frankly, this is the best decision Scalia’s ever made. And there weren’t even any dissenting opinions.

  30. 30.

    WarMunchkin

    I had a good time tonight. After celebratory authentic hot chocolate, we made brussel sprouts pizza and got drunk on fine gin, celebrating Scalia’s passing. Then we played some co-op video games and laughed about how amazing today went. I don’t care if it’s tasteless, that guy wrecked so many lives.

  31. 31.

    amk

    Dahlia Lithwick – my go to source for all things SC

    “It would be ridiculous for Republicans to oppose these perfectly qualified candidates.”

    some of whom (which?) sound delish.

  32. 32.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Brandeis was really hard to get through – first Jew.

    He was eventually confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 47 to 22 on June 1, 1916,—21 Republican Senators and one Democratic Senator (Francis G. Newlands of Nevada) voted against his nomination

    Looks like gop has always been obstructionists.

  34. 34.

    jl

    @amk: Thank for link. Almost all of the ones mentioned sound good. If those are the top picks, Obama has a very good field to choose from, depending on what he wants to do.

    As I said in previous thread, seems to me Obama could go in two different directions: pick a good person who actually has best chance of getting confirmed, and try to make that happen. Or nominate someone obviously qualified and absolute best from liberal and progressive perspective, and if GOP does try to stall to end of term, use that to make a statement about the intellectual, ethical and civic bankruptcy and cynicism of the GOP goons.

    Edit: my hunch is that Obama will try for the former, actually try to get an appointment, even if it means settling for someone a little more conservative or conventional than otherwise.

  35. 35.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    One thing we have to look out for is the emoprogs who will automatically denounce anyone Obama nominates, giving aid and comfort to the gop sympathizing Beltway media .

    Remember how Griftwald and Hamsher denounced Elana Kagan. They had the nerve to say the first female Solicitor General in US history and the first female Dean in Harvard Law’s history was unqualified.

  37. 37.

    Kropadope

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:

    Remember how Griftwald and Hamsher denounced Elana Kagan. They had the nerve to say the first female Solicitor General in US history and the first female Dean in Harvard Law’s history was unqualified.

    Well, in fairness, it would be hard to find two bigger clowns this side of the Republican presidential candidates.

  40. 40.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    @amk: no. but there will always be some lefty hater willing to give gop aid and comfort.

  41. 41.

    mark

    Obama is a smart guy. He’s going to punk these punk losers just like he did with the Iran nuclear deal.

    Take a look at the Republican debate tonight, none of those assholes are Presidential material. They look like nothing more than trailer trash.
    Obama on the other hand has presented himself and as the representative of the American people as a dignified and articulate representative. Obama has gravitas and intelligence that proudly represent all that is good about America!

  43. 43.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Zeke Miller @ZekeJMiller

    Political reality: If GOP Senate confirmed an Obama SCOTUS nom—even if that person were Ted Cruz—they’d be handing the nomination to Trump

    This makes no sense. Polls show Trump will sweep of SC & 14 states on Super Tuesday (16 days from today) with landslide margins (except for Tejas).

    Unless they find a live boy or dead girl, he’ll lock up the nomination by March 2nd.

  47. 47.

    amk

    ouch

    Boo-hoo Scalia. Your heart stopped working so you died? Ginsburg’s had her colon and pancreas crap out on her, she still shows up to work.

  48. 48.

    PsiFighter37

    Think about this:

    -GOP stalls the nomination
    -Dems take back the Senate
    -In the 2-week overlap of the new Congress and Obama leaving, Chuck Schumer rams through Obama’s nominee

    This would make right wingers explode everywhere. It would be delightful.

  50. 50.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Reuters Top News @Reuters

    BREAKING: President Obama intends to nominate successor for Scalia on Supreme Court: @CNN

    This media frame is such bullshit. In no possible way is filling a vacancy “BREAKING” news. It’s routine for a President to fill a vacancy.

  52. 52.

    amk

    For the first time this cycle, Jeb Bush captured a significant portion of the conversation on Twitter during a Republican primary debate.

    Though Donald Trump was the most talked about candidate, capturing 40 percent of the conversation, Bush was in second with 20 percent, according to data provided by Twitter. Ted Cruz had 14 percent of the conversation, Marco Rubio had 13 percent, Ben Carson had 8 percent and John Kasich had 5 percent of the conversation.

    Despite taking a chunk of the conversation, Bush did not have the most follower growth throughout the evening. Trump, Rubio and Kasich had the biggest gains in Twitter followers.

    typical jeb?’s run. lose even when you ‘win’.

  53. 53.

    redshirt

    If nothing else I hope BHO uses this opportunity to show the country how broken the Republican party has become, or, shows everyone the need to vote against them.

  54. 54.

    amk

    wingnutz crapping in their pants on twittah over their ‘gun rights’ and fat tony’s meeting his maker is hilarious.

  56. 56.

    max

    Ladies and gentlemen — don’t get spun — there’s nothing normal/routine about Senate leader telling a president not to even try a nominee

    Well, I wasn’t. This has been the standard R play with Obama – try to intimidate him into not doing anything, and then whine when he does. I cannot possibly imagine George W. Bush not nominating a RBG had passed away in early 2008.

    @jl: I think Obama is smart enough to kill two birds with one stone. Nominate someone who would be very good, and unobjectionable, and with Reid’s help, make the GOP utterly miserable, and maximize chances that they will pay a price at the polls, if they try to stall all the way through to the end of his term.

    Quite. Although it isn’t that hard. Pick a good judge, one he would have picked anyway, just as if had Scalia had gone in Feb. 2013. Proceed normally. If the Senate is goofy enough to actually refuse to consider a nominee – what else would they be doing? Pretending to be doing something else? Sitting around with their thumbs up their asses? What? And why should we paying them then? We could just replace with them cute little dogs, who work cheap.

    OOO! Or! We could replace the R half of the Senate with a giant otter tank! Then you could have the tourists come in and hear, ‘On the left, we have the Senate going about its daily business, and on the right we have a TANK OF CUTE OTTERS!’ Plus film for the TV news AND AND AND! We could replace the Sunday shows with just a couple of hours of video of the otters playing! (Hey, in New York they show a fireplace on the TV on Christmas, why not get better ratings for Sunday morning?!)

    Anyway, the justice gets confirmed or not.

    max
    [‘This should actually pretty fun.’]

  60. 60.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Sanders needs to step up and echo Clinton’s rock solid FIERY support for Obama on SCOTUS issue. It time Sanders starts VOCALLY championing social issues not only economic issues.

    if not now, then when.

  63. 63.

    marilynD-SO

    @redshirt: Yes, but I just lurk, mostly….enjoyed this Valentine Eve very much! My new home has been delivered, and I came back to my rental to find the villain had died. Thank you FSP!!….mother of a ELCA pastor here….my Feminist DIL is dancing a jig!

  69. 69.

    max

    @jl: my hunch is that Obama will try for the former, actually try to get an appointment, even if it means settling for someone a little more conservative or conventional than otherwise.

    Maybe. I think Sonia Sotomayor was one of his finest personnel choices period, so why not?

    max
    [‘At the margins, it’s going to make very very little difference. Ron Fournier will be upset either way.’]

  70. 70.

    amk

    love it that how fat tony’s death didn’t invite any eulogies about his ‘legacy’, just “ok, what next ?”

    karma is such a sweet b.

  71. 71.

    balconesfault

    A fun subtext will be what Roberts, Kennedy, Alito, and Thomas will have to deal with for the next year. Once the stall starts, every public appearance – and a few of these guys really like to make their public appearances – they are going to be asked about the nominating process, the Senate’s role in dictating who is allowed to sit on the Supreme Court, and whoever Obama’s nominee is.

    They will be very very sick of it. Sick enough to finally lash out at McConnell et al for creating a precedent as bad as Bush v Gore? We’ll have to see…

  73. 73.

    max

    @max: Maybe. I think Sonia Sotomayor was one of his finest personnel choices period, so why not?

    Hrmm. I like these two:

    Sri Srinivasan (District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals): Age: 48. A strong candidate. The son of immigrants from India, he clerked for conservative appeals court judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III—himself a former shortlister for a Supreme Court seat—and Sandra Day O’Connor. He served as chief deputy to the U.S. solicitor general. He also won confirmation to the D.C. Circuit in 2013 by a staggering vote of 97–0. Srinivasan is a respected judge and a D.C. insider. Blocking him after that confirmation vote might look awful.

    Jane Kelly (8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals): Age: 51. Kelly was a career public defender who had the support of Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, head of the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Grassley has already called for delaying any nomination.) Kelly was confirmed 96–0 for her seat on the 8th Circuit. Again, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would object to her now.

    I’d like either one, although in the current circumstances, a former public defender supported by Chuck Grassley seems too good to pass up.

    max
    [‘Atomic wedgie, anyone?’]

  75. 75.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @max: To really stick it to the Republicans, someone in a comment in an earlier thread suggested Mary Yu of the WA Supreme Court. She’s half Chinese, half Latino and a lesbian.

    ETA: I had suggested that the perfect nominee would be an Asian lesbian between 40-45.

  78. 78.

    Joyce H

    I want Obama to nominate Sri Srinivasan, so all the Repubs and right wing commentariat will whine about having to learn to pronounce his name. The Repubs have already lost the black and Hispanic votes, probably for a generation. Time for them to show their true colors to the Asian-Americans as well. The guy is nice to look at too. (Was that shallow? Okay then, I’m shallow.)

  81. 81.

    JGabriel

    @max:

    If the Senate is goofy enough to actually refuse to consider a nominee – what else would they be doing?

    Holding another vote to repeal Obamacare: The This Time We Really Mean It Act.

  82. 82.

    amk

    @Joyce H:

    da kenyan got close to 80% of asian votes in 2012, iirr. bobby fucking jindal and nicky fucking haley are exceptions that prove the rule.

  83. 83.

    balconesfault

    @amk: But Nicky Haley might well be the VP nominee next fall … what a hoot to have her being asked constantly about the holdup of a Supreme Court nominee of Indian descent. Would completely neutralize any positive effect she could have on the GOP ticket.

  84. 84.

    redshirt

    @amk: Yeah, I don’t think Obama needs to nominate any specific ethnicity to help the next Democrat; I think he just needs to nominate someone who’s entirely qualified and not a white man and let the next election deal with the ramifications.

  87. 87.

    Calliope Jane

    I’d love to get a nominee west of the Mississippi, but Srinivasan did his undergrad and law at Stanford, so that helps. Per Wikipedia, he didn’t get sworn in on a Bible, so I enjoy that perspective.

    Kelly sounds great as well ( she went to law school w/ Obama! Worked as public defender!)

    Side note– I tend to like the people who clerked for O’Connor. There’s a great AZ Supreme Court judge who I really like ( disclosure- took his class) (Bales); also clerked for her.

  89. 89.

    Viva BrisVegas

    @redshirt:

    As it should. Besides the Japanese who the hell would be up at such unFSMly hours?

    That’s 5pm-8:30pm BrisVegas time. Most of here are still awake.

  91. 91.

    amk

    what’s with the wingnutz’s whiny obsession with the kenyan’s golfing?

    What’s he supposed to do? Scramble jets to stop Scalia’s ghost? A guy died, it wasn’t a terrorist attack.

  100. 100.

    amk

    @liberal:

    rrrriiight. never mind her librul positions, never mind that she might say fuck it all and retire a la sandra, it’s her smoking that gets your goat.

  102. 102.

    NotMax

    Recognizing the scope of the possible disaster, whether by structural failure or by deliberate sabotage.

    If breached, the Mosul Dam could unleash a 180-foot-high wave down the Tigris River basin and drown more than half a million people, with floodwaters reaching as far as the Iraqi capital, about 280 miles to the south.

    The collapse of the dam that has been called the most dangerous in the world for the past decade would be catastrophic for Iraq. Source

  104. 104.

    a different chris

    I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned Motherfuckin’ Rahm as a potential nominee. Probably acceptable to both the current and next POTUS. Plus I hear he’s getting whined at by a bunch of losers about something or other and may be looking for a new job soon.

  106. 106.

    TheMightyTrowel

    @redshirt: G’day mate! Your late night threads ate the ones I’m most likely to dip into. It’s a very civilized 9.20pm right now and I’m watching my cats play with a string and taking great pleasure in the fact that Scalia is still dead.

  108. 108.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @redshirt: Trust me, it’s hard to quit smoking. Ask any ex-smoker.

    ETA: I’ve decided to quit, the first week saw progress; last week didn’t go so well.

  109. 109.

    David *Rafael* Koch

    @liberal: you’re an idiot. all you emoprogs are sad bunch of losers. you know who else used to smoke and drink like a fish– this guy.

  110. 110.

    Peter

    Guys, I’m pretty sure liberal wasn’t making moral judgments as to Sotomayer’s smoking habits but rather commenting that she has several conditions which are generally associated with dying young.

  111. 111.

    Shalimar

    @jl: They cheer for the face and boo the heel. The main faces are a multi-generational family of heroes. And Trump’s comments are intentionally insulting and challenging to the crowd. How is it not exactly like a wrestling pre-show?

  112. 112.

    Jeffro

    @max: Seconded here. Those two would be awesome, as would Nguyen.

    I cannot believe the kind of grace under fire, under repeated insult, that Obama displays. Between Cruz and McConnell, I was in such a lather I was ready to quit my job and just volunteer to door-knock and phone bank for the Democrats oh, about 70-80 hours a week. He is truly a gift to this country.

    (and I’m still going to door-knock and phone bank for the Dems as much as humanly possible this cycle. These people…they’re just unbelievable…)

  113. 113.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @David *Rafael* Koch: And he died less than 3 months after turning 63, which in this day&age is late middle age. FDR was the Grand Old Man* of progressive Democratic politics for so lone we forget (if we ever knew) he was only 51 at his first Inaugural.

    * When I was growing up, the Holy Trinity of my nonreligious father, who came of age smackdab in the middle of the Great Depression, had FDR as the Father, JFK as the Son, & Adlai Stevenson as the Holy Ghost.

  114. 114.

    Patricia Kayden

    @MomSense: No. Thanks Obama!!

    @Joyce H: If I remember right around 73% of Asian American who voted in 2008 broke for President Obama. Republicans essentially only have the White vote locked up — comprising of a majority of White men and a majority of White married women.

  115. 115.

    Applejinx

    @max: Srinivasan. He was voted in unanimously, recently, and there’s the thing where he represented Skilling in an Enron case. That makes him purity-pony bait, and THAT makes him a thrown gauntlet to the Republicans. They will not get another chance at a straight male possibly corporate-friendly Justice.

    Which is not to say it’s guaranteed that he’s corporate-friendly: I’m not worried about that too much, he’s clearly not a wingnut maniac and he’s also Hindu which is an interesting bulwark against Christianist court-packing. But with a history like that, it’s insane for the Republicans to block him. They won’t get a better offer.

  116. 116.

    PaulW

    @kc:

    don’t wish. do something about it.

    get you and your friends in all the states with Senate elections to ensure there’s a Democratic nominee, and then work 24/7 to get the damn vote out for that candidate. Even if it’s in a Red State with +10 Republican advantage, get to work. If the Dems get all 34 seats, that would seismically shift control of the Senate Blue in such a way the Republicans won’t even have the threat of Cloture or Filibuster.

  117. 117.

    PaulW

    I guarantee you if Srinivasan is nominated, some idiot in the Senate (money on Cruz) is gonna accuse him of being a Secret Muslim. /headdesk

  118. 118.

    PaulW

    In one way, the Senate HAS to consider filling that vacancy ASAP. With the SCOTUS at eight seat, there runs the high risk of too many 4-4 tie votes which means decisions go based on the lower court’s ruling… which sometimes was no ruling at all, creating chaos in the legal system.

    A lot of federal judges are likely on the phone in private telling their Senator buddies to not be jerks on this.

  120. 120.

    WaterGirl

    @redshirt: “I wonder if Obama will consult with possible next Democratic President. Does he need Hillary or Bernie’s input to make his decision?”

    I wonder if Obama will consult with possible next Democratic President. Does he need WANT Hillary or Bernie’s input to make his decision? The answer to that is NO.

  121. 121.

    danielx

    Now, now….let us observe a moment of silence to honor the passing of the finest legal mind of the fourteenth century.

  122. 122.

    Peale

    So which Repulican presidential candidate will be the first to announce that they’ll appoint Roy Moore? Im going with Kaisch.

  124. 124.

    Anya

    I like Dahlia Lithwick’s list but the political figures are not worth the fight. They’ll be too distracting. I like Goodwin Liu. I am still bitter about how they blocked his nomination last time. Dem senators should’ve fought for him. The republicans were just being dicks and they let them.

  125. 125.

    The Other Chuck

    @PaulW: A lot of federal judges are about to find out what a bunch of screamingly obnoxious assholes their Senator buddies really are. But as long as they come over for cocktails, it’s all good, right?

  128. 128.

    Keith G

    The fact is, as long as a Democrat wins the White House, I’m looking at you Hillary so don’t blow it, the rest of this is just a sideshow. Scalia is gone and anybody that a Democrat (any Democrat) put in his place no matter what time they’re able to put him in his place is a 1000% improvement.

    This may not be the best of all possible worlds, but it’s a lot closer to that point than we were last week at this time.

  129. 129.

    NorthLeft12

    I agree with a number of you that the theme that the Dems push hard on is “Just do your freaking job Mitch [or insert Republican Senator facing re-election of your choice]!”.

    I think this is an idea that will resonate pretty strongly among independents and the Democratic base.

    As an aside, hard to believe the Republicans in Congress could sink any lower, but here you go…..
    I wonder what depth they will sink to next, because you just know they will top this in the next couple of months, right?

  131. 131.

    SFAW

    @PaulW:

    I guarantee you if Srinivasan is nominated, some idiot in the Senate (money on Cruz) is gonna accuse him of being a Secret Muslim. /headdesk

    Cruz is not stupid, just evil. That kind of industrial-strength stupid is more in line with Ron Johnson.

  133. 133.

    SFAW

    @amk:

    Not content with crippling with their own branch of government, Republicans in Congress are now aiming for another.

    Wouldn’t it actually be “the other two”? The Judicial due to the vacancy, the Executive due to not “allowing” the Pres to faithfully discharge his duties.

  134. 134.

    SFAW

    @Anya:

    The republicans were just being dicks and they let them

    Don’t worry – the chair of the DNC will make sure that doesn’t happen again, right?

  135. 135.

    laura

    Goodwin Liu, Tani Cantil Sakauye, Kamala Harris but please, no Janice Rogers-Brown.
    As a Union Business Agent who proudly serves public sector workers, I am greatly relieved-for now.

  136. 136.

    D58826

    @NorthLeft12: I think this is a concrete way that the democrats can push the idea that a dysfunctional government/system is for the GOP a feature not a bug. But I think they have to take it one step further, since for most voters even a SCOTUS nomination is still inside the beltway stuff. The democrats have to use it as an example to show why even the kitchen table issues that are important to the average voter aren’t being addressed. They have to make it personal and relevant to the voters. No blue sky Civics 101 argument just plain meat and potatoes.

    Will it work? Well if the GOP paid no price for the 2013 government shutdown I’m not sure that the voters are so turned off that they will happily buy into both sides do it and stay home..

  137. 137.

    Bobby Thomson

    @redshirt: appoint Sri Srinivasan. Centrist, clearly qualified, won’t be confirmed, Reoublicans piss off South Asians. Then appoint Klobuchar or even Karlan later.

  138. 138.

    feebog

    You know what would be awesome at this point? Another conservative justice bites the dust (I’ll take conservative black supreme court justices for $400 Alex). Then we would have a 4/3 majority and McConnell would be forced to act.

  139. 139.

    ThresherK

    BREAKING!

    On Scalia’s passing Clarence Thomas is disappearing into thin air, like Marty McFly at his parents’ high-school dance.

  141. 141.

    satby

    @feebog: Thomas is only in his late 60s, we can look forward to him being on the Court for years more.
    Unless all that right wing god-bothering has finally woken the big Guy up, and he’s decided to get rid of a few whitened sepulchre.

  142. 142.

    Matt McIrvin

    @feebog: Probably not going to happen. I at least half-suspect McConnell is thinking that even if a Democrat is elected in the fall, they can keep it going until Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies and they’re back in a 4-3 majority. Maybe Ginsburg AND Breyer and they’ll have 4-2.

  143. 143.

    Matt McIrvin

    After all, nowhere in the Constitution does it say there have to be nine justices. They generally need four to grant cert, but I don’t think that’s in there either. They could get it down to one!

  145. 145.

    John

    @amk:

    Right about now, the Founding Fathers are telling #Scalia “Dude, that is not what we meant at ALL.”

    Which founding fathers are in Hell?

  148. 148.

    Peale

    @satby: yep. My guess However is that if Obama limits his pool of potential nominees to judges 89 years old or older currently afflicted with stage 11 cancer or higher, he might get one through.

  149. 149.

    Matt McIrvin

    @D58826:

    I think this is a concrete way that the democrats can push the idea that a dysfunctional government/system is for the GOP a feature not a bug.

    It’s quite possible that the majority of Americans at this point do just want to watch the world burn.

  150. 150.

    Barry

    @amk: “what’s with the wingnutz’s whiny obsession with the kenyan’s golfing?

    What’s he supposed to do? Scramble jets to stop Scalia’s ghost? A guy died, it wasn’t a terrorist attack.”

    100% of what the right complains about is pure freudian projection. Bush the Lesser spent a very large amount of time on vacation, during two wars. He also could not speak coherent English with a teleprompter.

    In addition, it’s the standard right’s technique of denying the legitimacy of Democratic politicians – they aren’t entitled to the standard perquisites of the office, because they don’t really rightfully hold them.

  151. 151.

    SFAW

    @Anya:

    WTF does the chair of the DNC has to do with senate confirmations?

    Not the process itself — the carpet-bombing of the airwaves (and Intertubez) with ads and similar, aimed at telling the Rethugs to do their fucking jobs, and telling the Dems not to be candy-asses. It’s not as if Harry Reid has a war chest to do that, plus considering his lame-duck status, his pull may be reduced.

    You know how we often lament that the Rethugs are out there, pitching their (anti-American) message every goddamn day? I would venture that it might be possible for the Dems to do something similar.

    Of course, it might be possible that Jets will pick up a good QB in the off-season.

  152. 152.

    karen marie

    @amk: I overheard my neighbor last night shrieking “why are they being so mean to JEB!?” I wasn’t watching the debate, so I don’t know what she was referring to, but maybe that is what resulted in whatever the after effect was.

  154. 154.

    JaneE

    @Peter: Smoking is one of the biggest no-nos for a diabetic. Poor circulation and loss of sensation because of diabetes + vascular constriction from smoking = gangrene and amputations with a side of heart attack. Not always, but often enough. Even if her diabetes is under control, smoking is more dangerous for her than a non-diabetic.

  155. 155.

    SFAW

    @Anya:

    but we’re talking about the Dems and DWS. We’re doomed.

    Yeah, I know. That was kind of the unspoken point.

    In the “old days,” it was “Hey, kids, why don’t we put on a show?” Now it’s “Hey, kids, why don’t we stand around and wonder why the Rethugs control both houses of Congress?”

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