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President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court

Nothing much to discuss - he's a centrist who was nominated for the express purpose of making the right look bad by not giving him a vote. And even if Clinton wins in November he'll still probably never be an SCJ.
 
I'm pretty sure they already own that issue. No net benefit.

Of course they own it that's the point. Who shows up? Which views seem more threatened? If the 2nd Amendment and gun control becomes a central issue the Republicans will show up in a big way.
 
Of course they own it that's the point. Who shows up? Which views seem more threatened? If the 2nd Amendment and gun control becomes a central issue the Republicans will show up in a big way.

The gun nuts already turn out.

If you believe the nomination of Merrick Garland is going to be a huge advantage to the GOP in a general election you're out in fantasy land.
 
The gun nuts already turn out.

If you believe the nomination of Merrick Garland is going to be a huge advantage to the GOP in a general election you're out in fantasy land.

It's not "gun nuts", it's the majority of Americans. Is it enough on it's own No but it is an important issue. Most Americans are pro-choice and pro gun rights. If people felt Roe v. Wade was in any way in danger of being overturned or diluted it would be a Dem advantage for the election. That's what they're doing. They are trying to protect purple districts and senate seats. I'm sure they are hoping they can get Kasich through the convention and it will have some effect on the presidential race but it's mostly to protect their own seats.
 
It's not "gun nuts", it's the majority of Americans. Is it enough on it's own No but it is an important issue. Most Americans are pro-choice and pro gun rights. If people felt Roe v. Wade was in any way in danger of being overturned or diluted it would be a Dem advantage for the election. That's what they're doing. They are trying to protect purple districts and senate seats. I'm sure they are hoping they can get Kasich through the convention and it will have some effect on the presidential race but it's mostly to protect their own seats.

Unless you're in the "gun nut" camp, firearm controls are rarely a single-issue reason to vote.

NRA members believe that Obama's ultimate goal is to confiscate legal firearms by a 3-1 margin. That's just frankly insane. Those are the people who will freak the **** out over a justice that supports gun restrictions. But those people were turning out anyway.

People who are in reality understand that these gun restrictions are very unlikely to impact their life in any real way and/or they don't get a hard on from having fully automatic assault weapons in their basement. Those people are going to either not really care or not be any more motivated to vote GOP than they were anyway.

I'd say the risk that intransigence hurts the GOP is much higher than any get out the vote effort designed around "they taking ur guns!"

And let's be clear: The GOP is a goddamn mess. They have no ability to effectively capitalize on anything. They might not even be a party that exists in the way they've traditionally existed in 18 months.
 
Unless you're in the "gun nut" camp, firearm controls are rarely a single-issue reason to vote.

NRA members believe that Obama's ultimate goal is to confiscate legal firearms by a 3-1 margin. That's just frankly insane. Those are the people who will freak the **** out over a justice that supports gun restrictions. But those people were turning out anyway.

People who are in reality understand that these gun restrictions are very unlikely to impact their life in any real way and/or they don't get a hard on from having fully automatic assault weapons in their basement. Those people are going to either not really care or not be any more motivated to vote GOP than they were anyway.

I'd say the risk that intransigence hurts the GOP is much higher than any get out the vote effort designed around "they taking ur guns!"

And let's be clear: The GOP is a goddamn mess. They have no ability to effectively capitalize on anything. They might not even be a party that exists in the way they've traditionally existed in 18 months.

They control the House (246-188) and the Senate (54-44). Part of why they do is because of people's fear that Obama would strengthen gun control laws. It works.
 
They control the House (246-188) and the Senate (54-44). Part of why they do is because of people's fear that Obama would strengthen gun control laws. It works.

They own in the senate because of more healthcare and economic reasons in last midterm and own the House because of gerrymandering.
 
They own in the senate because of more healthcare and economic reasons in last midterm and own the House because of gerrymandering.


How many Democratic Senators in the purple states below do you think have adopted a pro-gun stance? How many have adopted Republican economics?

If it wasn't such a big issue than Dems wouldn't use it to get elected in purple states, but they do. They don't win those seats by talking about tax breaks. You're wrong

400px-114th_United_States_Congress_Senators.svg.png

Senate Seats
Blue states= 2(D)
Red States= 2(R)
Purple=1(D)&1(R)
Green=(I)
 
And sure enough McConnell won't even consider Garland. Vows to not have any hearings on it. Way to make yourselves look bad to independents.
 
I wrote to my senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee yesterday about this issue. Not that it will do any good, but it made me feel a tiny bit better.

I do not agree with the idea that Republicans are spouting that to "know the will of the people" we need to wait until the next President is elected. As I recall, President Obama was voted into office in the last election for the years 2013-2016. That was the will of the people. It didn't end on December 31, 2015. It's a terrible argument.

If Republicans with power had any sense, which is becoming somewhat doubtful, they would jump all over this nomination. It is becoming increasingly obvious that a Republican will not win the general election, and the self-destructive nature of the party may have a large impact on many other federal elections. There is a chance that the next president will be in a position to install a much more liberal judge.

The idea that Republicans decided that they would not consider any nominee disgusts me. Do Your Job!
 
I agree jazzgal. And if trump somehow gets elected do they really think that trump's nominee will be better than this guy?
 
Yep. GOP is playing with fire here. The chances are very, very good that they will end up being forced to accept a much more liberal, activist judge. Clinton would force them to for sure. Sanders wouldn't even consider a moderate. Anybody who thinks they have any idea what Trump would do isn't paying attention. Cruz would go far more conservative. Does anybody honestly believe he will win?
 
I agree JazzGal!

This guy seems like a great fit as a judge, it makes me sad the games being played. Let it go to the floor and be voted on!
 
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