by Pa Rock
Missouri Voter
It's been over one hundred days not since Justice Antonin Scalia died leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court. The Court, which under normal circumstances has nine members, had become known in recent years for five-to-four decisions on many of the more important issues of our times - decisions that, although extremely close, were at least definitive. Now an extremely close decision in the (of late) highly partisan Court, generally means a vote that ends in a tie - or non-definitive. The strain of having an even number of Justices is beginning to negatively impact the Court and the country that it serves.
The Constitution calls for the President of the United States to nominate new members to the Supreme Court, and for the Senate to vote to approve or not approve those nominations. President Obama did his job seventy days ago when he nominated Judge Merrick Garland, by all accounts a politically "moderate" jurist, to serve on the Supreme Court.
But even before the nomination was made, Senate Republicans, the majority party in the Senate, announced they would not act on any nominee put forth by this President. They were not going to do their job. Then, after the President announced his nominee, almost no Senate Republican has shown Judge Garland the courtesy of a get-acquainted visit - an no movement has occurred in the confirmation process.
(Word has leaked that in the increasingly likely event that Hillary Clinton is elected President, the Senate will rush a vote during the lame duck session - the interregnum - and approve Judge Garland before Hillary has an opportunity to name someone of her choosing as the replacement.)
Technically, the Senate Majority Leader, Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, is orchestrating this flagrant denial of Constitutional process, but Mitch, like many of the other Republicans in the Senate, is a prisoner of the right-wing rabble that has taken over the GOP.
That is certainly true of my home state Republican senator, Roy Blunt. Ol' Roy is in a tightening race for re-election, and while he still has plenty of time to glad-hand corporate lobbyists for campaign cash, when it comes to meeting with Judge Garland - well, he suddenly has no time.
Seriously.
When asked if he would meet with the prospective member of the United States Supreme Court, Ol' Roy's response was: "I can barely schedule a call with my son's math teacher, so probably no."
He has no time for trivialities like getting the Supreme Court of the land back into functioning order. Was Ol' Roy elected to serve the people of Missouri and the Constitution of the United States - or to attend parent-teacher conferences? What would the reaction have been if a female senator had coughed up that excuse?
Roy Blunt, do your job! Meet with Judge Garland and then get vocal and demand a vote on his nomination. Study the man and the merits - and then make an informed decision as to whether on not you believe he is qualified to sit on the Supreme Court.
The Show Me State is watching, Roy. Show us something besides your political cowardice and that partisan streak running up your backside. Missouri's dynamic Secretary of State, Jason Kander, seems ready, willing, and able to do what which you so shamelessly neglect. Do your job, Roy - or Jason will!
Missouri Voter
It's been over one hundred days not since Justice Antonin Scalia died leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court. The Court, which under normal circumstances has nine members, had become known in recent years for five-to-four decisions on many of the more important issues of our times - decisions that, although extremely close, were at least definitive. Now an extremely close decision in the (of late) highly partisan Court, generally means a vote that ends in a tie - or non-definitive. The strain of having an even number of Justices is beginning to negatively impact the Court and the country that it serves.
The Constitution calls for the President of the United States to nominate new members to the Supreme Court, and for the Senate to vote to approve or not approve those nominations. President Obama did his job seventy days ago when he nominated Judge Merrick Garland, by all accounts a politically "moderate" jurist, to serve on the Supreme Court.
But even before the nomination was made, Senate Republicans, the majority party in the Senate, announced they would not act on any nominee put forth by this President. They were not going to do their job. Then, after the President announced his nominee, almost no Senate Republican has shown Judge Garland the courtesy of a get-acquainted visit - an no movement has occurred in the confirmation process.
(Word has leaked that in the increasingly likely event that Hillary Clinton is elected President, the Senate will rush a vote during the lame duck session - the interregnum - and approve Judge Garland before Hillary has an opportunity to name someone of her choosing as the replacement.)
Technically, the Senate Majority Leader, Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, is orchestrating this flagrant denial of Constitutional process, but Mitch, like many of the other Republicans in the Senate, is a prisoner of the right-wing rabble that has taken over the GOP.
That is certainly true of my home state Republican senator, Roy Blunt. Ol' Roy is in a tightening race for re-election, and while he still has plenty of time to glad-hand corporate lobbyists for campaign cash, when it comes to meeting with Judge Garland - well, he suddenly has no time.
Seriously.
When asked if he would meet with the prospective member of the United States Supreme Court, Ol' Roy's response was: "I can barely schedule a call with my son's math teacher, so probably no."
He has no time for trivialities like getting the Supreme Court of the land back into functioning order. Was Ol' Roy elected to serve the people of Missouri and the Constitution of the United States - or to attend parent-teacher conferences? What would the reaction have been if a female senator had coughed up that excuse?
Roy Blunt, do your job! Meet with Judge Garland and then get vocal and demand a vote on his nomination. Study the man and the merits - and then make an informed decision as to whether on not you believe he is qualified to sit on the Supreme Court.
The Show Me State is watching, Roy. Show us something besides your political cowardice and that partisan streak running up your backside. Missouri's dynamic Secretary of State, Jason Kander, seems ready, willing, and able to do what which you so shamelessly neglect. Do your job, Roy - or Jason will!
No comments:
Post a Comment