The sad news broke this week that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died after her most recurrence of cancer. Within hours, the likely political ramifications of her death were being expressed from both sides of the aisle.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for example, urged Senate Democrats on Friday to use every “procedural obstacle” possible in an effort to prevent GOP leaders from confirming a nominee during the current presidential term, as reported by Breitbart.
“A monument to hypocrisy”
Clinton’s remarks came during her appearance on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show.
“The Democrats who are in the Senate will have to use every single possible maneuver that is available to them to make it clear that they are not going to permit Mitch McConnell to enact the greatest travesty, a monument to hypocrisy that would arise from him attempting to fill this position,” concluded the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.
Her allegation of hypocrisy came amid reports that Trump intends to announce a nomination and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) plans to hold a vote to confirm that nominee as part of the current GOP-controlled session.
Considering McConnell’s refusal to hold a vote for then-President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Justice Atonin Scalia during the 2016 election year, Democrats are largely united in their opposition to his plan to hold a confirmation vote before the end of Trump’s first term.
Of course, the Senate majority leader and others in his party see it differently, with many Republicans in the chamber endorsing such a vote.
“Every possible procedural obstacle”
As for an effective opposition plan, Democratic Party leaders reportedly held a strategy session and determined that “nothing is off the table” in 2021 if the GOP pushes through a Trump nominee prior to Inauguration Day.
Clinton shared her input regarding the possible path Democrats might take.
“There are senators running for officer right now who are in, who are Republicans and who are in close or contested seats, and their Democratic opponents, as well as the people and the press in their state, needs to make this a major issue,” she said.
Although her point was not altogether clear, Clinton appeared to suggest Senate Democrats should act to convince Republicans to oppose a vote on Trump’s nominee.
With 53 Republicans in the Senate and a simple 51-vote majority needed to confirm a nominee, however, even Clinton’s proposed use of “every possible procedural obstacle” to stop the president might not be enough.
The post Clinton urges Senate Dems to use 'every possible procedural obstacle' to block Trump SCOTUS nominee first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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