Franken Knocks GOPers Open To Lame Duck Confirmation: It’s ‘Absurdity’

Democratic Sen. Al Franken appears at a get-out-the-vote rally in support for Franken and Minnesota Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)
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Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), on Thursday called out Republican senators who have now said that they would be open to confirming Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court after the November election if a Democrat wins the White House.

“It appears to be getting less and less about principle,” Franken said on MSNBC. “We’ve heard now a number of my Republican colleagues say that they would confirm or take up Judge Garland in a lame duck session if Hillary Clinton wins.”

“It’s gone from — even under their reasoning — from ‘Let the people decide’ … to ‘Let the people decide unless they decide on Hillary Clinton,'” he continued.

Franken mentioned that Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has said he would be open to confirming Garland in the lame duck session, and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has also signaled he would be willing.

MSNBC’s Tamron Hall mentioned to Franken that some Republicans have backed up their decision to block Obama’s nominee by noting that the President filibustered the nomination of Justice Samuel Alito.

“Well, that also is absurd, because those were not in the last year of President Bush’s presidency, so what they’re saying now is that just they will never vote on a Supreme Court nomination if they don’t like the president?” Franken responded.

Franken told Hall that he used to have a career where “part of what I did was identify absurdity, and I’m seeing a lot of it here.”

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Notable Replies

  1. You know, I understand I should be frustrated with Republicans about their refusal to hear Obama’s nominee. But really, I’m just still stoked that Scalia is dead. It has been a good month.

  2. I completely understand his approach to being a Senator and like to think i would have done the same, but DAMN! we could sure use the old Franken for the next eight months.

  3. Avatar for tena tena says:

    " so what they’re saying now is that just they will never vote on a
    Supreme Court nomination if they don’t like the president?" Franken
    responded. "

    Yep - I think you got it, Al.

  4. Al, you can’t cure derp & hurr.

  5. trying to stay on the right side of Karma on this myself, RBG is no spring chicken…

    I enjoy more that Obama is the one who gets to nominate a replacement. I enjoy more that the GOP gets a timely focus on their tactics against Obama. Even non-political types know a SC opening is a big deal.

    This couldn’t have come at a worse time for them, and Obama is playing this masterfully (as we’ve come to expect)

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