President Barack Obama on Saturday night spoke warmly of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and promised that he would move to nominate a replacement in due time.
“I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time,” Obama said. “There will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. These are responsibilities that I take seriously, as should everyone. They’re bigger than any one party. They are about our democracy.”
Obama went on to say that those responsibilities were also “about the institution to which justice Scalia dedicated his professional life and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned.”
Obama spoke just hours after Scalia was found dead and Republican leaders in the Senate began to call on colleagues to not confirm Scalia’s successor until a new President was elected.
Obama called Scalia “a larger than life presence on the bench” who devoted his life to public service.
Good luck. McConnell has already said he won’t. but, could be a good tool to embarrass them.
I hope the fact that Mitch McConnell’s first comments were political turns out to hurt the Republicans. They might have been smarter to let there be a funeral and a subsequent nominee - and then refuse to support anyone (which is what we would have expected). Instead, Mitch gave the President the opportunity to cite the Constitution and his duties in a no-nonsense manner - thumbs up, President Obama.
He’s a CLASS ACT ! ! —
Can’t wait to hear what the clown auction has to say about… er, sorry. Republican debate. I can’t wait to hear what the republican debaters have to say about this.
You know that each and every one of them is freaking out with their handlers over what to say tonight.
Republicans want a “strict constitutionalist” to replace Scalia while denying Obama his constitutional right to nominate a justice.