Don Roach: Obama Deserves a Vote on His Supreme Court Nominee
Thursday, February 25, 2016
When Jesus walked the earth about 2,000 years ago He had a lot of things to say. He talked about not judging people, loving God above all else, and He even turned water into wine. One thing many pastors and preachers often neglect to tell their congregations – and I’m speaking as someone who has attended hundreds of church services over the years – is that Jesus was incredibly tough on the “religious leaders” of the day. The people in charge of telling others about God were the ones He often reserved His most biting and cutting remarks. Whether He talked about not casting the first stone at a woman accused of adultery or overturning tables in the synagogue because people were selling items in God’s house, Jesus chided the religious.
Ok, so what does this have to do with anything other than the introduction to a sermon? One word: Republicans. I consider myself a Republican and I’m not ashamed of the views I hold. I believe in low taxes, think everyone has a right to own a gun, am pro-life, believe that marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman. My Republican and conservative credentials run deep.
That’s why I can’t sit idly by and watch the Republican candidates trip all over themselves regarding Obama appointing a Supreme Court justice before he leaves office. For reference, conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died over a week ago Saturday setting off a firestorm of debate surrounding his successor. Republican presidential candidates united in their calls for Obama to allow the next President to appoint Scalia’s successor.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTDo you know when our next President will be inaugurated? Friday, January 20th 2017. Do you know how many days will pass between now and then? Three-hundred thirty-one. Fun fact: it has never taken more than 125 days to vote on a nominee. That’s about a third of the time Obama has left in his administration.
And we have Republican nominees calling for Obama to not go through the process of appointing a Supreme Court nominee, which is part of the job of being president, and instead wait for the next President (who could be a Democrat, btw) to appoint the justice.
I get why Republicans are scared, Scalia was a conservative stalwart and saying that Obama won’t appoint a conservative is a large understatement. It’s more likely that Obama will select someone of his political leaning but who can get through the Republican Senate. And you know what? He has every right to do just that as President of the United States. Even if the Republicans could resurrect the ghost of Scalia, put him in drag, and call him a left-leaning female liberal there’s no chance I see that Obama will put forth a “conservative” candidate.
Does that make me happy? Heck, no. But does the President have the right to expect that the Senate will vote on his candidate of choice? Yes. And I think Republicans are being petty, political, and insincere in their calls for Obama to wait for the next President to make the appointment. It’s not selling in the synagogue or throwing stones at an adulterer but, for me, it’s another example of where Republicans focus on the wrong thing and look like….idiots.
Don Roach is a Republican. Please check out Don’s Facebook Page.
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