Top Senate Dem warns Trump on Supreme Court pick
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of N.Y. listens to a question during a news conference on President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
WASHINGTON >> The top Democrat in the Senate is warning President-elect Donald Trump about his eventual Supreme Court choice: Name a “mainstream” nominee or Democrats will oppose the individual “with everything we have.”
“My worry is, with the hard right running the show, that the likelihood of the nominee being mainstream is decreasing every day,” New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said Wednesday in an interview.
Schumer made the comments a day after saying on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” that Democrats will “absolutely” do their best to keep the Supreme Court seat open if Trump doesn’t nominate someone whom Democrats could support.
The seat has been vacant for 11 months since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last February. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blocked consideration of President Barack Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, saying the next president should make the pick. The strategy paid off, and the Republican Senate will consider whomever Trump nominates.
As minority leader, Schumer won’t have the same power as McConnell to block a nominee. But his words signal that Democrats could filibuster and force Republicans to round up 60 votes to move ahead. That will be a challenge for the GOP since they only hold 52 seats.
If Republicans can’t get enough Democratic votes, then they do have another option — change the rules and curb the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., did that for lower court nominees and other nominations in 2013.
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Schumer didn’t define what he meant by “mainstream.” But he did say on Maddow’s show that Garland, Obama’s unsuccessful pick, was “a very moderate, mainstream nominee.” Garland has been considered a liberal-leaning moderate in his years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
47 responses to “Top Senate Dem warns Trump on Supreme Court pick”
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Hilarious! Oppose it with every thing you have, you have nothing! Thanks to democrat rules changes, the republicans can put in anyone they want. Shumer is a joke.
Isn’t this ironic, now the shoe is on the other foot!
Something they never anticipated and they can Thank Crazy Uncle Harry Reid.
Tita Girl – It would help just a bit if you knew what you were talking about. Senator Reid changed nothing whatever about how SCOTUS nominees are confirmed. Maybe read a bit more?
klastri you have no idea what I’m referring to re:Crazy Uncle Harry Reid. Maybe you shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Klastri – it would help just a bit if you knew who won the election.
Still can’t handle the defeat cricket. Get over it and try harder next time. Trump knew how the Founders wanted the government to work and that’s what counts. Trump 2020
IRT NoheaWilli, it’s my understanding that Harry Reed and Senate Democrats left the U.S. Supreme Court nominees out of the Cloture Deal. But, I don’t believe that Sen. Shumer and the Democrats in the Senate Judiciary Committee or the Senate Floor can stop the Trump Nominee from being approved.
SCOTUS nominations will change the American Ideological culture for the better..phew! It’s been a long 6 years since Roberts made the worst decision (ACA) for America.
Thank God WeThePeople changed the course of our history this past Nov 8th.
#MAGA
You are correct about keeping SCOTUS nominees out of the earlier rule change. You are not correct about the Democrats being unable to stop a nomination. They can.
IRT Klastri, we disagree on the Democrats stopping President elect Donald J. Trump’s to the U.S. Supreme Court. The cost to the Democrats to place energy to stop the Nominee will be extreme for the Democrats. Yes, it is a very important nomination replacing Associate Justice Scalia, but I believe the Democrats will be passive. But, I believe the Democrats will wait for the next two or three nominees.
Klastri- our two Senators better wake up and smell the coffee. Get in line or get nothing for Hawaii. Already it looks bad because they went wrong. That goes the same for the House.
noheawilli – No, they can’t. Do you ever do the slightest research before commenting?
DO YOU?
Incredible…Sen.Schumer threatening Republicans. When asked about the rule changes initiated by Democrats, to pass measure such as the ACA without 1 Republican vote and a simple majority, the Sen. NOW says “I was agianst the rule change”. This guy is unbelievable! He can say it with a straight face!
Regarding:
“…. Democrats will “absolutely” do their best to keep the Supreme Court seat open if Trump doesn’t nominate someone whom Democrats could support.”
Are these the same Democrats who did their absolute best to get Hillary elected or become the ruling party in Congress ?
Dems “WARN”?…lol
Dems..THANK YOU O for going NUCLEAR on your own party!
Dems..Are in TOTAL DISARRAY because of O!
Dems..THANK YOU for lowering the threshold to overcome a filibuster from 60 to 51 votes! NUCLEAR OPTION! KaBoom!
January 20…#MAGA
Senator McConnell specifically warned Senator Reid not to change the rules of the Senate (the “nuclear option”) to bypass the opposition party and predicted the Democrats would regret pushing for simple majority vote (51 vs. 60) when the Republicans were in charge of the Senate. And here we are. Senator Schumer has no cards to play since the Repblicans are now playing by the rules the Democrats established in 2013 and no longer have to work with the opposition party.
This morning on TV Schumer was talking about the American workers who will be hurt by eliminating Obamacare–I don’t know who he has been talking to but I talk to a lot of people, blue collar who can’t wait for it to change. BTW, Schumer has NEVER worked in his life. Right out of college ran for public office won and has been on the public dole ever since. He doesn’t realize the Republicans WON!!!!
Your Comment is Awaiting Moderation.
The Democrats: The NEW Party of “NO”! The party of the Rich and famous,the uncompromising party.The Party Backing a Failed Presidential POLICIES across the board.
The Party of “It’s my Way Or the Highway”. These guys got what was coming to them,Big League! What goes around comes around….Indeed!
And now poor ole Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi are at it again? Spreading their Usual Noise opposing Repealing the ACA ! Slogans like “Make America SICK Again”. Are the Democrats serious,is it time, we pass a bill requiring all congressional members in Washington to take a drug test?
I mean really Folks,these are the same people that got us in this mess in the first place! Remember………
“If you Like your Doctor,You can Keep Your Doctor”. “Your Rates will Never go up” or This one (My Fav) “Affordable, Affordable, affordable ,affordable” “You have to pass the Bill to Know what’s inside the Bill”.
Yikes! OMG!
Yes! Chuck Schumer has as much credibility as Amy Schumer (I’m Moving to Spain.lol) ,when it comes saying things & demanding what choices are to be filled in the supreme courts and just as much power of repealing the ACA. He has ZERO, ZIP NADA! Lastly we all know who instigating this whole idea of opposition. And the Democrats are falling for it again. You don’t have to be smart to know who it is. Hint: It comes from the very TOP!
I say to the Democrats in Washington (ours included). Are you going to be part of the Solution or Part of the Problem? You need step-up & start representing what is good for the American people. IMUA
Dem slogans = Buzzword Bingo.
Democrati slogans are purposely simplistic so that they appeal to the typical low information democrat voter. I’m surprised the “Hey hey ho ho Donald Trump has got to go” hasn’t been dragged out yet.
And yet, the more education someone has, the more likely that person is to be a Democrat.
That doesn’t seem to align with your PHD theory of low information voters, does it?
“And yet, the more education someone has, the more likely that person is to be a Democrat.” Can you back up that statement?? Must be the result of our liberal Universities and professional students. Has anyone had an Ike sighting?
Our people on the hill are all the way to the left. Hirono and the other guy Brian can’t go any more left without falling over the cliff. LOL
You don’t seem to understand this, but it’s because they were all elected. Surprise!
Republicans tend to lose – badly – in Hawaii because the voters here tend to not relate with or associate with sociopaths. Like Mr. Trump lost here, for instance. You and his other supporters here are in a tiny minority – a small pocket of ignorance that is shrinking every day.
How foolish. Voters her are the largest group, per capita, of government union employees. There is no other state even close. The old days of getting a fair wage for an honest days work have morphed into, “we want as much as we can get, for doing as little as possible.” That’s the Hawaii Democrat way.
peanutgallery – Yes, of course. What would a day here be without you complaining about unions?
So your scholarship has uncovered a union connection with voting patterns?
Is your work published? I’m going to guess no.
Come on klastri we are talking government union employees. Do you understand that? Better put on those reading glasses.
It remains to be seen if you republicans have any success at all. Just remember under Obama, the stock market has risen from under 7000 to close to 20,000. Now what will happen under republicans. Will it be like the last republican president where over a 8 year period, there was a 30% reduction in value? Or how about unemployment? If it rises again to 10% under the Donald, will you still support the Donald?
As for representing whats good for the American people, it has been the democrats that have generally done this. Republicans lately have generally only pushed welfare for the rich or Voodoo economics which last time led to the grand recession.
Can you tell me what most impress you with republicans? Is it their voter suppression efforts? Perhaps their initial budget plan where the national debt will continue to rise so that in 10 years our national debt will be at 3 trillion?
I am not all that negative against republicans. I kinda like a republican president who doesn’t think of Russia as the evil empire. That is a real improvement.
Wow, the Senate Demoncrats opened the Pandora’s box with the simple majority rule to ram rod their lunie ideas when they had majority of the Senate floor and the ears of the WH; now that they neither have the Senate majority nor the WH, they and now are warning the party in charge to not ram rod ideas that is different from theirs….how ironic. Their short-sightedness has come to bite them in behind….Schumer should have dissuaded Reid from opening up that simple majority rule option….
What does Schummer means “mainstream” judge? If his definition of “mainstream” judge is the same as the “mainstream” media, then Schummer needs some education that the “mainstream” media got this election wrong.
“Name a “mainstream” nominee” just another play on words meaning Liberal or someone who thinks like them. If you donʻt agree with the Liberal then they will oppose the individual “with everything we have.” Along with every vile invective they can think of.
You mean like the Republicans stopped the nomination of Merrick Garland? Like that?
Appearing on the Rachel Madcow show. What does that tell you?
I get it … you changed Dr. Maddow’s name to Madcow to be funny!
You are very, very clever! Very!
Chuckie Schmuck and the cow doctor. What a pair.
The responsibility of being a Justice of The Supreme Court of the United States has in interesting way of shaping people’s characters. A good historical example is Republican Earl Warren, appointed to the Court by President Eisenhower, who felt that he had a secure conservative Justice on the Court. Warren subsequently became the eloquent champion of Civil Rights.
Although Eisenhower’s record on civil rights indicates Warren was actually an excellent choice.
I agree but when Ike was leaving office, he was asked by a reporter if he had any regrets. He replied “Yes, appointing that S.O.B. Warren to the Court.”
If you look at the policies of Warren while he was the Attorney General of California, it doesn’t seem possible that he ended up a champion of civil rights. His long standing membership in the “Native Sons of the Golden West” an anti-Asian hate group, would today make it all but impossible to be nominated (except perhaps by Donald Trump) and completely impossible to be confirmed.
Today, his written SCOTUS opinions are studied in law schools for their lack of clarity, and how fuzzy and odd his legal logic was. He did write in his memoirs that he was deeply sorry for his anti-Asian work and his enthusiastic support for internment camps. Too little, too late.
Senator Ted Cruz would be a good pick. He’s a good mainstream republican.
I think, given the contentious election and lack of a clear popular majority, the Senate should wait until the next President is elected so the will of the people can be served.
RRRIIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHTTTT !!! What comet did you just ride in on ? LOLL !
“If there’s one thing Obama should have learned from his futile strategy of governing by “phone and pen” — if there’s one thing that should be clear as Republicans prepare to obliterate much of his second term in a matter of hours — it’s that you can’t build anything lasting by executive fiat. Sooner or later, whatever you achieve with the flourish of a single pen is erased with about the same casual effort.
What history will most remember, unfortunately, is that you refused to stand down when the verdict was in. That’s no way for an otherwise graceful president to go out.”
When you look up douche in the dictionary there’s a picture of Charles Schumer.
Its like the kettle calling the pot black.