High court hypocrisy

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Since Justice Scalia died there has been a lot of talk about the Republican Senate obstructing President Obama’s desire to nominate the next Supreme Court Justice. Recent editorials and cartoons by Left-leaning pundits have commented, railing against the GOP. That’s odd, because they did not do the same when Chief Justice Rehnquist died and Justice O’Connor retired and a Republican was in the White House. These same critics cheered obstructing the will of President Bush.

PBS News Hour, a prime example of distorted reporting, commented on Justice Kennedy being confirmed in an election year, 1988. But they neglected to mention that two previous nominees were shot down previously and that Kennedy was nominated in 1987, then confirmed in February 1988, the third choice to replace retiring Justice Powell.

The liberal media is also not saying much about the fact that when President Obama was in the Senate he was joined by then Senator Hillary Clinton and 24 other Democrats in filibustering Justice Anthony Alito when he was nominated. They both also voted against Chief Justice Roberts. Was that obstruction? In 2007, with 18 months left in the Bush term, Senator Schumer (D-NY) told Democrats to block any new Bush nominee to the courts.

Obama on Alito 2006: “There are some who believe that the president, having won the election, should have complete authority to appoint his nominee and the Senate should only examine whether or not the justice is intellectually capable, and an all-around good guy. That once you get beyond intellect, and personal character, there should be no further question as to whether the judge should be confirmed. I disagree with this view.”

So with Obama it was all about ideology, politics, so how is that different now? Where were the shrill critics on the Left then?

Democrat hypocrisy is nothing new. In 1960 Senate Democrats passed a resolution fighting President Eisenhower over an election year appointment to the Supreme Court. Odd how the Democrats now sing a different tune and the bulk of the media is not telling you about this or pointing out the hypocrisy of it all.

Tim Inwood

Chairman, Clinton County Republican Party

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