GOP Gearing Up To Deny Up-Or-Down Vote On Obama SCOTUS Nominee

It is not yet even known who President Obama might nominate for the Supreme Court, and yet the right is gearing up for a fight.  Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander has already issued a press release threatening the possibility of a filibuster.

“Justice Stevens has had a long and impressive career. I hope President Obama will nominate his successor from the middle and not from the fringe. His nominee will be fairly and respectfully considered. The question is not whether the president’s nominee is politically ‘on my side,’ but whether he or she is well-qualified and has a record of being impartial. In truly extraordinary cases, I reserve the prerogative to vote no on confirmation or even to vote to deny an up-or-down vote.”

Alexander warned in 2005 that if Democrats filibustered Republican nominees it would be “a train wreck.” (via Greg Sargent) Alexander also railed against the idea of denying an up-or-down-vote.

“I am beginning to think it is a train and that there is not much way to avoid a train wreck. The train wreck I am talking about is a threat by the minority to ‘shut the Senate down in every way’ if the majority adopts rules that will do what the Senate has done for 200 years, which is to vote up or down the President’s appellate judicial nominees.” [Senate Floor Speech, 4/12/05 ]

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.