"But one way to motivate the Democratic base is to point out that Republicans are disrespecting the president ... by refusing to even consider his pick. ... 'He’s the 44th president, not three-fifths of a president.'"

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COMMENTS:
*  The way I was raised, you respected the President of the United States (as a matter of fact - all elected officials), your parents, any woman, cops, and old people. What happened to the America I went to Vietnam for?
   *  I think part of it has to do with the Internet itself. In anonymity we stereotype strangers and dismiss their POVs with insults and catchy putdowns, vying for upvotes.
*  What has Garland done for him to be categorized as "anti-2nd amendment"? He wanted the DC case heard by the entire court (as did the most conservative member of that court) and he wanted the FBI to have a little wiggle room with data. That constitutes a "gun grabber"? There isn't a word penned by Garland that shows his position on gun rights.
*  quite frankly, who the heck created this ridiculous lameduck period? a president is elected for a 4 year term, and has jurisdiction over those 4 years. Mitch is contradicting himself when he is saying to listen to the people's voice: the people voted in Obama soundly, so that is all you need to know.  they are running a tight rope if they refuse to elect perhaps the closest quasi centrist justice from a left leaning POTUS they'll get. If HRC or Sanders get in, you can bet that you will see another sotomayor on the high court.  From a human perspective, at least give the guy a hearing and not scapegoat someone who isn't even privy to it all. Garland seems like a decent and humble man, who deserves to at least have the opportunity.
*  I am so TIRED of the Republicans and their unethical antics. They are clearly weakening our Constitution on which this Country was built. How are they getting away Scott free by exercising this behavior? Not only are they disrespecting our President by their unlawful actions but are the political laughingstock to others in the World..It is obvious what their intentions are. I just want someone to describe to me how they can get away with it!
*  There is plenty of time to hold a hearing. The senators are not doing much else anyway. Why not give the nominee a hearing and reject him if he is not to their liking? There is no guaranty you will get a more conservative judge if Hillary becomes the President, especially if Democrats also take the Senate.
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Garland nomination fight centers around disrespect for Obama, not the judge
By Liz Goodwin, March 25, 2016

How do you get the Democratic base fired up about nominating a moderate white man in his 60s to the Supreme Court?

The progressive groups leading the charge in support of Merrick Garland’s nomination think they’ve found the answer. In social media blasts and in-person calls to action around the country, they are casting Republicans’ near-unanimous refusal to consider President Obama’s nominee as part of a history of disrespect and disdain shown to the president — a disrespect that is racially motivated.

“I talk to black audiences, and I say, look, this is part of a larger pattern of disrespect,” said Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which is part of the push to get Garland a hearing. “It goes back to when Speaker [Mitch] McConnell says we’re going to make him a one-term president. You have someone like Rep. Joe Wilson [R-S.C.] saying, ‘You lie.’ You have [former Arizona Gov.] Jan Brewer shaking her finger in his face. These are signs of disrespect that would have never been justified with another president. Race is a factor.”

After Antonin Scalia died last month, civil rights groups and members of the Congressional Black Caucus urged the president to nominate a black woman to the court — a historic pick that would have rallied women of color to the cause. When the president took another, less barrier-breaking route, it was unclear whether the left would be as enthusiastic about fighting the inevitable Republican opposition to his choice.

The Democrats vying to replace Obama have seemed lukewarm about his pick. Sen. Bernie Sanders has said he would rather choose his own justice if elected, noting that there are “more progressive judges out there.” Hillary Clinton, whose campaign has been buoyed by support from women of color, dodged a question on Monday about whether she’d keep Garland as her nominee if she were elected and his nomination was still pending. (Asked if he was a good choice, she said he has a “tremendous reputation.”)

But one way to motivate the Democratic base is to point out that Republicans are disrespecting the president — who remains incredibly popular with Democrats — by refusing to even consider his pick. The progressive groups have coalesced around the message “Do your job,” and they emphasize that if Republicans refuse to bring up the nomination, it will be the first time a Supreme Court nominee has ever not been given a vote.

Henderson tells audiences: “He’s the 44th president, not three-fifths of a president.”

“Our members care about Obama as a president and his presidency a great deal,” said Jo Comerford, a campaign director for the progressive grassroots organization MoveOn. “We’ve used the ‘disrespect’ language in our communications to our members because of their loyalty.” Comerford said the GOP opposition to the president is seen by many MoveOn members as an attempt “to undermine his authority and his presidency.”

“It is flagrantly disrespectful, and it is new in the sense that we’ve never seen this kind of rank knee-jerk obstruction to a nominee,” said Stephen Spaulding, legal director of the nonpartisan Common Cause, a nonprofit that promotes accountable government and is also part of the coalition.

MoveOn and the other groups fighting for Garland’s hearing flew airplanes trailing “Do Your Job” banners over several senators’ hometowns as they returned for a two-week recess earlier this week. They plan on meeting senators with demonstrations when they return to the Capitol, as well.

It’s unclear if all the pressure will work. So far, Repubican Sens. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Susan Collins of Maine and Jerry Moran of Kansas have broken with party leadership and said they believe Garland should be granted a hearing. Several other Republican senators, including Pat Toomey of Pennsylania and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, have said they would meet with Garland as a courtesy but that they don’t believe the Senate should even consider him.

The right is, if anything, more fired up than the left. The National Rifle Association, in particular, is lobbying hard against giving Garland a vote. And as the Washington Post pointed out Thursday, only two people showed up to one of the planned protests against Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in Wisconsin. Inside the event, Johnson offered a personal “guarantee” to his supporters that he would not allow Garland to be elected, eliciting the loudest cheers of the night.

“A lot of people say, ‘Do your job.’ You know what? I’m doing my job!” Johnson said. “We need somebody that can replace Scalia.”
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