Obama asked one question in meeting with McConnell and Grassley @ Scalia replacement

[Arazi]

"Who do you have in mind?"

And left them speechless.

President Obama had a sit-down with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Committee Charles Grassley in the Oval Office on Tuesday, and as you might be able to guess, that meeting went absolutely nowhere. From all accounts of those familiar with the meeting, it was practically a staring contest between an old married couple who had fallen out of love with each other (but, in this case, there never was any). Sorry for the bad visual, if we gave you one.

Even though nothing ended up being accomplished by having the face to face chat in Obama’s office, the president tried his best to get Republicans to “do their job” of helping him pick Justice Scalia’s replacement when he asked the GOP’s top brass if they had any recommendations. By asking them this one simple question: “Who do you have in mind?” the Republicans went speechless. They didn’t have any. They couldn’t produce one single name. And – it’s sad.

http://news.groopspeak.com/obama-asks-republicans-one-simple-question-during-oval-meeting-leaves-them-speechless/

[MADem]

1. He makes them look so awful, simply by coming at them with an open hand!

Artful!!! Genius!!!

[Arazi]

3. It's pretty genius. Still out maneuvering them!

[Agnosticsherbet]

2. They will refuse to approve because he is Obama...

Assholes.

[Arazi]

6. Yup. It's not that they "couldn't" come up with a name. They wouldn't

on purpose.

Still this approach is genius. Just ask them to name someone, anyone, and they still refuse? They could have nominated any Scalia clone in the US and they passed

[MyOwnPeace]

4. But..........

(and this is what has frustrated SO many of PBO's supporters) - where will he take this from there?
I'd hope he'd use the "bully pulpit" and show them for the hypocritical, conniving, obstructing, political racists they are and let the world (well, at least the USA!) know the truth about how these Rethugs are behaving - and why they are working counter to what the constitution (you know, THEIR BIBLE when it applies to them!) calls for.
GAWD, they make me sick!

[Hekate]

13. PBO does what he does well: play the long game. Right now the GOP is hoist on their own petard....

...and many of us Obama-watchers find that a delicious spectacle. What should he spell it out when it's so damn obvious to Americans? Why should he play the Angry Black Man when being as cool as ice drives the opposition nuts?

The GOP in the Senate has backed itself into a corner. There are any number of people to nominate who would be perfectly acceptable on a bipartisan basis IF the GOP was not batshit crazy. All Obama has to do is keep suggesting these people -- not even nominating, just suggesting -- and the situation gets worse and worse for the Senate GOP.

He knows, we all know, that it is ALL in the hands of the Senate. Come hell or high water, the president may not be able to get a single solitary candidate even considered, and it won't be his doing. He's making that abundantly clear.

He looks good. They look like shit.

[Docreed2003]

31. I've been waiting seven years to see the President use that "bully pulpit"

If there were ever a time, now is the time. It's not the time to compromise and nominate a republican leaning judge. I can only urge the President to use the power the American people have given him to nominate someone who will not be beholden to the same interests as Scalia

[spanone]

5. bet they haven't given it a thought beyond resist all things Obama.

they are why the stupid right wing nuts are angry...their own folks.

[Arazi]

8. Yup, they could have nominated a Scalia clone

and the ball would have been in Obama's court.

By refusing to name anyone?

Yeah, suckers you got played!

[Hekate]

14. They surely did get played.

[SCantiGOP]

7. How about Sara Palin?

They tried to put her one heartbeat from the Presidency, why wouldn't they promote her for the SCOTUS?

[Arazi]

9. Lol, yup, sure why not? Any name would have done

in fact the more outrageous the better imo

The ball then would have been firmly in Obama's court with pressure to at least respond.

They totally blew this and Obama is a genius

[SCantiGOP]

10. Actually...

Can you imagine how much fun it would be to read Sara's opinions?

[Arazi]

11. A cottage industry would form of specialists who can interpret word salad

and meaningless jargon

[Chan790]

12. You forgot the folksy-sounding mixed metaphors...

said with a cheesy county-fair corn-princess wink and ending in "ya' know."

I've suspected she probably writes like she talks...complete with "um" and "uh" insertions.

Also, she seems like the kind of person that would insert inappropriately-placed hand-drawn emoticons into hand-written notes.

"Hi, Willow.

I'm sorry to tell you Mr. Mittens has died. He was hit by a snow-plow, um, and, ya know, things happen."

[Arazi]

15. LOL!!!! Wine splash on keyboard damn you

[mercuryblues]

18. LOL

I would love to translate sparklemoose Barbie's opinions. My brothers forward my sister's texts to me to translate for them all the time. I also have a friend who is French Canadian, I am her "official" translator.

The only problem I see with that is, rulings would be delayed until I stopped laughing. I am still laughing over my sister saying her son has an awesome soup, should he wear it when we go to the military bowling or should he get Tucks?

My son has an awesome suit, should he wear it when we go to the Military Ball, or should he get a tux?

[awoke_in_2003]

16. There is a little, tiny part of me...

that wonders if Obama is backing TPP so that congress won't pass it.

[bearssoapbox]

24. I have had the same thought.

He has done the end-around-run on them many times.

I've been hoping that he's doing it again.

[awoke_in_2003]

29. He is like Mohammed Ali vs George Foreman

He sets them up, and let's them punch themselves out. Rope a dope.

[bearssoapbox]

30. I agree

They don't know how to out think him and that's another reason for them to hate him.

[tkmorris]

17. Not seeing any source for this information

I'm not sure why anyone is taking it at face value.

[spooky3]

19. This was in the article linked in the OP:

http://www.snappytv.com/tc/1471832/649114

Harry Reid said they gave no names.

[kairos12]

20. They wouldn't even support en embalmed, but reanimated Scalia.

[Lucky Luciano]

21. See that's where I think you are wrong.

They might start negotiations if you make that kind of suggestion. They can be reasonable.

[NBachers]

22. They folded before he even dealt any cards. That leaves him holding all of 'em.

[book_worm]

23. Grassley might end up losing his Senate seat due to his stand

[Arazi]

25. Oh I'd love for him to go from hero to zero over this

[Pauldg47]

26. They all will over time.

[tularetom]

27. That's very amusing but what's he going to do about it?

Big whoop, he made them all look like fools. But he's no closer to getting his nominee past them than he was the day Scalia croaked. He has the advantage but he won't follow up on it.

And guess what? Their base doesn't care. You can cite poll after poll that says this will weaken their position but they know better. Obama won't press the issue, he won't take it to the public and in the end, he'll give up.

It's the perfect metaphor for his entire term.

[Arazi]

28. It's a chess match imo

Obama has only started the opening moves and McConnell and Grassley FAILED on the opening bid.

Shit, he.handed them a loaded deck and said "play ME", and they utterly failed.

This is a long strategic game. Obama's a master at this.

I'm just loving the optics right now

[tularetom]

34. It's not their job to name an acceptable candidate, it's his job

And you can say what you will, I don't think he's gaining any kind of strategic advantage from this silly dance.

He's not going to trick them into revealing the limits of acceptability, if he wants to know who they'll accept, let him propose someone formally. If they then refuse to act, he's got something to take to the people. As far as the American people are concerned, we are a lot better off than we were before the death of Scalia. We have one less vote for repression, tyranny and the power of money in politics. Any 4-4 decisions made by the court will stand however they were decided at the appeal court level. Which will result in at least some of them being different from what they would have been had Scalia lived.

Sorry, I stopped believing in umpteen dimensional chess a long time ago.

[Arazi]

35. Nope, part of the Senate's job is "advice" in the selection of a nominee

Article Two of the United States Constitution requires the President of the United States to nominate Supreme Court Justices and, with Senate confirmation, requires Justices to be appointed. This was for the division of power between the President and Senate by the founders, who wrote:

he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint ... Judges of the supreme Court...

So yeah, Obama demonstrates again how the Republican senators are failing on every level with this.

I actually agree he's not gaining any strategic value out of this but its good for his legacy and I'm ok with him achieving even that much. The unprecedented obstruction he's faced is a history lesson in itself and how Obama manuevered around it will be studied by every budding politician and political scientist forever

[malaise]

33. Ask the Bundy gang

That is all

[Enrique]

32. trick question!

just like Obama!