Justice Scalia Found Dead

Discussion in 'West Mall' started by Mr. Deez, Feb 13, 2016.

  1. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    Huge. Be prepared for a big ideological shift to the Left if Obama gets to appoint his successor. If you're a conservative or even a moderate, you won't like the result.

    This is why winning elections matters.
     
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  2. UTChE96

    UTChE96 2,500+ Posts

    Really sad and unexpected. What is the protocol for appointment of SC justices in the last year of a lame duck POTUS? Wonder if the Republicans can delay the confirmation until next year.
     
  3. Joe Fan

    Joe Fan 10,000+ Posts

    This is so depressing.
    The Rs in the Senate better not let the O get this appointment, And I dont care what they have to do to prevent it. If they dont, the US (as we knew it) will have died along side Justice Scalia, may he rest in peace.
    Meanwhile, I will be re-reading The Pelican Brief ....
     
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  4. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    There's nothing set in stone. They can delay as long as they can politically justify it. However, 11 months would be a long time, and Obama will nominate somebody pretty fast.

    Of course, of Trump wins before a successor is confirmed, get ready to see Judge Judy appointed.
     
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  5. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    Joe, I'm generally a deal maker and believe in compromise. Not on this. They need to go to war. If they allow a liberal majority to take hold on the Court, the results will be horrifying and catastrophic to the constitutional order.
     
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  6. texas_ex2000

    texas_ex2000 2,500+ Posts

    Liberal friends on facebook celebrating like it's the 2006 Rose Bowl.

    I'm so proud of how this country has come together.
     
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  7. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    They have reason to celebrate. They know what the Supreme Court can do when it has a liberal majority. 90 percent of liberal victories came through the Court. It's their big opportunity to push every ****** up, perverse agenda that they can't impose through legitimate democratic means.
     
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  8. texas_ex2000

    texas_ex2000 2,500+ Posts

    Deez,

    If the roles were reversed, I would be relieved and happy for our law, but since I also had a mother and father who raised me right, I would not be posting on FB, Twitter mocking, besmirching, the death of a respected jurist.

    Ginsburg, for example. I have the utmost respect for her and what she has accomplished and what she stands for. I would be shocked and sincerely offering condolences, prayers, and support.

    I guess I'm just out of touch.
     
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    Last edited: Feb 13, 2016
  9. nashhorn

    nashhorn 5,000+ Posts

    Sucks. By all standards, just plain sucks. RIP Scalia. You will be missed.
     
  10. Musburger1

    Musburger1 2,500+ Posts

    I wouldn't be surprised if Obama were to initially threaten to nominate someone like Eric Holder to fill the position. One possibility is that there would be negotiations behind the scenes to put forth someone "less undesirable" in exchange for something else; perhaps part of the next budget discussions or who knows what?

    Having said that, I realize Scalia is considered to be a great champion for conservatives, but as one of those voting in the majority 5-4 Citizens United case, he was part of the decision which harmed this country as much as any Supreme Court decision in the history of the country.
     
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  11. Htown77

    Htown77 5,000+ Posts

    Therefore nasty remarks are justified? What's your point?
     
  12. zork

    zork 2,500+ Posts

    Maybe Holder will be named in a "fast and furious" manner by Obama?
     
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  13. Musburger1

    Musburger1 2,500+ Posts

    It is a fact that is how he voted and it's my opinion the decision harmed the country. If you think that stating a fact an offering an opinion is a nasty remark, I can only conclude you are an idiot.
     
  14. Htown77

    Htown77 5,000+ Posts

    It is a fact. You did not answer my question "What is your point?" and instead followed up with a nasty remark which at no point answered why you, Mr. Trump, were stating this fact.

    Please in fill in the blank: Scalia voted for one of the worst decisions in history, therefore {insert your opinion here}.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2016
  15. Monahorns

    Monahorns 5,000+ Posts

    Citizens United at its heart was about a group of citizens making a movie about Hillary Clinton exposing what they thought were reasons not to vote for her. Why is that bad?
     
  16. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    Mus,

    The problem with this is that even if Obama doesn't nominate someone like Holder, you'll still get someone who will fundamentally alter the balance of the Court to the extreme. Even a compromise pick is going to be someone like Stephen Breyer - someone who is more business friendly and a little less criminal defendant-friendly. However, it'll still be a hard-line social liberal who will strike down the death penalty in all cases, create an absolute right to an abortion regardless of the circumstances and viability, and fully impose the LGBT agenda (even the most radical elements of it) through judicial activism. That's unacceptable, and no amount of compromising can be made in the budget to make that acceptable. Obama could agree to eliminate the federal income tax and privatize Social Security, and it would still be unacceptable.

    Of course this greatly boosts the stakes on the next election. The Senate can keep the seat vacant for 11 months, but if Hillary wins, they'll have to confirm somebody. And of course, if Hillary wins and Democrats retake the Senate, you'll get an Eric Holder or perhaps even Barack Obama. And a Justice Obama will be far more liberal then a President Obama.
     
  17. zork

    zork 2,500+ Posts

  18. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    Tex2000,

    I agree with you, but you need to understand how big of a deal this really is. The culture wars are waged almost entirely through the Court. If you're a hardcore social liberal, this is your dream come true. It's like finding the winning lotto ticket without paying for it.

    The Right has never imposed its social agenda through the judiciary, so it's hard to appreciate how big of a deal this is for them.
     
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  19. Musburger1

    Musburger1 2,500+ Posts

    I think you are correct that whomever Obama chooses as the nominee, it will be rejected and the process will continue to be delayed until after the elections.

    But I think the Supreme Court nominee battle has the potential to spread into other areas. Democrats will portray Republicans as obstructionists. Budget battles will come up well before the next elections and the Democrats will likely see this as an opportunity to win politically. I look for them to make budgetary proposals that will be rejected by the Republicans and then to demonize Republicans as obstructionists on all fronts. New catch phrases, "Paralyzing the country," etc. should reach an all-time high. With Boehner gone, Paul Ryan would have to either agree to a shutdown, putting the Republicans in a precarious pre-election position, or cave in like Boehner, and further damage continuity within the Republican party.

    In short, the timing of Scalia's death and subsequent appointment probably will not be "contained" but will used as a tool to spread political discord to seemingly non-related functions of government. It's going to be a circus.
     
  20. mb227

    mb227 de Plorable

    I have been amazed by some in my twitter feed that felt it was perfectly acceptable to basically dance on his grave...but then again, it proves that everyone has a right to be an a-hole.

    As to whether a nomination could be blocked, I am disturbed by the fact the question was being raised even before names were bandied about. Granted, I have little faith that BO is willing to nominate someone that actually has a clue about the Constitution given how little respect he seems to give it, but discussion about stalling a nomination until after January is simply not proper at this juncture.

    Oh, and lest anyone accuse me of being hard-right or anything, I am actually a very much in the middle sort of voter. I was not a fan of many of Scalia's Opinions because of their potential or actual impact on me personally, but he was consistent in his interpretation of the law and was not afraid to take the unpopular road even if it meant his words would be taken out of context.
     
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  21. Musburger1

    Musburger1 2,500+ Posts

    I'll entertain your childish tantrum.

    Scalia voted for one of the worst decisions in history, therefore HIS LEGACY reveals that he did more damage than good for the country while serving as a justice solely because of the importance of this one case. Despite his qualifications and knowledge, and probably even meaning well, he failed the country.

    That is my opinion. If that strikes you as "nasty," I could care less.
     
  22. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    That was the factual scenario involved, but it wasn't the issue that the case decided. The issue was whether the First Amendment protected the right of corporations and labor unions to spend money to elect or defeat specific candidates. Essentially they gave corporations and unions free speech rights with their money.

    Personally, I'm not a big fan of Citizens United. I don't think it's as apocalyptic as the Left claims it to be. After all, businesses and unions had found clever means to spend money before. However, I don't agree with the decision.

    One thing to note, Kennedy wrote the opinion, not Scalia.
     
  23. theiioftx

    theiioftx Sponsor Deputy

    This appointment will play a big role in the November election. If Obama appoints the type of liberal most people expect, it will likely result in huge election turnout for the Republicans.

    As Deez said earlier, elections matter.
     
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  24. Horn6721

    Horn6721 10,000+ Posts

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  25. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    They can't let that happens under any circumstance. The GOP has gone to war over the debt ceiling and Obamacare, but this can shake the foundations of the republic in a very profound way. That stuff is piddly **** by comparison.
     
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  26. texas_ex2000

    texas_ex2000 2,500+ Posts

    Obama's first defense on circumventing Congress with Executive Actions is always that the Constitution gives him the legal authority.

    Well...last time I checked, the Constitution let's the Senate take as much time as they want vetting Supreme Court nominees.
     
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  27. Clean

    Clean 5,000+ Posts

    I heard some talk about a recess appointment.

    Apparently there is a window of opportunity for him to do that, if he wishes to stoop that low.
     
  28. Htown77

    Htown77 5,000+ Posts

    Ask someone to expand further on their thoughts on an opinion forum after the express an opinion, and sometimes they get very defensive. Your response to his death is that he was a failure because he did more harm to this country than good because of one decision. That's all I wanted to clarify.

    I agree. I would like to see the case overturned if only to prevent americans and corportations from wasting their own money. That said, I am not sure how much it has actually changed the outcome of any elections. Jeb!, with all his money, is probably not going to end up winning. I know someone in Dallas poured hundreds of thousands into a texas rep campaign in a rural district. The rep who received that money had way more than anyone else and still came in a distant third. If anything, I think the decision has helped decrease wealth inequality in this country as it has led to many rich people very unnecessarily alienating themselves from great amounts of their wealth with very minimal return, if any. Only one dem or one rep can win the general election so a lot of people are going to give money to nothing no matter what. So if anything, Scalia and company should be heroes to those that want to spread the wealth. :smile1:
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2016
  29. zork

    zork 2,500+ Posts

    take it away from unions too, then. reduce this idiotic re-election cycle to 3 months as well.

    the interesting thing I have read, wrt 2016 election, over the ton of reading since I found out about the death of Scalia is how the President might be able to foment, or try to foment, African American turnout by having an extremist Black candidate for SCOTUS raked over the coals.(never letting a good crisis go to waste) thereby allowing Hillary's most transparent classified document sharing adminstration to probably elect 2 or 3 SCOTUS in her first term. (Scalia's and RBG's at minimum)
     
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  30. nashhorn

    nashhorn 5,000+ Posts

    BO will NOT let this opportunity go to waste. Think in terms of maximum impact.
     

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