News of Justice Antonin Scalia’s death is just beginning to reverberate across the political world this evening, as the 79-year-old’s passing at a West Texas resort on Saturday was confirmed a short time ago by the New York Times.
Doing away with any attempt to appear even remotely respectful and seizing upon the obvious political earthquake that is the passing of the Supreme Court’s most conservative justice in the final year of President Obama’s presidency, Ted Cruz got nakedly political in his reaction to Scalia’s death, tweeting that Americans “owe it” to Scalia and ourselves to block Obama from nominating a successor:
Justice Scalia was an American hero. We owe it to him, & the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President names his replacement.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/698653220017741824/photo/1
Even Donald Trump showed more tact when reacting to Scalia’s death:
The totally unexpected loss of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a massive setback for the Conservative movement and our COUNTRY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2016
But Marco Rubio repeated Cruz’s crock that the people deserve a voice in naming Scalia’s replacement via the 2016 election while dismissing the results of the 2012 election:
Jeanette & I mourn the loss of Justice Scalia, and our thoughts & prayers are with his wife Maureen & his family. pic.twitter.com/e03KRZRM6q
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 13, 2016
Ditto for Ben Carson:
Justice Scalia was a defender of the constitution, an important conservative voice in the court. He will be missed. https://t.co/cOB3juvx7A
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) February 13, 2016
.@GovAbbott statement on death of Antonin Scalia pic.twitter.com/Y8NeuMWubm
— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) February 13, 2016
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who once argued in favor of a president’s prerogative to nominate justices who share his ideology but has since vigorously opposed Obama’s federal judicial nominees — refusing to hold confirmation hearings for a historic amount of nominees, released a statement emphasizing his political take on Scalia’s death and demanding that “this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President”:
My statement on the passing of Judge Scalia. pic.twitter.com/4JSmbKWzDy
— U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (@SenMcConnell) February 13, 2016
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid shot back, tweeting that McConnell’s demand is a “shameful abdication of [the Senate’s] consitutional responsibility”:
Would be unprecedented in recent history for SCOTUS to go year with vacancy. And shameful abdication of our constitutional responsibility.
— Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) February 13, 2016
Conservative commentators echoed Cruz’s instinct to react to Scalia’s death with demands to nullify Obama’s last year in office:
I don't care what it costs, what the side effects are, what it takes, Republicans cannot approve an Obama Supreme Court appointment.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) February 13, 2016
Yes. He can and should send. Then the Senate can and should ignore it. https://t.co/Zi3PYQgXLx
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) February 13, 2016
On the other side of the aisle, Bernie Sanders kept with popular decorum and released a statement of mourning devoid of political jockeying:
My thoughts and prayers are with Justice Scalia's family and his colleagues on the court who mourn his passing. pic.twitter.com/Y51xUMMEId
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 13, 2016
And Fournier, Fourniers:
If GOP held WH, McConnell would be demanding Senate vote this year.
If GOP held WH, Dems would be saying, "Let's wait until after election"
— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) February 13, 2016
[H/T: Media Matters]
