Calling it like it is: Republicans Continue to Disrespect President Obama with Obstruction of Supreme Court Nomination

Within an hour of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s confirmed passing, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made an unprecedented announcement: That the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, had no authority to name a replacement to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Now that President Obama has done his constitutional duty by nominating Chief Judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy, most Republicans are continuing their disrespect to President Obama by refusing to grant a hearing, hold a vote, or even meet with his highly regarded and impressively qualified nominee.

This twists every understanding of the constitutional duties of the President. But, sadly, it is what so many of us have come to expect of congressional Republicans after almost eight years of attempts to undermine, obstruct, and delegitimize the authority of our nation’s first Black president.

Since the day President Obama took office, Republicans have channeled animus into an unprecedented campaign to undermine and disrespect the presidency, including:

• Spreading lies that President Obama is a citizen of Kenya, not the United States, until well into his presidency. People who have spread “birtherism” include Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, and even sitting members of Congress. • In his first year of office, South Carolina Congressman Joe “You Lie!” Wilson made an unprecedented and deeply disrespectful outburst when the President was addressing a joint session of Congress during the State of the Union address. • The Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, declaring that making President Obama a one- term president was his “number one priority.” • Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani declaring that President Obama doesn’t love America.

Republicans in Congress have attempted to nullify, obstruct, and delegitimize President Obama’s actions at every turn, for example:

• Instead of working with President Obama, Republicans even shut down the entire government in 2013. • Former House Speaker John Boehner even sued the President to stop him from doing his job. • The Republican Senate has denied hearings and votes to countless Obama judicial nominees, resulting in an almost 10 percent vacancy rate on federal courts. • This same Senate broke records in its contempt for Loretta Lynch by making the nation wait 166 days to finally confirm her to be the first Black woman to be Attorney General of the United States. • And how could we forget how Congress treated Attorney General Eric Holder, holding in contempt of Congress. And, for what? Nobody even seems to remember.

For questions: contact Jordyn Bussey at [email protected]

Our community knows better than any how important the Supreme Court is. This the court that determines whether or not we can vote, where we’re allowed to live, and if we get health care.

• At its worst, the Supreme Court has ruled that freed slaves can’t be citizens, that our votes don’t count, and that corporations get more free speech than regular people like you and me. • At its best, the Supreme Court that struck down legal segregation in our nation’s schools, have upheld marriages regardless of race or color, and protected our rights to freedom and privacy.

President Obama’s term does not end until January of 2017, so why are these Republicans trying to cut it short? President Obama is not three-fifths of a President and there is work to be done.

We will not be turned back. This is among the last chances for President Obama to make a lasting impact on the nation, and on the Supreme Court, and this Congress has now signaled that they will fight to belittle this president until the bitter end.

It’s now or never. We have to ensure that senators do their job and give an up or down vote to the nominee. We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors and say to them, we have come too far to see this President’s legacy tarnished by petty politics.

Senators can choose to stop this. Now that the president has done his job, it’s time for Senate Republicans to do theirs. They must drop their unprecedented and destructive blockade on the President, and on his nominee for the United States Supreme Court. To do otherwise would create a constitutional crisis and handcuff all three branches of government. And to do otherwise would continue to disrespect the President of the United States. We cannot stand by and let that happen.

Important Anniversaries of Note

• April 23 – Loretta Lynch Confirmation • April 27 – Loretta Lynch Swearing In • May 17 – Brown v. Board of Education Decision • May 18 – Plessy v. Ferguson Decision • June 12 – Loving v. Virginia • June 19 – Juneteenth • June 25 –Shelby County v. Holder Decision • July 9 – Passage of the 14th Amendment, which repealed the Three-Fifths Compromise • July 12 – Enactment of the Three-Fifths Compromise • September 9 – Rep. Joe Wilson has his “You Lie!” Outburst • September 11 –Newt Gingrich cites President Obama’s “Kenyan, anti-colonial” worldview

For questions: contact Jordyn Bussey at [email protected]