Senator Pat Toomey is meeting with President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, yet he’s insistent his opinion hasn’t changed.
“President Obama’s team has asked if I would meet with Judge Merrick Garland, and I have agreed to do so out of courtesy and respect for both the president and the judge,” Sen. Toomey wrote. “The vacancy left by Justice Scalia’s passing will not be filled until after the American people weigh in and select a new president, and I believe that is the best approach for deciding whether to alter the balance of the Supreme Court. I plan on making that clear to Judge Garland when I meet with him.”
Toomey has stated several times that he won’t vote to confirm Judge Garland so it’s unlikely that he’ll reverse himself, at least so quickly. Nonetheless, the White House has targeted the Senator since the beginning and it appears that strategy has had a tiny bit of success.
Sen. Toomey may also have been influenced by his colleague Bob Casey, who met with Garland yesterday.
Either way the Judge will have the opportunity to pitch himself, even if his pleas fall on deaf ears.
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14 Responses
The pressure on Toomey is building!!
What a waste of a Senate seat.
Pat Toomey – literally one of the most conservative Senators – is a RINO? I wonder if that says more about the Republican Party, the base, or these “RINO hunters”. I am reminded of the cliche about inmates running the asylum.
Sometimes I think we live in a movie with our scripted poetical statements meant to sooth the savagery of voters who are angry at the arrogance of power of elected officials.
These guys take an oath to uphold the constitution and have now chosen to interpret what the courts should have! The fact is the Court is an equal branch of government and filling seats on it should show the Senates respect for their duty to honor the co-equal status.
It is no mystery why the Framers chose to have both the President and the Senate deal with this issue. It was for mutual respect for the third branch.
I really wish that Senators would read pages like this to get a feel for their attachment to their people or not!
Toomey again demonstrates why he is viewed by so many as a jackass. He stands for nothing, accomplishes very little, runs on one platform- but doesn’t have a clue when it comes to serving. As someone else noted this move will gain him nothing and lose him much. Let’s send a message in November and defeat Toomey, Costello and the other RINOs- I would rather have a democrat who stands for something than a Pat Toomey or Ryan Costello that are hacks and stand for little except themselves.
By refusing to vote on a nominee for the vacant seat on the Supreme Court, Senator Toomey dishonors the work and legacy of Justice Scalia.
Antonin Scalia was a ‘strict constructionist’, who would tell Republican Senators that when it comes to providing Advice & Consent on Presidential nominees, there is no “Election Year Exception” in the Constitution.
F#ck “our party.” F#ck Toomey. GO TRUMP!!!
David Diano is right. Toomey should meet with Garland and insist on giving him a hearing for confirmation. If he doesn’t do this, he should be recalled from office.
Or he’s just being a rational, reasonable Senator. Absurd that nutjob tea partiers see this as a bad thing. So you won’t vote for him in the general? Cool, then you’ll be stuck with a liberal psycho and have no representation in the Senate. Amazing how the right wing crazies threaten not to vote for Republicans if they’re not ultra-conservative. This is why our party is in pieces – because of you!
Agree with Rhonda. It’s fun to watch. Maybe he will try to find a way to oppose Garland …
“I have agreed to do so out of courtesy and respect for both the president and the judge”
If you had any REAL respect you’d:
1) Participate in a hearing and vote
2) Do your f*cking job
So why even bother? Any voter paying attention will see right through this.
I guess being in DC for so long tends to instill a cynical, poorly masked contempt for voters’ intelligence.
This is going to cost him votes among Republicans but won’t get a single Democrat to change their minds about him. Toomey’s been put exactly where the Democrats wont him – in a no-win situation!
Toomey’s feeling the heat. He has one-termer written all over him.