After conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away in February of 2016, Senate Republicans—led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)—refused to acknowledge then-President Barack Obama's nomination to replace Scalia: Judge Merrick Garland.
Insisting that February was too close to the November election for a President to put forth a Supreme Court nominee, Senate Republicans refused to allow Garland's nomination to reach the Senate floor or even a vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Over four years later, the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has opened up yet another seat on the nation's highest court, only 46 days before the 2020 election.
In diametric opposition to the stance they so valiantly held in 2016, Senate Republicans—once again led by McConnell—are scrambling to appoint a new court Justice before the November election.
But it appears American voters aren't on their side.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll issued after Ginsburg's death found that 62 percent of voters believe the next Supreme Court Justice should be chosen by the winner of the 2020 election. According to the poll, eight in 10 Democrats and a whopping five out of 10 Republicans held this position.
It would appear the Republicans hammered their message in 2016, and efforts to uproot it in 2020 might be failing.
Fraught with DANGER is the path ahead for the GOP.
Not even R's want a tainted nomination. Most folks enjoy winning when they pay by the rules, even ones they made up on the fly!
McConnell's legacy will be that of a liar & a cheater.
There's simply no other way to spin this.
— ToeCutter (@Nefarion) September 20, 2020
I expected polls to show this, as most Americans believe in the concept of "fair play" and have common sense
— A Kamala Democrat for Biden/Harris (@max_harris_usa) September 21, 2020
It seems the American people very much agree with Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish. That means that the GOP are not only complete hypocrites, not only are they fine with disregarding RBG's dying wish, they're against the American people themselves. Vote them out this November!
— Tim (@ShironRedshift) September 21, 2020
That says a lot. Not only on the Democratic side. At least half the of the Republicans polled feel it should wait until after the election. I'm honestly surprised that only 80% of Democrats polled said it should wait. Are they not scared of Trump enough?
— Marie Papachatzis/I Am THE Makeup Junkie (@iammakeupjunkie) September 21, 2020
But not many are hopeful that Republican leadership will side with the will of the American people.
The GOP knows the majority of Americans don't want
-abortion banned
-voting rights leveled
-equal opportunity protections gutted
-Obamacare & pre-existing condition safeguards overturned
But they promised their diehards Justices who'll deliver 👆🏿& now they're going to make good
— NotATweeter16 (@NotATweeter16) September 21, 2020
Yes, but 100% of Mitch McConnell thinks vacancy should be filled, and at the current state of our (failing) democracy, what he thinks will happen. VOTE!
— Vermonter (@runinvt) September 21, 2020
The thing is, when did today's GOP ever do anything based on the will of the majority (aka Democracy).
— pwthm11 (@pwtham11) September 21, 2020
That's around the same amount that said there should be damn witnesses during an impeachment trial. The Republicans don't care what the American public thinks and desires, they just pretend they do.
— Angry Eddie Hustle (@EddieHustle3) September 21, 2020
President Trump has said he intends to nominate a woman to replace Ginsburg by the end of this week.
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