Hey, Congress! #DoYourJob on High Court Pick, Say Groups Across Country
A poll on Thursday shows that a majority of respondents want to see President Obama nominate someone to fill Supreme Court vacancy
In line with public opinion, newspaper editorial boards, and some Democratic lawmakers, progressive advocacy organizations held a national day of action on Thursday, calling on the U.S. Senate to "do its job" and consider President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee.
| #DoYourJob Tweets |
In Washington, D.C., and key states across the country, constituents are delivering petitions that aim to hold U.S. senators accountable to the Constitution and the American people. The campaign has also taken off on Twitter under the hashtag #DoYourJob.
A CNN/ORC poll published Thursday shows that most respondents want to see Obama nominate someone to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia's death rather than leave the seat vacant until a new president takes office next year. What's more, about two-thirds say that whomever Obama nominates should get a hearing in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, and the Senate Judiciary Committee have declared they will not hold hearings on any nominee put forward by Obama, nor would the full body vote on Obama's choice.
"It doesn't take much to understand how outrageous their conduct is," Natural Resources Defense Council climate and clean air campaign director Pete Altman wrote on Thursday. "This is the first Senate majority in American history to refuse to consider any nominee from the president, no matter how qualified that nominee may be."
According to Altman, "[t]he Republican strategy is, in part, a bid to push policies that will lead to more pollution, more bad air, more bad water, and more profits for major polluters. When their 'mask' slips, that is what you see behind all of this."
Indeed, a report released Thursday by People for the American Way reveals how right-wing groups, representing corporate and religious interests, are "promoting obstruction as a means to the end of a far-right court."
The report states: "As Republican senators vow to block the confirmation of whomever President Obama nominates to fill the Supreme Court vacancy--or even to meet with a nominee--they are echoing the messaging of these outside groups. And, even as polls show that most Americans want President Obama to fulfill his constitutional obligation and nominate the next Supreme Court justice, Republican senators face pressure campaigns from these groups if they back down the slightest bit from a scorched-earth response to the vacancy."
Thursday's day of action comes on the heels of a scathing letter to the Judiciary Committee from more than 80 organizations, which said the GOP's "unprecedented and destructive" decision was "a dereliction of constitutional duty."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
In line with public opinion, newspaper editorial boards, and some Democratic lawmakers, progressive advocacy organizations held a national day of action on Thursday, calling on the U.S. Senate to "do its job" and consider President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee.
| #DoYourJob Tweets |
In Washington, D.C., and key states across the country, constituents are delivering petitions that aim to hold U.S. senators accountable to the Constitution and the American people. The campaign has also taken off on Twitter under the hashtag #DoYourJob.
A CNN/ORC poll published Thursday shows that most respondents want to see Obama nominate someone to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia's death rather than leave the seat vacant until a new president takes office next year. What's more, about two-thirds say that whomever Obama nominates should get a hearing in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, and the Senate Judiciary Committee have declared they will not hold hearings on any nominee put forward by Obama, nor would the full body vote on Obama's choice.
"It doesn't take much to understand how outrageous their conduct is," Natural Resources Defense Council climate and clean air campaign director Pete Altman wrote on Thursday. "This is the first Senate majority in American history to refuse to consider any nominee from the president, no matter how qualified that nominee may be."
According to Altman, "[t]he Republican strategy is, in part, a bid to push policies that will lead to more pollution, more bad air, more bad water, and more profits for major polluters. When their 'mask' slips, that is what you see behind all of this."
Indeed, a report released Thursday by People for the American Way reveals how right-wing groups, representing corporate and religious interests, are "promoting obstruction as a means to the end of a far-right court."
The report states: "As Republican senators vow to block the confirmation of whomever President Obama nominates to fill the Supreme Court vacancy--or even to meet with a nominee--they are echoing the messaging of these outside groups. And, even as polls show that most Americans want President Obama to fulfill his constitutional obligation and nominate the next Supreme Court justice, Republican senators face pressure campaigns from these groups if they back down the slightest bit from a scorched-earth response to the vacancy."
Thursday's day of action comes on the heels of a scathing letter to the Judiciary Committee from more than 80 organizations, which said the GOP's "unprecedented and destructive" decision was "a dereliction of constitutional duty."
In line with public opinion, newspaper editorial boards, and some Democratic lawmakers, progressive advocacy organizations held a national day of action on Thursday, calling on the U.S. Senate to "do its job" and consider President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee.
| #DoYourJob Tweets |
In Washington, D.C., and key states across the country, constituents are delivering petitions that aim to hold U.S. senators accountable to the Constitution and the American people. The campaign has also taken off on Twitter under the hashtag #DoYourJob.
A CNN/ORC poll published Thursday shows that most respondents want to see Obama nominate someone to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia's death rather than leave the seat vacant until a new president takes office next year. What's more, about two-thirds say that whomever Obama nominates should get a hearing in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, and the Senate Judiciary Committee have declared they will not hold hearings on any nominee put forward by Obama, nor would the full body vote on Obama's choice.
"It doesn't take much to understand how outrageous their conduct is," Natural Resources Defense Council climate and clean air campaign director Pete Altman wrote on Thursday. "This is the first Senate majority in American history to refuse to consider any nominee from the president, no matter how qualified that nominee may be."
According to Altman, "[t]he Republican strategy is, in part, a bid to push policies that will lead to more pollution, more bad air, more bad water, and more profits for major polluters. When their 'mask' slips, that is what you see behind all of this."
Indeed, a report released Thursday by People for the American Way reveals how right-wing groups, representing corporate and religious interests, are "promoting obstruction as a means to the end of a far-right court."
The report states: "As Republican senators vow to block the confirmation of whomever President Obama nominates to fill the Supreme Court vacancy--or even to meet with a nominee--they are echoing the messaging of these outside groups. And, even as polls show that most Americans want President Obama to fulfill his constitutional obligation and nominate the next Supreme Court justice, Republican senators face pressure campaigns from these groups if they back down the slightest bit from a scorched-earth response to the vacancy."
Thursday's day of action comes on the heels of a scathing letter to the Judiciary Committee from more than 80 organizations, which said the GOP's "unprecedented and destructive" decision was "a dereliction of constitutional duty."