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kpete

(71,997 posts) Wed Mar 30, 2016, 09:52 AM Mar 2016

GOP senator: "no basis" for Republicans to block Garland

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“The leader’s not real happy with me,” Collins said, adding that she even reread the Constitution to make sure she was remembering it correctly.

“I knew there was no limit on when during a president’s term he appoints nominees to the court, but I wanted to make sure I really understood the exact wording,” she said.

While Collins says she understands why a majority of her colleagues are opposed to holding hearings to consider Garland, she disagrees with their logic.

“The president, whether Republicans like him or not, is our president until next January, until Inauguration Day, and it just seemed to me that there was no basis for saying that no matter who the president nominates, we were not going to consider that individual,” she said. “I don’t know how exactly this decision was made.”

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/susan-collins-scotus-nomination_us_56fabd2ce4b0a372181b1498

6 replies

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Highlight:

GOP senator: "no basis" for Republicans to block Garland (Original Post) kpete Mar 2016 OP

Gee, a Repug who tells the truth occasionally. lark Mar 2016 #1

Screw that noise Susan maxrandb Mar 2016 #2

Lets look at what she HAS done..............and I agree with you ............. turbinetree Mar 2016 #3

She even comments that the "leadership" is not real happy with her. She stepped LuckyLib Mar 2016 #4

I've lived in Maine for 42 years, and seldom agree with Collins, however she is downeastdaniel Mar 2016 #5

Did the GOP Senate leadership learn anything from Jim Jeffords? Zambero Mar 2016 #6

lark

(23,121 posts)

1. Gee, a Repug who tells the truth occasionally.

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Wed Mar 30, 2016, 12:59 PM

Mar 2016

How odd.

maxrandb

(15,334 posts)

2. Screw that noise Susan

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Wed Mar 30, 2016, 02:57 PM

Mar 2016

Repubs should not be able to get away with this shit. You can't play it both ways!

Susan Collins has an "effing" R after her name. She's just as much to blame for the GOPs behavior over the past 30 years.

Her "Republicanism" needs to be tied around her neck like an Albatross. That "R" after her name is all I need to see to know that she too must be defeated.

It's time we progressives began nationalizing all of these House, Senate and State races.

Maybe if enough "so-called" 'moderate' Repigs start losing their seats, they'll either decide that they need to find a new party, or they'll "effing" fix the one they've got.

turbinetree

(24,703 posts)

3. Lets look at what she HAS done..............and I agree with you .............

Reply to maxrandb (Reply #2)

Wed Mar 30, 2016, 03:06 PM

Mar 2016

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/susan-collins-government-shutdown-vote

http://www.pressherald.com/2015/08/04/collins-taking-heat-for-planned-parenthood-vote/

http://bangordailynews.com/2015/09/08/politics/susan-collins-says-shell-vote-against-iran-deal/

http://www.mainedems.org/blog/case-against-susan-collins-explained-one-article

Honk-------------------for a political revolution Bernie 2016

LuckyLib

(6,819 posts)

4. She even comments that the "leadership" is not real happy with her. She stepped

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Wed Mar 30, 2016, 06:55 PM

Mar 2016

out of line and will pay for it down the road. It is so good to see one measly Republican speaking truth to power and actually speaking up about the looney-tunes that is Republican logic.

downeastdaniel

(497 posts)

5. I've lived in Maine for 42 years, and seldom agree with Collins, however she is

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Thu Mar 31, 2016, 07:27 AM

Mar 2016

Speaking the Truth on the Garland nomination, and oh yeah, she'll pay.

Zambero

(8,964 posts)

6. Did the GOP Senate leadership learn anything from Jim Jeffords?

Reply to downeastdaniel (Reply #5)

Thu Mar 31, 2016, 11:06 PM

Mar 2016

In 2001 the moderate Vermont Republican Senator Jim Jeffords was publicly chastised by the GOP Senate leadership for his votes opposing the Bush-Cheney policy agenda. This occurred when the GOP held a 51-49 majority. Jeffords response was to leave the GOP, proclaim as an Independent, and more importantly caucus with the Democrats, effectvely eradicating the GOP's majority position.

There is no 51-49 split these days, but given the precarious position Republicans face in defending 24 Senate seats this year (compared to 10 Democratic seats), it might not be good political strategy to alienate the most moderate Republican in the Senate at a time when the party has positioned itself on the far right fringe of the political spectrum.

Jeffords took a punch but delivered a knockout. Might Collins, facing similar "payback" over the Garland nomination, go Indie and caucus with Dems, given the likelihood that her party is likely to be in the Senate minority after the fall elections? Collins has been a loyal Republican, despite being to the left of most of her partisan Senate colleagues. But perhaps she has limits.

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