Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's strategy of a total blockade of any nominee to the Supreme Court from President Obama is not popular with voters, according to new polling from Wall Street Journal/NBC News. A very clear majority is opposed, and the support from Republican voters doesn't override that majority.
The poll, released Tuesday, found that 55% of registered voters disapproved of the decision regarding the opening created by the February death of Justice Antonin Scalia, with some 45% registering strong disapproval.
Republicans were supportive of leaving the opening vacant until next year, with 69% approving, while a smaller share, 55%, approved of leaving the seat vacant by not holding confirmation hearings or even considering a nominee. Some 79% of Democrats disapproved of the decision to shut down hearings. […]
Some 52% of conservatives approved of the strategy, the poll found. Meanwhile, some 57% of independents disapproved of the decision to block hearings this year, while 25% approved, it said.
McConnell is jeopardizing the Republican majority, as previous polling in swing states clearly shows—which is going to make the senators from those states, many of whom are up for reelection this year, increasingly unhappy.
For now, they've all happily joined the blockade. But as the polling keeps rolling in, as the election draws nearer, they'll lose that enthusiasm. And they'll be stuck having to defend an increasingly unpopular strategy. That's going to be even harder for them when President Obama names an extremely qualified nominee, likely one who has already been confirmed by these same senators for their current position.
They've made this very uncomfortable bed. Lying in it is going to be damned uncomfortable—perhaps even career-ending—for them. Let's make that happen.
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