All of the conservative interest groups that just can't stomach getting involved in a presidential election that is almost certainly going to feature Donald Trump have coalesced behind a fight they can really dig their teeth into: denying President Obama a Supreme Court nominee. They're going at it with a vengeance.
The conservative Judicial Crisis Network has run TV spots backing GOP senators in seven states and digital ads targeting Democrats in four others, while its leader wrote an article criticizing one potential nominee for a case she handled as a public defender a decade ago. On its website, the legislative arm of the National Rifle Association links readers to an article titled "Justice Barack Obama?" suggesting that scenario should Democrat Hillary Clinton become president. […]
Around 30 representatives of conservative organizations met March 2 with McConnell and Grassley in McConnell's Capitol office, with GOP leaders urging the groups to activate their members, participants say. The participating groups included the anti-abortion National Right to Life Committee, the NRA and Heritage Action.
Katie Beirne Fallon, Obama's former legislative affairs chief now helping coordinate liberal organizations' tactics, met privately with Democratic senators on March 3 to lay out the groups' plans, said one Democrat.
There's going to be a lot of money thrown at boosting up Republican incumbents, as long as they continue the blockade, that is. If any of them waver, you can be sure those ads and that support will disappear. But the factor that all the conservative money in the world can't do a damned thing about is Donald Trump on the top of the GOP ticket in November.
They might be able to convince themselves that they could live with anyone Trump put on the court, but they're going to have a very hard time reconciling the public to that idea.
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