Senate Republicans have their own very special polling that tells them what they want to hear—the majority of people want them to blockade a Supreme Court nominee. The problem, though, for them is that all of the public polling so far has shown the precise opposite. There are two more national polls out today to refute that GOP private poll.
Here's one of them, from ABC News/Washington Post.
Sixty-three percent overall in a new ABC News-Washington Post poll favor hearings and a vote on whether to accept Obama’s nomination of a replacement for Antonin Scalia, the high court justice who died Feb. 13. Half as many, 32 percent, say hearings should be set aside and the nomination left for Obama’s successor, the position taken by Senate Republican leaders. […]
Seventy-nine percent of Democrats and 62 percent of political independents favor hearings on Obama’s nominee. Republicans split on the issue, with 46 percent in favor, 49 percent opposed.
Sixty-three percent is a pretty big majority! Even bigger than the big majority PPP finds in its latest, 56 percent.
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Reflecting what other national polling has found, 56% of voters in the country want the vacant seat on the Supreme Court seat to be filled this year by a nominee of President Obama’s, to only 40% of voters who think the seat should remain vacant for the next year. That includes 53/41 support from independents for filling the seat this year. Voters especially think that the Senate should at least see who President Obama puts forward before making a decision--66% think Obama’s nominee should be given a chance to only 25% who believe the Senate should just refuse to confirm someone no matter who it is. Even Republican voters, 53/37, think the Senate should be open to Obama’s nominee rather than reflexively dismissive.
PPP also asked voters about whether they'd trust any of the Republican contenders to make the nomination, since that's what Republicans are proposing—that any of the candidates should have that opportunity. "Only 33 percent of voters trust Ted Cruz to nominate the new Supreme Court justice (57 percent don’t), only 31 percent trust Donald Trump to (62 percent don’t), and just 26 percent trust Marco Rubio to (61 percent don’t)." All of these guys are distrusted even more by independents—"61 percent don’t trust Trump to, and 58 percent don’t trust either Cruz or Rubio to."
Here's where the GOP is at on this. Their almost certain nominee in November—Donald Trump—barely beats Mickey Mouse as a better Supreme Court Justice picker, just 43-39 (which might be within the margin of error). So there you go. Don't give Mickey Mouse—or Donald Trump—the unfettered chance to pick the next Supreme Court justice.