The death of Scalia presents an incredible opportunity for the Republicans to make the biggest political blunder they can make in our lifetimes. They've already embarked on the project.
Allow me to explain.
The Democrats: Though I believe Sec. Clinton would make a terrific president, she is clearly a horrible candidate.
Sanders is a wonderfully inspiring candidate who believes or says he believes that his popularity will bring enough people into the voting booths that the Democrats can win back congress. Rachel Maddow recently showed that he is not registering new Democrats in anything like the numbers Obama did in ’08, so perhaps Sanders is more blowing smoke whether he knows it or not.
In the end, Clinton will likely accumulate enough delegates and super-delegates to sew up the nomination.
Unfortunately, to too many young people this will clearly demonstrate that the fix was in. And it probably is.
This situation is worse than the one that arose in ’08 after Clinton conceded to Obama, and we were treated to a raft of very angry, disappointed Clinton people. (You wouldn't believe the horrible emails I got on the matter at the time. Unless you got some, too.)
I believe that the young people who are inspired by Sanders will be very disappointed when Clinton wins the nomination. Disappointed enough to consider staying home on Election Day. What with voter suppression, this could mean that the GOP wins everything.
Until yesterday, even the argument that the next president will get to nominate several supreme court justices was totally abstract to too many Sanders supporters.
But then came yesterday, and the death of Scalia.
The best news a Liberal received yesterday was not that Scalia had kicked the bucket. It was this: Last night every one of the GOP candidates demanded that President Obama be prevented from naming Scalia’s replacement. Forget that he still has 25% of his current term in front of him.
If that obstructionism continues into the Fall, then every time you run into a disappointed fan of Bernie Sanders, you have but one very simple question to pose: Do you want a liberal Supreme Court or a reactionary Supreme Court? This is now the powerful question that will elect the Democrat, and get motivated voters into the polls in states where Senate seats are up for grabs. (It was always the right question to ask, but until yesterday it was too abstract for many people. It’s not abstract anymore.)
I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes in GOP politics, but that which we actually see publicly has shown them to be just as ham-handed as the Democrats, if not worse. But it seems likely to me that there are sane, sober advisers already making the case to let Obama have his nomination. There MUST be some people behind the scenes in the GOP who know that a Clinton nomination will be a terrible disappointment for Sanders supporters, that it could help them win in November. But only if we can't keep asking those supporters: Do you want a liberal Supreme Court or a reactionary Supreme Court?
In the end, the next president will get to replace Ruth Bader Ginsberg, most likely, and perhaps Steven Breyer. If Obama tips the court liberal, a GOP president will get to tip it right back. Clinton or Sanders will get to place two young Democrats on the bench. There have to be GOP advisers who are already pointing that out.
Anyway, that's why I feel that there is at least some likelihood that President Obama will get to tip the court back our way before he leaves office.