M.D. Harmon’s March 25 diatribe regurgitates all of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s misleading and erroneous talking points, but it is unprecedented for a president’s constitutionally nominated replacement for a vacancy to the Supreme Court to not receive a Judiciary Committee hearing and vote of the entire Senate.
The framers of the Constitution distrusted democracy; they determined that the president’s choice would get “advice and consent” from senators, who were chosen by state legislatures, which were elected by white, property-owning men.
McConnell’s response that the Senate election provided some type of popular mandate is laughable. The presidential election is the only national election – will the Republican Party abandon the Electoral College in favor of a popular vote?
Sen. McConnell and other incumbent Republicans are so afraid of alienating the social conservatives on the right of their party that they continually obstruct the functions of government. More than 140 executive appointments with important responsibilities like national security and monitoring of financial sanctions on Iran and North Korea are still vacant after a year because individual Republican senators are posturing to block them for political reasons.
The framers of the Constitution never intended for partisan factions to develop rules for the Congress that would overwhelm the individual responsibility of each representative to their duty. Trying to demean the media by calling George Stephanopolous a “former Clinton apparatchik” has nothing to do with the issue.
Assuming Robert Bork and Miguel Estrada were “well-qualified jurists” ignores that both received hearings. Mr. Estrada had never been a jurist, and he withdrew his nomination. In this case, George Will is correct and the partisan strategy is obstructionist and jeopardizes the performance of the Supreme Court for at least most of the next term.
It is constitutionally indefensible, and American voters must pledge to never vote for a senator who will not do their job.
Robert Libby
Chebeague Island
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