So right out of the box (actually long before Scalia’s body is put in a box) the Republicans are controlling the narrative about how it is completely justified to block the replacement of Scalia over the next year.
They proclaim that a SC justice nominated in an election year has not been approved in the past 80 years. (This conveniently excludes Kennedy, because he was nominated within the calendar year before the election year.) But much worse than, technical exclusion, is the broader distortion of the truth.
When the hell, do you think was the last time an SC justice was nominated during an election year? (It is a pretty rare occurrence that an SC Justice needs to be replaced in an election year.)
But the Republican narrative is being broadcast over and over on our most public medias, and perceived as perfect justification for what the Republicans declared 20 minutes after learning of Scalia’s death - that they will, under no circumstances approve a Justice nominated by President Obama.
Where is the narrative that says that no President has been blocked from getting an SC justice nominated and approved in an election year for over 150 years?
The Republicans are masters of reframing the truth, parceling out a partial truth, presenting it as the full truth, getting that message out and believed as the actual truth, despite its being a complete distortion of the truth.
They do this very effectively, all of the time.
Here is more Republican narrative that is already being broadcast and believed on this subject (and which we wil continue to hear over and over): It is perfectly justifiable to block President Obama from effectively nominating a SC replacement justice, because President Obama has uniquely abused the Constitution, thru his use of executive actions. (Meanwhile, the Republican candidates for President, brag about how they will use executive action on DAY 1, to do all sorts of radical actions.)
If there is a dominance of liberal messaging in our media as the Republicans have claimed, now, for decades, how is it that the Republicans so effectively use this media to get their distorted versions of the truth, broadcast and believed?
All the talk is at best smoke and mirrors and ultimately just nonsense. The fact is that the GOP does not want anything but another block headed know nothing ignoramus like Scalia who will take the side of ultra-conservatism without so much as really listening to the arguments in any given case. And they will resort to just about anything to try to make that happen. I just wish they would admit this and stop all the rhetorical fluff.