I have always thought that when the first of the five Rs on the court stepped down, Repubs in the Senate would filibuster any Democratic-nominated candidate forever, leaving the court at eight justices. It's what I fully expect here unless and until the media calls them on their obstruction. These are the same maniacs willing to shut down the entire federal government. One seat on SCOTUS is chump change to them by comparison.
The maniacs on the other side would do the same thing. In fact they are worse and more militant about it when it comes to the Supreme Court. Many Democrats and scholars were already plotting numerous tactics when Bush was president to prevent such an appointment and this was only based on hypotheticals.
You keep bringing this up as if it excuses things. Refusing to discharge your constitutional duties is shameful regardless of party. Chuck Shumer is a jerkwad, by the way, and not only for his statements to this effect during the Bush administration. Obama should not have voted for the failed filibuster, particularly because he criticized it publicly as s tactic. That is a black mark on his record.
Your turn.
When one side gets on their high horse and acts shocked at the way the other side is acting, it is beyond silly especially when we know it is exactly what they would have done. Unfortunately, this is the state of politics. The media is about 90% liberals, so we already know who will win the spin war and there will be huge pressure to cave. The only real ace in the hole that will be tough to overcome is Obama's support of the filibuster and Obama's vote against two superbly qualified justices as a Senator. Obama made his partisan bed when he was Senator running for President, and it will come back to bite him, assuming the GOP can properly package the message. Right now they are failing miserably.
If I was the Senate, I would not announce my intentions. I would sit back and wait and see how Obama acts and who he nominates and then take action to try to defeat the nomination. The GOP needed to dial back their rhetoric, come up with a well-reasoned unified message, and then act on it.
This battle is the most important battle in politics since Reagan vs. Carter in terms of the impact it will have on the next several decades of how our government will either be restrained or allowed to grow endlessly. It is not a battle that will be won or lost on some highly hypocritical arguement trying to shame the other side into backing down. It is a battle which must be fought. Unfortunately for the side who supposedly are for limited government, the politicians on their side are clueless at how to act.