WASHINGTON (AP) – In choosing a centrist judge with Republican appeal, President Barack Obama hoped to corner GOP opponents who pledge to block his Supreme Court pick. He also boxed in the Democrats vying to succeed him.
For Hillary Clinton, locked in a fight for the hearts of progressive voters, Merrick Garland’s nomination presents a political puzzle. She had no choice but to embrace the mild-mannered moderate whom Democrats plan to make into a symbol of Republican obstruction. But she does not want to hold him so close that she angers the party’s left, wary of Garland and worried the party may end up forfeiting a chance to install a more liberal justice on the court.
Clinton’s dilemma was evident in her campaign’s cautious reaction to Obama’s choice. In a statement, she mentioned Garland’s “considerable experience” both in the judiciary and in public service, his “brilliant legal mind” and past achievement of “bipartisan support and admiration.”
But her campaign would not say whether she would commit to Garland for the long haul, arguing that Republicans won’t be able to sustain denying the judge a Senate vote. Clinton’s campaign said it was unlikely there will still be a vacancy when she wins the White House – sidestepping the issue of whether she would nominate him if elected.
It’s a pressing question for liberals who are concerned Republicans may delay Garland’s nomination through the election – to please their base – but then move to quickly confirm the judge before a new Democratic president takes office to avoid a more liberal nominee in 2017.