President Obama Nominates Merrick Garland for Supreme Court As the Ultimate "The Ball Is In Your Court" to the Republican Party

NY Times "WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday said he would nominate Merrick B. Garland as the nation’s 113th Supreme Court justice, choosing a centrist appeals court judge for the lifetime appointment and daring Republican senators to refuse consideration of a jurist who is highly regarded throughout Washington. Mr. Obama introduced Judge Garland to an audience of his family members, activists, and White House staff in the Rose Garden Wednesday morning, describing him as exceptionally qualified to serve on the Supreme Court in the seat vacated by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February. The president said Judge Garland is “widely recognized not only as one of America’s sharpest legal minds, but someone who brings to his work a spirit of decency, modesty, integrity, even-handedness and excellence. These qualities and his long commitment to public service have earned him the respect and admiration from leaders from both sides of the aisle.”

Of all the news we're bombarded with during both an election cycle and in the modern era of moronic cable news network 24-hour coverage, Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination is actually huge news. We all know that the GOP has dug its spurs in the dirt to oppose any nomination President Obama makes before he's done in office. The GOP cites comments previously made by Democrats when they opposed President George H.W. Bush's potential Supreme Court nomination close to the end of his presidency, comments largely attributed to Joe "Credit Where I Guess Something Is Due I Guess" Biden, a man who might be long known for something--either his nonstop yelling at Paul Ryan during the 2012 VP debate, being on Parks and Rec, that Lady Gaga Academy Award anti-assault segment, or the period early in this current presidential candidate cycle when many liberals were pleading for him to run because they feared the GOP would easily win with any candidate they ran against Hillary. Well, despite the 1992 anti-Supreme Court nomination precedence the Democrats set, the joke is on the Republicans here. First off because look at how that easy Republican victory looked now via looking at Trump vs. Clinton. The RNC candidate selection is going to be a nightmare. Moreover, though, the joke is on the GOP because President Obama is calling their shot and playing their game. He's not just calling it, he's calling one-hand-only, both feet on the ground, three feet behind the corner of the 3-point line, hookshot. Then, as the ball is just about to roll off his fingertips, he calls "bank." The ball thud-swishes with authority.

Obama's nominating Merrick Garland is the ultimate "ball in your court" move against the GOP. They thought they finally were going to get a letter off of President Obama, but now it looks like they're going to pick up the "G" in "Pig." All the Republican party has done the last 8 years is whine and try to stop everything Obama has done. Instead of trying to get a bunch of productive stuff done, even with a sizable majority after colossal 2014 midterm election victories, the GOP has just sat in the kitchen that they own, whining about what's for dinner instead of taking the keys to the Suburban that they also own and going out to eat wherever they want, which they can do because it's their credit card, too. They've as a party accomplished little and instead of unifying during a down-Democratic-period where they could reinvent the party to excite and ignite everyone from young to old conservatives have just sat down on the couch at 12:45 on a Thursday afternoon to watch Maury with Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell. "The results of the baby are in... Trump... is not your child!"

President Obama is calling the GOP out and playing their game by nominating Merrick Garland. Merrick Garland who, by the way, has some pretty great qualifications. In addition to his enticing, proven record as a moderate judge, Merrick Garland has former explicit Republican support. "Judge Garland was confirmed to his current post in 1997 with the support of seven sitting Republicans: Senators Dan Coats of Indiana, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Susan Collins of Maine, Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, John McCain of Arizona, Pat Roberts of Kansas" (NY Times). He's also been described by President Obama as having "an independent mind, unimpeachable credentials and an unquestionable mastery of law." In short, Merrick Garland is not only qualified for the Supreme Court, he's also thought to be so on both sides of the ever-widening divide. If the GOP for whatever reason in the name of sense and census-ability blocks Merrick Garland's nomination, they won't just have maintained their own ineffective status quo, they'll have reached for the remote to turn up the volume on Maury because they're actually fans of something pointless and damaging.

Obama has rolled the ball into the Republicans' court.

http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/the-oval/2012/03/12/obama-hoopsx-large.jpg

Hopefully someone who has any understanding of the game gets to take the shot instead of Mitch or one of the other 14%-from-the-floor shooters.

March Madness is the best.