Subject: RE: FOR REVIEW: -- Senate Judiciary Misses Key Milestone Under GOP Obstruction
From: "Freundlich, Christina" <[email-masked]>
To: "Miranda, Luis" <[email-masked]>, "Crystal, Andy" <[email-masked]>, "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>, "Walsh, Tom" <[email-masked]>, "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]>
Cc: RR2 <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 2 May 2016 06:30:37 -0700

And can work this in too. I will handle http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/senate-light-work-schedule-222460#ixzz47UQAiKXK

From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2016 9:22 AM
To: Crystal, Andy; Freundlich, Christina; Walker, Eric; Walsh, Tom; Paustenbach, Mark
Cc: RR2
Subject: RE: FOR REVIEW: -- Senate Judiciary Misses Key Milestone Under GOP Obstruction

I thought it got lost in the server crash. Agree this will be good for recess but there are new poll numbers coming from allies today.

-------- Original message --------
From: "Crystal, Andy" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>
Date: 05/02/2016 9:03 AM (GMT-05:00)
To: "Miranda, Luis" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Freundlich, Christina" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Walsh, Tom" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>
Cc: RR2 <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>
Subject: RE: FOR REVIEW: -- Senate Judiciary Misses Key Milestone Under GOP Obstruction
Re-upping this – never sent it out on Friday but this can also work as a first day of recess hit for Congress.

From: Crystal, Andy
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 1:47 PM
To: Miranda, Luis; Freundlich, Christina; Walker, Eric; Walsh, Tom; Paustenbach, Mark
Cc: RR2
Subject: RE: FOR REVIEW: -- Senate Judiciary Misses Key Milestone Under GOP Obstruction

also just added polling numbers that indicate Americans strongly oppose Trump or Cruz picking the next Justice.

From: Crystal, Andy
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 1:35 PM
To: Miranda, Luis; Freundlich, Christina; Walker, Eric; Walsh, Tom; Paustenbach, Mark
Cc: RR2
Subject: RE: FOR REVIEW: -- Senate Judiciary Misses Key Milestone Under GOP Obstruction

Added in a sentence on Grassley admitting that it would be a gamble to let Trump pick the next Supreme Court Justice. Also added in some polling numbers – let me know if that’s what you had in mind or if you wanted something different.

From: Miranda, Luis
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 12:13 PM
To: Freundlich, Christina; Walker, Eric; Walsh, Tom; Paustenbach, Mark
Cc: RR2
Subject: FOR REVIEW: -- Senate Judiciary Misses Key Milestone Under GOP Obstruction

SL: Senate Judiciary Misses Key Milestone Under GOP Obstruction

It’s been 44 47 days of Republican obstruction since President Obama nominated Chief Judge Garland to the Supreme Court, meaning that this last week marked the average amount of time it takes the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on a nominee to the Supreme Court. That’s an unprecedented failure on the part of Republican Senators to do their job.

The Constitution is clear: it’s the President’s job to nominate Supreme Court justices, and it’s the Senate’s job to advise and consent, giving a nominee a fair consideration with a hearing and vote. Not in our modern political system has it taken this long to fulfill a Supreme Court vacancy, let alone refuse to give the nominee a fair hearing a vote.

Ironically, the obstruction comes as And yet, some Republican lawmakers are still refusing to acknowledge Trump<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/trump-gop-resistance-222551> as their standard bearer baron for the Republican party, even as he tightens his grip on the GOP nomination. It’s striking that even as they tacitly acknowledge that Trump lacks the judgment and temperament to serve as President, the and the one they are waiting for to Republican Senators are refusing to do their own job in order to hand Trump the responsibility to nominate a Supreme Court justice. Last week, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley even admitted<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chuck-grassley-trump-supreme-court_us_57223b28e4b0f309baefffb3?b03lqudpu496hia4i> that it would be “a gamble” to let Trump fill the vacancy.

That disconnect is partly why the American people are increasingly opposed to the Republican obstruction, and want Republican Senators to do their job and allow a hearing and a vote.

•         52% of voters<http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/nbc-poll-majority-wants-vote-scotus-nominee-year-n557946> now believe Republican Senators should do their job and vote on the nomination of Chief Judge Garland this year, up from 43% in February.

•         Americans overwhelmingly oppose<http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2015/NationalSupremeCourtPoll31016.pdf> Donald Trump or Ted Cruz making the next appointment, with 62% saying they do not trust Trump and 57% saying they do not trust Cruz to nominate a Supreme Court justice.

•         Vulnerable Republican Senators are also starting to see the negative effects of their unprecedented obstruction. In New Hampshire, Senator Kelly Ayotte’s support for the Republican leadership’s refusal to consider Chief Judge Garland has hurt her in the eyes of voters, with her net favorability rating dropping<http://www.wmur.com/politics/-wmur-poll-in-senate-race-its-ayotte-43-percent-hassan-42-percent-a-virtual-tossup/39125918> 13 points since February. In Ohio, 59% of voters<http://weneednine.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Ohio-Poll-Key-Findings-4.15.16-2.pdf> have an unfavorable opinion of Senator Rob Portman’s decision to block Chief Judge Garland’s nomination. And in Pennsylvania, 62% of voters<http://www.fandm.edu/uploads/files/295186459482343904-f-m-poll-release-march-2016-1.pdf> want the Senate to hold hearings and a vote on the nomination, corresponding to a rise in Senator Pat Toomey's unfavorability rating<http://triblive.com/politics/politicalheadlines/10201438-74/toomey-percent-voters?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+triblivePennsylvania+%28Pennsylvania+Stories%29>.

Republicans have chosen to play politics rather than do their jobs and fulfill the most basic constitutional requirements. The gridlock and dysfunction coming from Republicans in the Senate is exactly why the American people are tired of Washington. And their message couldn’t be clearer: stop the obstruction and do your job.

<http://www.democrats.org/>[SigDems]<http://www.democrats.org/><http://www.democrats.org/>Luis Miranda, Communications Director
Democratic National Committee
202-863-8148 – [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]> - @MiraLuisDC<https://www.twitter.com/MiraLuisDC>