Obama Avoiding the Funeral of Justice Scalia is Hateful but to Be Expected

President Barack Obama and the first lady will not attend the funeral of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, White House press secretary Josh Earnest announced yesterday. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, will attend the funeral on Saturday at Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Obamas plan to pay their respects Friday when Scalia's body lies in repose in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court building. Earnest didn't say why the Obamas would not attend the funeral. The last member of the Supreme Court to die was Chief Justice William Rehnquist in 2005, and then-President George W. Bush attended the funeral and gave a eulogy. ~~~~~ President Obama has once again proven his contempt for America and its traditions. His decision to avoid the funeral is as divisive as everything else he has done in his seven years as President. Tweets are noting which funerals Obama has attended while in office -- Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy -- and which funerals he has avoided -- the Benghazi 4, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, and Major General Harold Greene. ~~~~~ This is the President who belittled Republican Senators on Tuesday for threatening not to hold a vote on anyone he nominates to replace Justice Scalia. Obama berated the GOP for saying the Scalia vacancy will not be filled until a new President takes office, arguing “that's not how the system is supposed to work. The Constitution is pretty clear about what is supposed to happen now." ~~~~~ Actually, the Constitution sets no time limits on the President's nominating role or the Senate's Advice and Consent procedure. The Constitution says in Article II, Section 2 (2) : "He [the President] shall...nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint...Judges of the supreme Court,..." That's it -- no pressure to act or to delay acting placed either on the President or on the Senate. ~~~~~ Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell immediately after Scalia’s death said there would be no Senate action this year to confirm any Supreme Court nominee from Obama : “This vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President.” Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Grassley issued a statement an hour later agreeing : “It only makes sense that we defer to the American people who will elect a new President to select the next Supreme Court Justice.” But, the editorial board of the Des Moines Iowa Register ripped Grassley, an Iowa Senator, saying he missed an opportunity “to be less of a politician and more of a statesman.” Grassley, evidently more worried about his own future than that of the nation, backed off. On Tuesday, Grassley said he would wait to see whom Obama nominates before making a decision on hearings, urging colleagues and reporters to “take it a step at a time.” ~~~~~ Republican leaders argue the Supreme Court nomination is much too critical to be made by lame-duck Obama since Scalia’s successor will set the Court’s and America's direction for years to come. They also argue that voters should have a say in who replaces Scalia by holding the confirmation in 2017 after the new President is sworn in. Conservatives also point out that Obama himself filibustered Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Court in 2006. Justice Alito, who was nominated by President George W. Bush, was confirmed. The CEO of the conservative FreedomWorks, said : “My, how quickly we forget history. Republicans run the Senate, they control the process, and President Obama needs to get over it.” ~~~~~ Dear readers, Grassley aside, the GOP leadership will stand firm. Democrats squeal, but it is Obama’s and Harry Reid's Democratic Senate's lawlessness and total disregard for the American public that's now coming home to roost. Naming a new Justice is in the hands of a Republican Senate because Americans are sickened by Obama’s unlawful executive orders and willful refusal to uphold laws. So, Mr. Obama, don't go to Justice Scalia's funeral. Your presence would sully the nation's farewell to a great American.