Wall Street Journal frets that Republican obstruction on Supreme Court might not be a good idea

The Wall Street Journal appears to be a little worried about the Republican party's prospects for keeping the Senate, now that they've basically gone nuclear on obstruction. Not even meeting with a prospective Supreme Court justice from President Obama is going just a little bit far, they seem to think.

The Senate GOP's strategy is sure to please the party's most loyal followers. But the refusal to consider a nominee to succeed Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died this month, even before President Barack Obama has announced his pick, carries greater risks with the independent and more centrist Republicans voting in the swing states that will decide which party controls the Senate in 2017. […]

In Ohio, 56% of registered voters favored considering a Supreme Court nominee this year, compared with 41% who preferred delaying action, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. Nationally, about 56% of Americans believe the Senate should hold hearings and vote on Mr. Obama's Supreme Court nominee this year, according to a Pew Research Center poll this week.

On the other hand, they report, (there's always an "other hand" for conservative outlets who don't want to release the rabid tea party hounds on themselves) "refusing to convene confirmation hearings holds advantages for Republicans." Those advantages meaning they don't have to expose themselves to blocking what would undoubtedly be a highly qualified, personable nominee.

And speaking of the nominee, the WSJ of course slips in a little gaming of the refs by dropping in a bit how it is universally expected that President Obama will nominate "a centrist, well-qualified candidate," which will make it even more difficult for Republican senators. After the Brian Sandoval head fake, when Republicans flat-out refused to even consider a fellow Republican, it's not going to take a centrist candidate to make them look bad. They've already achieved that. Any candidate is going to be refused, so Obama is free to nominate one that will carry on a progressive legacy.

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