Republicans in denial about Supreme Court vacancy

THE REPUBLICANS have said no.

Although there is a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy because of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Republican leaders have said they will not consider any nominee made by the president.

Republican leader Sen. Mitch McConnell has said the Senate plans to wait until after the election. Pennsylvania's Sen. Pat Toomey agrees.

In a statement, Toomey said: "Given that we are already into the presidential election process and that the Supreme Court appointment is for a lifetime, it makes sense to give the American people a more direct say in this critical decision."

With all due respect to Toomey, the American people have already had a direct say. Twice. They elected Barack Obama to be president of the United States.

That message has never gotten through to the Republicans. It goes beyond the usual partisanship. It's as though Obama is an alien creature who somehow was beamed down to the White House and has no legitimacy to govern.

And many Republicans believe the President is truly an alien. In a recent poll, 34 percent of Republicans said it was likely Obama was not legally a citizen. In another poll, 43 percent of the Republicans said they believe the president is a Muslim.

The dirty work of undermining Obama's legitimacy has been done by the swamp-dwellers of the conservative movement. The bloggers and radio show hosts, the ranters and haters who infest the web and the airwaves.

But don't think it ends there. So-called mainstream Republicans often reinforce the worst of the anti-Obama rhetoric by using dog-whistle phrases that may pass over our heads, but can be clearly heard by the faithful. Of course, Donald Trump takes it a step further. A few years ago, he was at the head of the line of the "birthers," those who deny Obama is a citizen.

It's sad to see that the lunatic fringe is no longer on the fringe. They are making their way into the heart of the Republican party, with toxic effect on political discourse and the political process.

So, the Republicans have said no. They say no to Obamacare, which is why they keep passing bills to abolish it - even though it is up and running and a success. They say no to Obama's power to negotiate treaties, which is why 45 Republican senators wrote an open letter to the world telling it to ignore any agreement the President made with Iran, saying it will never have the force of law. They say no to the President's right to nominate a Supreme Court justice, which is why McConnell and Toomey don't even want the Senate hold a confirmation hearing on any Obama nominee.

Obviously, racism is a major component in all of this. To have a Democrat in the White House is bad enough, but to have a black man, with the first name of Barack and a middle name of Hussein. is almost unfathomable. And certainly unforgivable.

We have to admire the president's calmness in the face of these blasts of "No." People have criticized him for being too cool. Maybe they want him to shout and rant. But, it's not his thing.

He should take solace in the fact that, while the Republicans have said no and no and no to Barack Obama, the people have said yes. Again and again.

He is their president. He is our president. And the haters be damned.