Kawveh Alagheband

AP Government and Politics

Mrs. Gordon

2/22/2016

Obama and the Supreme Court

1.  A consensus is a position or agreement came to between the President and Senate. If a Republican candidate is elected, the Democrats would then have control over two branches of government, and they would also have a little over two weeks with control of both Senate and President. That is a time when they would be able to push through the candidate of Obama's choosing. Presently, the President and the Senate cannot come into agreement because the Republicans have the Senate and Obama is a Democrat; they can't come to a consensus. During those two weeks in January, Obama and the Senate would easily have a consensus because of similar political views. 
2. President Obama holds the power to keep his view point and thoughts in a major power role in the government. If he picks a replacement for Scalia in the Supreme Court, he will most likely be choosing someone that has the same view point. Even though he does have the power to choose a new person to fill the spot, he needs to come to a consensus with the Senate on who to choose. Since the Republicans have the Senate, there is no consensus in sight since Obama is on his way out of the White house and Republicans have a major chance to get a candidate elected. 
3. A "lame duck" president is one that doesn't do anything while in office during their last, non-influential days as president. President Obama doesn't fit into the "lame duck" mold, yet. He still has time to let go of the reigns and do nothing when nothing is needed of him, especially when he can just wait on the issue of appointing a new Justice. However, Obama hasn't yet shown any letting up of his power in legislature and I believe he will well utilize the power he has during that 17 day window to give a new Justice  to the Supreme Court. 

Malachi Clark

1. If the democrats win back the senate and lose the presidency in November, they would then control both branches of the government for around two weeks. Obama has power until January 20th so he could send a nominee into the democratic majority. Then they would have seventeen days to vote for that nominee. A consensus is a strong broad agreement between political parties.

2. Obama has the ability to pick a candidate but the republican majority senate would not approve them in hope that a republican would be nominated. If the democrats win the senate then this candidate would be approved giving the democrats a better chance at electing the next supreme court justice.

3. A "lame duck" president is one who at a point in time had a lot of power but then quickly lost it all. President Obama doesn't yet fit this but he may. If a democratic majority isn't achieved than his supreme court justice nominee may not even be considered. I think that Obama will not become a "lame duck" because he will use his charisma to do so.

Jordi Amaral --- Obama and The Supreme Court

Jordi Amaral

AP Gov

Gordon 3

2/19/16

Obama and the Supreme Court

1. The upcoming Senate races have a serious effect on the filling of the recently created Supreme Court vacancy. Even if the Democrats were to lose the White House to Republican control, things could still be all right if the incoming Senate were to be a majority liberal or Democrat. Within the 17 day period between the Congress rolling in and the Inauguration, Obama could nominate a judge, and the Senate could ram through with a confirmation. This is where I consensus in Congress is important. Justice Scalia was very conservative, so a loss of him then replaced by a liberal is exactly what the Republicans fear. A consensus, in political terms, means that all parties would come together and agree in negotiations. If a consensus isn’t reached it could lead to even more separation in Congress and could be detrimental to the state of the US.
2. Obama has the power to directly and personally decide who the next Supreme Court Justice is. This power, however, isn’t without limitations thanks to the checks and balances found in the Constitution. He needs to have the Senate back him and nominate his candidate with a majority in a vote. He also doesn't have the power to ensure that a liberal Senate is voted in during the upcoming election, which means the possibility of a liberal Supreme Court Justice coming in is still very much up in the air.
3. A lame duck president is a president whose power starts to wane at the end of his term as Congress and the public become ready for the new president to step in. In a way it is the polar opposite of the honeymoon period of a presidency. Congress is unwilling to reach a consensus and negotiate so not much can be achieved. Obama is currently relying on his charisma and ability to capture the attention of Congress members and the public. The stamp of being a lame duck president at the end of his term is fully reliant as to whether or not he is able to put a liberal Supreme Court Judge on the bench.

Nadav Schoenberg NBC News Article Response

Nadav Schoenberg

Gordon 3

Ap Gov

1. The recent vacancy in the Supreme has a very strong correlation to the Senate races in January of this year. Due to the setup of the dates there is a 17 day gap between when the new Senate is inaugurated and the end of President Obama's term. This short time is very important for the President. By appointing a Democratic justice to the court, Obama would be leaving his views and mark on history. Even if a Republican candidate is elected president, a shift in the Senates majority from Republican to Democratic would allow President Obamas Democrat nominee for the court to be approved by the Senate. All Justices must be approved by the Senate. Having a Democratic Supreme Court Justice would be a huge victory for the Democrats. In recent years, partisanship has increased drastically. Recent cases such as marriage equality have seen Justices have ties to their party. Many justices stay loyal to their party, no matter their personal views. A majority Democrat Supreme Court would allow the Democratic party to advance many of their progressive ideas, even with a Republican president. In political terms, a consensus is a agreement between all parties. When a consensus is reached, negotiations can be made and a gridlock or even shut down of the government is avoided. A consensus is very important in this situation. The Senate must be able to reach a consensus on the new Justice appointee. Without a consensus the whole process will be sent into a gridlock and everything will come to a stall.

2. President Obama actually has little power in the appointing of a new Supreme Court Justice. While under the Constitution President Obama has the power to appoint a Justice, he has little ability to ensure the appointee actually makes their way to the court.  The President has no role in the election of Congress. If the Senate continues to be majority Republican, it is likely that the Presidents nominee will not be approved. Without approval from Senate, a Presidents nominee cannot join the Supreme Court. Due to strong party ties it is likely that a majority republican Senate will not approve any Obama nominee, as many Republicans believe Obama's presidency was a failure.

3. A lame duck president refers to a president who's term is coming to an end in the next few months. When a president is a lame duck, their power as president has largely disappeared. A lame duck president has little influence politically as they are seen as on their way out of office. President Obama is not a completely lame duck president. While Republicans may see him as lame duck, his influence may still be felt among Democrats. President Obamas power and influence has begun to disappear among Senate and House Republicans. However if a Democratic Senate is elected, Obamas influence may be felt until the day he officially leaves the presidency. Due to the 17 day gap President Obama may be able to have a Democratic Justice approved by Senate. This would not only carry the Presidents influence out until his last day in the White House, but a Justice appointed by Obama would allow his influence to be felt for many years to come, years after the end of his presidency.

Nina Kaushikkar: NBC News Article Response

1. The connection between the Supreme Court and the Senate races culminating in January 2017 is the 17 day gap between when Congress resumes work (January 3rd) and when President Obama leaves office (January 20th). The increased partisanship that has gripped the Supreme Court in recent times makes the passing of Justice Scalia-and the person that would succeed him-ever more important, and interlinked with the partisanship that exists within Congress, specifically within the Senate as the party in majority control continually shifts. This is really important to look at, because due to Justice Scalia’s conservative positions while he served on the Supreme Court, in order for President Obama to push and confirm a Democratic nominee to replace Justice Scalia, a couple of events need to occur. First, it doesn’t matter if the next president is Republican; if the Democrats win the Senate in the upcoming elections, then, because only the Senate is needed to confirm a Supreme Court justice, President Obama can still potentially confirm a Democratic nominee. Additionally, a consensus will be necessary for a Democratic justice to be confirmed, regardless of the status in the White House. In political terms, a consensus means that all parties will have to come together and negotiate an agreement. This will be important, because if no consensus is reached, then all parties come to a stand-still and gridlock will occur, which is net detrimental to the state of the country.

2) While President Obama currently has the political power to appoint a nominee to fill Scalia’s role, and has that constitutional authority, he lacks power in a couple of ways. First, he has no way of deciding the outcome of the congressional elections (and the result, specifically in the Senate, will either positively or negatively impact his chance of confirming the nominee of his choice). Additionally, he may be viewed as a lame-duck president, and his current state in politics will start to become less influential as the 2016 presidential race becomes more heated, and the President-elect will be given more weight. Despite his constitutional authority, he still faces major political roadblock.

3) A lame duck president usually refers to a president who is in the last few months of their presidency (or elected office). This state is one in which they are rendered essentially politically incapacitated, because they start to lose the amount of influence that they hold over the decisions of Congress and the people as a whole body. President Obama may fit that definition, as his power starts to wane under the push of the House and Senate Republicans; however, if the Democrats win back the Senate in the upcoming elections, it could be a prime opportunity to establish the final portion of his legacy by confirming and appointing a new Supreme Court Justice. The appointment of the new justice will really determine whether or not he will leave office as a lame duck president, because it is the final showing of how much power he really has over Congress in his final days in office.

NBC News Article

Karin Komiyama
AP Gov
Period 3
2/19/16

NBC News Article

1. If the Republicans in the Senate race loses against the Democrats, there is a less likely chance of a Republican judge being appointed to the vacant seat that once belonged to Justice Scalia. Consensus plays an important role in the government fight for filling the vacant seat, because if the Republicans keep on stalling and blocking an appointee, the president will find someone who is more liberal, thus causing more uproar in the Senate. In political terms, a consensus is the general or widespread agreement between political parties.
2. 2 weeks before Obama leaves the office, the Democrats would control both branches of the government ONLY IF THEY WIN THE SENATE RACE. Then, Obama could send his appointee to the Supreme Court with the now Democratic majority and the judges could vote in the person of choosing through simple majority. Obama could even muscle in a liberal if his appointee keeps on getting blocked by the Republicans in the Senate
3. Lame Duck presidents are at the end of their tenure, and already their influence is waning. Obama won over the public with his charisma, his ideas of equality for EVERYONE (race, gender, sexuality, etc), and his influence in the government. I don't think he will leave the office as a Lame duck president because he accomplished so much (gay marriage equalized under his tenure, etc). 

Anne Hruska: NBC News Article Response

Anne Hruska
AP U.S. Gov
Ms. Gordon
February 19, 2016

NBC News article response

1. The supreme court vacancy is currently such a widely addressed issue because of the timing that seems to dictate it all. With the primary elections right around the corner, the decision as to who assumes the position of Scalia is greatly debated. Because Scalia was a Republican, the republicans that hold senate seats will attempt to stop all efforts that would allow Obama to nominate a judge, until a republican gets into office. However, on Obama’s end, there is a 17-day gap that could occur that would allow for a nomination still to be made on the democratic behalf. Any move will require a consensus made between both parties. Politically speaking, a consensus means that the republicans in the senate, the democrats in the senate, and lastly, the democratic president will need to negotiate and come to an agreement. If the republicans try to block whatever nomination Obama makes then he may try to put forward  someone who is even more liberal than himself, which would, in turn, harm the republican’s presidential candidates. In conclusion, if no consensus is reached it will lead to a stand-still in the process and would end up hurting one of the two parties.

2. Obama is the president, therefore, he is granted the power not nominated anyone who he deems fit to take the position of justice. However, our founding fathers built the United States off of the ideology that no one man should hold final power above all others, therefore, the system of  checks and balances was put into play in order to allow one branch of government to oversee the power of the other. This comes into play in the Judicial nominating process. Though the President may nominate a person they must be confirmed by the senate in order to pass on to the supreme court. The senate is almost always the hardest part of the nomination process for presidents as it’s typically the president’s aim to appoint a judge who reflects his own ideologies, and for obvious reasons, the opposing party residing in the senate would try to block him, so the appointment process is usually altered by the senate.

3. In politics, the idea of a lame duck president refers to a president who is in the last few months or even last year of their elected office. A lame duck president is essentially the opposite of the honeymoon period: the first year of a president’s elected office where presidents typically pass the majority of their bills and get the most support from the media, public, and senate. A lame duck president usually lacks the support from congress and the public which in turn makes him less likely to get bills passed. I personally believe that every president becomes a lame duck, however, some sooner than others. Obama is an extremely charismatic president, however, there is no doubt that he has become a lame duck.  At this point in time, Obama is strictly relying on his support from the public, and the democratic portion of congress. This leaves the rest of congress waiting for Obama to leave office instead of trying to negotiate with him, like they would in the honeymoon period, in their eyes he is on his way out and they won't have to deal with him much longer. Yes, Obama is a “lame duck” president, but it’s inevitable, at this point the presidency is coming to the end of an 8-year run and congress is preparing for a new candidate.