Republican Party’s Low Polls Give Obama an Edge in Court Fight
- Obama to urge Senate to end impasse, hear Garland nomination
- Republicans exposed to obstruction charges as popularity slips
President Barack Obama speaks at the White House on April 5, 2016, in Washington.
Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
President Barack Obama may make Republicans bleed at the ballot box over their refusal to consider his Supreme Court nominee, but he is unlikely to do enough political damage to break their blockade of a vote to put Merrick Garland on the court before the elections.
Polling data show the Republican Party is at a low ebb in popularity, leaving it vulnerable to charges of obstruction as Obama travels on Thursday to the University of Chicago to publicly argue the case for a confirmation hearing for Garland. The remarks, where Obama once taught constitutional law, are part of a White House campaign to bring political pressure to bear on Senate Republicans.