It is curious that the Republicans have outright refused to consider any Obama nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. They will lose again.
The Republicans claim that an Obama nominee will skew the delicate balance the conservatives enjoyed with Scalia on the bench. Now that Scalia has died, almost any Democratic nominee will, in their minds, tip the Supreme Court in the Democrat's favor.
President Obama is well aware of their concerns. That is one reason why he has nominated Merrick Garland, a moderate who has worked under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Mr. Garland is a compromise candidate the Republicans would be foolish to ignore.
If Trump is the Republican nominee for president, the senate Republicans down-ticket (20 are up for re-election) will likely suffer, perhaps so much so that it tilts the Senate back into the hands of the Democrats. With the strong chance that Hillary wins the White House, and the Dems take back the Senate, that slight tilt of the Court the Republicans fear Obama's pick might effect, will be a toppling when she - under no such constraints as Obama - sends her pick to her Senate.
An Obama nominee may be the last best chance the Republicans have to get something out of Scalia's death. However, with their backsides still raw from the repeated spankings Obama has put on them these past seven years, they may cut off their nose to spite their face, clearing the way for Hillary to righteously drive the stake deeper into their confederate hearts.
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