As soon as Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, the hosts at MSNBC immediately began to wonder if the choice of a “white male” was a mistake. Though making the predictable assertion that Garland was definitely a reasonable “moderate,” journalist Ron Allen on Wednesday worried, “But, there's going to be a lot of concern about this choice by many people who are Obama supporters, who wanted to see more diversity on the court. This selection is a white male.”
He added, “So that is a concern.” Anchor Andrea Mitchell made the same point. Talking to Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, she fretted, “The activist groups that you know, the women's groups, the groups representing other minorities, progressive groups, they would be fired up for someone other than a white man, a white man like Merrick Garland.”
Looking for reassurance, Mitchell questioned Leahy: “So, are you going to see the forceful political activity to try to get him confirmed?”
Earlier in the segment, Mott made sure to declare, “Garland is seen as a moderate.”
A study by the Media Research Center’s Geoffrey Dickens found that Republican Supreme Court nominees are always seen as too conservative by the liberal media. Often, Democratic nominees are viewed as not liberal enough.
See transcripts below:
Place for Politics 2016
3/16/16
12:21ANDREA MITCHELL: Senator, the politics, the raw politics of this, though, the activist groups that you know, the women's groups the groups representing other minorities, progressive groups, they would be fired up for someone other than a white man, a white man like Merrick Garland. So, are you going to see the forceful political activity to try to get him confirmed?
MSNBC Live with Jose Diaz-Balart
3/16/16
10:03RON ALLEN: He’d [Merrick Garland] be viewed, Jose, as a safe choice. Not some of the other judges and other lawyers that the president was considering, because again, Garland is a well-known figure. He's been on the court for a very long time. And that court of appeals and the District of Columbia has sent a number of other justices to the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Justice Scalia, and others over the years.
But, there's going to be a lot of concern about this choice by many people who are Obama supporters, who wanted to see more diversity on the court. This selection is a white male. The Sri Srinivasan would have been the first south Asian selection on the court. There are a number of other African-Americans, other women who were under consideration. So that is a concern.
But again, Garland is seen as a, a moderate. He is a name you know, if you will, and this is perhaps a signal that the president believes in putting forward this name, it will be hard for the Republicans to maintain their—their blockade, essentially, against not even leading with a nominee, let alone holding a hearing or holding a vote. But again, Republicans have been steadfast in their opposition of even leading with a nominee. We'll see what their reaction is to this judge. Jose.
