that failing to at least hold hearings could hurt their party in swing states in November. How many times have Republicans taken a hard-line stance on something, only to suffer the embarrassment of being forced into a corner by Obama and ultimately having to back down. You'd think they would have learned their lesson by now to leave themselves some wiggle room, but they are Republicans after all, and learning has never been their strong suit. This could get real interesting.

The stance against even considering a nominee puts Senate Republicans in the politically charged position of defying the president on a crucial court opening in the heat of the presidential campaign —while also trying to hold on to their majority in the Senate.

Democrats quickly took aim at Republicans, saying a refusal to even hold a hearing would amount to an outrageous act of obstructionism. Democrats predicted that a backlash from the public, particularly in the swing states where Republicans need to win to hold on to control of the Senate, could eventually prompt reconsideration by Mr. McConnell.

“I think there is at least a 50-50 chance that pressure from the Republican Senate caucus will force McConnell to reverse himself and at least hold hearings and a vote,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate and a senior member of the Judiciary Committee.

Other Democrats heaped criticism on the Republicans. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said on Twitter: “Abandoning their Senate duties would also prove that all the Republican talk about loving the Constitution is just that — empty talk.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/15/us/politics/antonin-scalias-death-cuts-fierce-battle-lines-in-washington.html