Letter: Chuck Grassley is showing leadership

Democrats in Washington have made a coordinated effort to pressure Sen. Chuck Grassley into flipping his position on the Supreme Court vacancy.

Political posturing and heavy-handed tactics from the White House will not, and should not, deter Sen. Grassley. The White House and its Congressional allies are attempting to transform the high court into a political issue for the 2016 election.

Sen. Grassley, and his colleagues in the Senate, are simply pointing out it makes good sense to remove election-year politics from such an important decision. In fact, Democrats have actively engaged in previous efforts to block Republican judicial nominees throughout the years. As recently as 2006, then-Sen. Barack Obama joined an effort to filibuster and deny George W. Bush's nominee Samuel Alito a vote. Our Founding Fathers detailed coequal authorities throughout our Constitution and for good reason. The Senate's 'advice and consent” role includes the prerogative to withhold its consent.

I am encouraged to see Sen. Grassley fighting to protect the integrity of the nominating process.

Don Boland

Cedar Rapids