Any Obama nominee will be a political kamikaze

Sri Srinivasan

From Kevin Drum at Mother Jones:

Just a quick note about who Obama is going to nominate for the Supreme Court: it has to be someone willing to make a kamikaze run. It's going to be a grueling experience for nothing, since Republicans will be happy to put the nominee through the wringer but plainly won't vote to confirm. In fact, it might be for less than nothing. Whoever gets picked probably can't be renominated if a Democrat wins in November.

Most likely, then, you're putting yourself through a punishing ordeal in order to ruin your chances of ever getting a Supreme Court seat. That's the kind of thing a party loyalist might do, but a circuit court judge? What's the upside?

Anyway, all this is just to say that Obama may have trouble finding someone willing to be nominated. Keep that in mind when you browse through all the lists of potential candidates.

Rob's comment:

There doesn't seem to be any reason Obama's nominee couldn't be renominated by President Hillary Clinton after the election. Obama could make an agreement with Hillary to ensure that happens.

Still, it would put the nominee on a political hot seat for the rest of this year and a good part of next year. 

Sri Srinivasan would be an interesting pick: he's young, a person of color---an Indian American---and was confirmed as a US Circuit Court judge by a 97-0 vote in the Senate. Even Rubio and Cruz voted for him!

Hence, if the Republican controlled Senate rejected him, it would be obviously done for political reasons, not based on his qualifications. 

From Politico:

A nomination of Srinivasan, 48, to the high court would make history: he was born in India and would be the first Indian-American Supreme Court justice. Srinivasan is widely viewed as a moderate. He clerked for Republican-appointed Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. In a speech last October, Srinivasan seemed to relish maintaining stability in the law. He suggested that fears he and three other Obama appointees would dramatically change the balance in the D.C. Circuit were overwrought.

Later: Why Srinivasan won't be nominated.