Today I sent this letter to one of my Senators.

Dear Senator Toomey,

I’m a lifelong independent with a fair affinity for libertarian and conservative viewpoints. I look for the best in everyone, including our leaders on both sides of the aisle, especially those with integrity.

I rarely (once or twice in 25+ voting years) write my politicians.

The recent Supreme Court vacancy left by RBG revives a particularly sticky situation.

Under normal circumstances, I would argue that the nomination of any sitting president, even one from a lame-duck president on January 19, deserves a fair and deliberate hearing from the U.S. Senate.

But in 2016, when then President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, the U.S. Senate took a surprising, extreme, and staunch position that a nomination should not be heard in an election year. Although I had no senator at the time (as resident of the District of Columbia), I was sorely dismayed by the seemingly partisan and unconstitutional behavior of our Senate, including your office, which release a press release that includes:

“Given that we are already well into the presidential election process and that the Supreme Court appointment is for a lifetime, it makes sense to give the American people a more direct say in this critical decision. The next Court appointment should be made by the newly-elected president.”

By that standard, it would be unconscionable to rush to confirm any nomination just weeks prior to the 2020 election.

As of 2019, I am a proud resident of Pennsylvania, and I implore you to be consistent in your position on supreme court vacancies. Should you reverse your position on Supreme Court appointments in one short term, you will have lost all respect from a moderate independent, and I promise engage with other conservative and independent voters to highlight your undeniable hypocrisy on this matter and to fight to remove the influence of those whose actions are so blatantly partisan and divorced from principle.

Please reach out to the better angels of your nature and take a stance on what any person would deem noble. Publicly retract and apologize for your office’s prior position or deny the hearing of any nomination.

Your sincere constituent, Jason R. Coombs