If the Republicans in the Senate are as concerned as they claim to be over the increasing extremism in their party, says Elizabeth Warren, it’s within their power to do something about it

Elizabeth Warren delivered an incredible speech yesterday on the floor of the Senate directed at the Republicans in that body who, while publicly bemoaning the fact that an extremist like Trump or Cruz is likely to win the nomination of their party, have done little over the past seven years to stop it from happening. After noting both the ascendancy of Trump and Cruz, and the fact that Republicans in the Senate have indicated that they would not consider Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Warren offered the following… “These are not two separate issues,” she said. “They are the same issue.” And truer words have never been spoken.

What we’re seeing play out in our current presidential campaign isn’t just happening in a vacuum, independent of other factors. It’s happening because the Republicans have allowed it to happen. It’s happening because, for the past seven years, they’ve challenged President Obama’s legitimacy, and neglected to do their jobs as outlined in the Constitution, choosing instead to obstruct him, our nation’s democratically elected leader, at every turn.

Saying, “If Republican Senators want to stand up to extremists running for president, they can start right now by standing up to extremists in the senate,” Warren asked her fellow Senators across the aisle to restore the rule of law within their chamber and begin considering the hundreds of Obama nominees that they have been blocking for these past several years. Until they acknowledge Obama’s presidency, and begin to fulfill their duties as outlined in the Constitution, Warren said, we’ll only see more extremism.

“The message could not be clearer,” Warren said. “No matter how much it damages the nation, no matter how much it undermines the courts, no matter whether it cripples the government, or lays waste to our Constitution, Senate Republicans do pretty much everything they can to avoid acknowledging the legitimacy of our democratically elected President. For too long the Republicans have wanted to have it both ways. They’ve wanted to feed the ugly lies and nullify the Obama presidency, while also claiming that they can govern responsibly. Well that game is over. Candidates motivated by bigotry and resentment, candidates unable to govern, candidates reflecting the same extremism that has been nursed along for seven years right here in the United States Senate, are on the verge of winning the Republican party’s nomination for President. And now Republican Senators must make a decision.”

These weren’t elections, she said, that were decided with recounts, and the interdiction of the Supreme Court. These were elections won by vast majorities. Extremists may not like it,” she said, “but Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008 by 9 million votes. (And) he won reelection in 2012 by 5 million votes…” And yet still, “Republican Senators have bowed to extremists who reject (Obama’s) legitimacy, and abuse the rules of the Senate in an all out effort to cripple his administration and to paralyze the federal courts.” And our nation is suffering as a result. Not only are critical positions left unfilled, but, through their actions, they are setting a tone that allows the likes of Trump and Cruz to keep advancing their far-right agendas.

Here, if you haven’t seen it yet, is the footage of Warren’s eight-minute speech. Please watch it and share it.

“So, if it is true that some Republican Senators are finally ready to stand up to the extremism that denies the legitimacy of this President, and of the Constitution, I say to you, ‘Do your job and vote for a Supreme Court nominee’… If you wan too stop extremism in your party, you can start by showing the American people that you respect the President of the United States and the Constitution enough to do your job right here in the United States Senate.” – Elizabeth Warren

[See also: “Could this impending battle over the Supreme Court tear our nation apart?“.]