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Nominee Holds

by: j cicirelli

Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 09:55:46 AM EST
TPM is reporting that Sen Shelby (R-AL) has put a hold on all of the president's nominees - in order to get more pork projects in his state.  The sheer audacity must shock even conservatives...

Does anyone care?  Why has the president been reluctant to use recess appointments?  I don't get it.  
j cicirelli :: Nominee Holds
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Nominee Holds | 4 comments
The Fix weighs in (4.00 / 1)

http://voices.washingtonpost.c...
RE: Senator Shelby: I see that Senator Shelby has a hold on every single Senate nomination, until he gets money for his state. This is ridiculous -- why do the Senate rules allow this?

Chris Cillizza: Of late, there has been lots of talk about changing the rules of the Senate -- particularly on the filibuster. President Obama has made a point to highlight the fact that Republicans had blocked more legislation in 2009 (and forced cloture votes) than in the 1950s and 1960s combined.

The issue with changing the rules is that both sides know how the political pendulum swings and worry that a rule change that benefits Democrats today could wind up hurting them if and when they lose the majority at some point in the future.

As a result, there is a a real reluctance to change...anything



Annie 2012!
White House Keeps It Real (0.00 / 0)
Let's be clear: Sen. Shelby is preventing qualified nominees who will help protect the American people from being confirmed.  He's not alone, though.  This is just the latest example of this kind opposition for opposition's sake that the President talked about earlier this week.  This strategy of obstruction is preventing qualified people from doing their jobs on behalf of the American people and it's preventing real work from getting done in Washington.  Every minute spent needlessly blocking noncontroversial nominees, many of whom go on to be confirmed by 70 or more votes or by voice vote (nine of the President's nominees so far), is a minute not spent on the issues that matter to American families.

As I noted yesterday, this is true of the legislative process, too.  The Senate cast more votes to break filibusters last year than in the entire 1950s and '60s combined, making it nearly impossible to come to agreement on key legislation.

Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director



Whack-a-mole, anyone?
The ransom note (4.00 / 4)
Says it all.

We believe in prosperity & opportunity, strong communities, healthy families, great schools, investing in our future and leading the world by example. We are Democrats; we are the change you're looking for.
Another angle. (0.00 / 0)
I'd like to suggest another angle to challenge this pernicious behavior.  You see, Republican office holders really have little use for the bureaucracy we the people hire and pay for because they've been used to being served by the shadow bureaucracy of lobbyists and consultants.  If they were relying on the expert advice we pay to provide, they'd be referring to information from the Congressional Research Service, the various Departmental IGs, the Office of Management and Budget and the GAO, instead of parroting the "findings" of the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and the Aspen Institute.
Of course the public sector is a waste of money if public officials are going to rely on private tutors, secretaries and groomers.  
Nominee Holds | 4 comments

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