Posted on 03/20/2015 4:06:22 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
At first blush, it looks like Dick Durbin’s demagoguery did more damage than first thought, but that’s not the real issue. Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham [see second update], both strong advocates for comprehensive immigration reform and usually among those looking for compromise and comity in the Senate on presidential nominations, came out foursquare against the confirmation of Loretta Lynch. In fact, McCain went so far as to declare on the Hugh Hewitt Show that “no Republican should vote for her confirmation,” given her support of Barack Obama’s executive amnesty:
JM: Hugh, I know your time is short. Could I just mention one other issue with you very quickly that’s coming up?
HH: Please.
JM: That’s Loretta Lynch. Loretta Lynch has said that the President’s unconstitutional executive orders are “reasonable.” Then if that is the case, no Republican should vote for her confirmation, because she is going to implement what the President himself said 22 times would be unconstitutional actions. And by the way, I also believe that Mitch McConnell is right that we should not even bring it up until we get this human trafficking bill disposed of. Children are being mistreated in the worst possible ways while we dither over a provision in the bill which was long ago settled.
We’re still waiting for the transcript from Graham’s interview with Hugh, who’s suddenly become the go-to guy for big news in the GOP. One could take a pretty cynical view of Graham’s sudden hard-line position on Lynch, as he’s trying to build credibility for a presidential run, and needs to show the base he can be tough. However, Graham has to know that he’s not exactly among the frontrunners anyway, and he just won re-election, so his Senate seat is safe. McCain’s running again in 2016, but he’s won that seat in Arizona handily in the past even when his immigration heterodoxy has annoyed voters in his state. He won in 2010 even after his 2005-6 moderation on presidential appointees in the Bush administration, so a vote for Lynch wouldn’t have curled eyebrows there at all.
So what happened? McCain went out of his way in the interview to bring the subject up. He clearly wanted to be heard on the topic. It may be that the imbroglio with Durbin and the continuing suggestions from Democrats that race had something to do with it has made him angry enough to fight back through Lynch. I think, though, that both Graham and McCain may honestly be angrier about Obama’s executive actions. In other words, this really may be on the level.
And that changes the stakes considerably. Democrats need four Republicans to get Lynch through a confirmation vote. With McCain and Graham bowing out … which five can they find? Susan Collins and Bob Corker, maybe, and perhaps Charles Grassley, since Judiciary voted her out of committee with a positive recommendation. Toss in Richard Shelby, and you’re perhaps at a tie that Joe Biden can break. But it seems like a lot more of a stretch than it was earlier this week, and Dick Durbin may be the reason why.
Update: I’d forgotten that Orrin Hatch said he’d vote for confirmation. I wonder if this will change his mind.
Update: The Graham transcript has been posted on Hugh’s site, but contrary to what we first were told, there doesn’t seem to be any mention of Lynch in that conversation. I’ve changed the headline until we get a clarification on this.
[more to come]
No Democrat should either.
Hmm, the race baiters will be out in force.
Well get ready for a cliff hanger of a vote. Would not be surprising to see it as a 51-50 vote to confirm, with Joe Biden needed to cast the tie breaking vote. I bet she gets confirmed but will be very close.
If you’ve lost Linda Graham’s support, you’ve lost RINO the vote.
Must be an election coming up for these guys, huh?
She would just be another “tool” in the hands of the Marxist Menace in the White House.
"See, see, you mean-old right-wing wacko birds, we're conservative! Now please support our asses in 2016 so we can return to being the beloved RINOs that we are!"
Obama’s ATF guy did a runner today also
[Graham, McCain comes out against Loretta Lynch]
Were they holding hands when they did it?
Since Durbin said Lynch had to go to the back of the bus, and wait so long for a vote due to being a black.woman, why did he hold up the nomination of black judge Janice Rogers Brown to the DC Court of Appeals for almost two years? Why did he Vote against Condi Rice for Sec. Of State if he’s all concerned about black women being confirmed to high positions, and implying its racist not to confirm them???
Does Obama really need another Attorney General? Less than two years, I say it would be better to prevent Holder from moving onto the multi-million dollar job he probably has planned. Just cuz.
Surprising since McCain and Graham usually come out with ‘elections have consequences, so the prez should get to nominate whomever he wants — especially if it is a Democrat prez.’
McCain, yes, Graham, no...
IOW if 0 wants a working AG he needs to with draw her name , nominate a more moderate D Will never happen but it’s a thought
Which doesn’t make sense, as Graham just voted 3 weeks ago for Lynch’s nomination to make it out of committee.
McCain wants to get re-elected in 2016, Mini-me follows Big John.
I think they’ll find enough Democrats in R jerseys to confirm her.
Okay, if these two are against her, what’s the angle? I thought they were all for “bipartisan” and crap like that.
Graham will explain that he voted the nomination out of committee, but that he opposed her nomination. But that he wanted the full Senate to have a vote. He will explain something along those lines.
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