Posted on 02/07/2017 10:09:47 AM PST by SeekAndFind
For the first time in US history, a sitting vice president cast the deciding vote on a Cabinet official’s confirmation. Just a few moments ago, Mike Pence cast his vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, breaking the expected 50-50 tie.
Pence made sure he arrived in plenty of time to cast the vote for DeVos, and CBS News was on scene to catch the moment:
MOMENTS AGO: VP Pence arrives on Capitol Hill ahead of Betsy DeVos nomination vote, where he may cast tie-breaking ballot pic.twitter.com/aG5QHvYpwS
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 7, 2017
It’s hardly the first time a VP has had to cast a vote in the Senate; NBC’s Carrie Dann reports that we’ve seen it 242 times in our history, or a little over once per year in our post-constitutional era, but never on a Cabinet nomination. Why hasn’t it happened more often? Well, until Harry Reid blew up the filibuster, the minority party could stop a Cabinet confirmation without it coming to a floor vote, and the threshold for filibusters has been between 34 and 40 over the last two hundred-plus years. Under those circumstances, the VP couldn’t have cast a vote at all. We are much more likely to see these kinds of votes in the future, thanks to Reid’s machinations. Consider that when commentators talk about how Pence’s presence was a historic rebuke of Donald Trump.
Next on the docket: Jeff Sessions’ confirmation. It will be close, but probably won’t require Pence.
Update: Just because it’s fun to have this reminder:
Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to consider filibuster reform. It had to be done.
— Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) November 21, 2013
That’s great and I hope soon Betsy DeVos and Trump begin dismantling the unconstitutional Dept of Education.
Thank you, Harry! I guess you never thought the Dems would ever lose their power. Wrong!
Great news. This will free up Sessions further voting so he can
be confirmed for the Justice Department.
And then the swamp draining begins.
We watched the “vote” on CSPAN. What a disgrace! It took an hour to do something that should have taken ten minutes tops. These useless a$$holes ( all of them) wandering around the Senate Chamber like a bunch of Effing “lost sheep,” with no one in their desks. They came trundling in one at a time to vote. Where were they, out taking a crap? And it was the same story for the cloture vote on Sessions nomination. We would have a better outcome if we just dragged in 100 people off the street! Oh, how far we have fallen to have elected these unworthy turds.
What Republicans voted against her?
Amen!
Winning! And Vice PRESIDENT Mike Pence got to make history today. It doesn’t get any better.
The incredible shrinking Harry Reid is furious.
I recognize DeVos from Amway. We’ll see how she performs...
Does Sessions get to vote on his own confirmation?
The usual suspects: Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).
Good. Now de-fund the DoE and let DeVos manage the door locks and lights from her phone app until the real estate can be sold off.
Collins and Murkowski. Quelle suprise.
Like a free safety picking up the receiver from the cb, Mike “The Rock” Pence makes his mark.
Pence 2024
MAGA...AGAIN!
RE: What Republicans voted against her?
Mike Pence’s vote would not have been necessary if Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, had not followed through on their plans to vote against DeVos.
They both cited opposition from teachers and parents who fear DeVos’ school choice advocacy will hurt public schools ( AKA, they have both received HUGE monetary support from the teacher’s union ).
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