Posted on 04/26/2009 7:22:24 AM PDT by Clintonfatigued
Tensions are rising in the Senate over President Obama’s nominees, as Republicans delay picks ranging from a Cabinet post to a U.S. Circuit Court judgeship, and Democrats complain that the disputes are slowing important legislation.
Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., has raised concerns about burning time filing procedural motions to limit debate on a handful of nominees.
The most notable, recent example: Obama’s nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Health and Human Services secretary. Although still expected to win confirmation in a vote scheduled for April 28, Sebelius, a Democrat, has been challenged by Republicans over her position supporting abortion rights. (Story, p. 9)
The weakened Republican minority finds it difficult to amend legislation, but nominations provide opportunities to highlight policy disputes on high-profile issues, including foreign policy and abortion rights. Democrats contend that plodding through confirmation debates followed by protracted votes hinders legislative progress on their priorities, such as health care, energy and economic affairs.
(Excerpt) Read more at cqpolitics.com ...
Obama has chosen some real moonbats. It’s good that the GOP is standing up to a few of them.
Sillyass does not deserve to be confirmed. Live baby killer that she is.
Paybacks, Digger, paybacks...
Democrat economic affairs are just like other affairs: Somebody gets screwed and then has to pay for it.
So, what about the Health Care Overall reconciliation there, Harry?
The democrats have some nerve after holding up some of President Bush’s appointments for the entire time he was in office!
They are detestable human beings!
Here are some of the others:
“• Christopher Hill was confirmed as ambassador to Iraq, 73-23, on April 20. But with opposition led by Republican Sam Brownback of Kansas about Hill’s lack of experience in the Middle East and his diplomatic history with North Korea, the vote came only after a delay that extended through the two-week April recess and a procedural vote to limit debate.
• Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy , D-Vt., scheduled a hearing April 29 for federal Judge David F. Hamilton’s nomination to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after Republicans boycotted an earlier hearing because they said they hadn’t had enough time to prepare.
Conservatives have criticized Hamilton as a liberal activist, particularly for his injunction against an Indiana law that required women to wait 18 hours after receiving in-person abortion counseling before getting an abortion. Hamilton has the backing of that state’s Republican senator, Richard G. Lugar .
• Republican John Barrasso of Wyoming said he would oppose the nomination of Regina McCarthy to be assistant administrator for air and radiation at the Environmental Protection Agency, in a dispute over a finding of climate endangerment.
The Environment and Public Works Committee approved her nomination April 23, but Chairwoman Barbara Boxer , D-Calif., said a cloture vote might be needed on the floor to confirm McCarthy.
• Dawn Johnsen, an Indiana University law professor nominated to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), faces a potential filibuster from Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee.
Johnson has been criticized for her previous work as head of legal policy for NARAL Pro-Choice America and for criticizing the OLC’s counterterrorism policies during the Bush administration.”
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I think this is just the way that business gets done in D.C. anymore. The Dems resist every appointment by an R president; the Rs resist when it is their turn. Might as well get used to it.
The Pubbies should have music piped in during the hearings. “Welcome to My World”....”I’m Sorry”....would be good starter songs... *chuckle*
Get used to it... payback is as they say... a B!TCH!
LLS
The republicans are doing the same thing to the democrat nominees that the democrats did to their nominees especially where judgeships are concerned and that is well deserved comeuppance.
In this specific case the Dems are crying because they don't have the magic 60 that closes off cloture. Baby wants the Moon AND the Stars too. There are still some sufficiently less-than-doctrinaire liberal Dem Senators that Reid cannot rely on simply picking-off a RINO or two to make it.
A challenge for the knowledgeable; When was the last time that the GOP had 58% of the Senate seats?
The Dem euphoria has worn off. Cap-and-trade, gun control and card-check are falling by the wayside as dem congresscritters take a closer look at their own interests and start weighing the consequences.
It ain’t payback.
These Obama appointees are way out-there, worst-nightmare scenarios come horribly to life.
The best strategy is to at least hold things up long enough for people to be able to take a second look at some of these corrupt nutjobs.
Despicable DemocRAT Senators who loved having the 60 vote threashold when Pres Bush was in office and even at the beginning held up some cabinet nominees so Clintonites could continue in office undermining Bush or was it to keep the Bush Administration in the dark about at terrorist threat that ended up happening on 9/11. I have always wondered if that was part of the stalling.
I agree. Bush never got half his nominees through and the courts were sorely lacking during his two terms because of “obstructionism”. That door swings both ways... which is why I suggested the music. :)
He does such a BAD job of nominating department heads! They’re as unqualified and clueless as he is.
Good to hear the Republicans are at least using what political powers they still hold to slow the Kenyan Communist currently occupying America's White House.
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