Reid sets up Senate showdown, calls for votes on seven Obama nominees

The Hill ^ | July 11, 2013 | Alexander Bolton

[jazusamo]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday afternoon set up several votes to end debate on a slew of executive branch nominees, including several staunchly opposed by Republicans.

The procedural maneuvers sets up a showdown with Republicans next week over the Senate’s filibuster rule. Reid and other Democratic leaders urged colleagues in a private meeting earlier in the day to support changing the rule if Republicans blocked the nominees.

Reid set up votes to end debate and to proceed to a final votes on several nominees, including Richard Cordray, President Obama’s pick to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and his picks to the National Labor Relations Board.

Republicans say the nominees to the labor board, Sharon Block, Richard Griffin Jr., and Mark Gaston Pearce, should be rejected because Obama violated the Constitution when he attempted to seat them during a Senate recess. Republicans have pointed to a D.C. Circuit Court ruling that the appointments were invalid.

He also set up votes to end debate on Gina McCarthy’s nomination to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Tom Perez’s nomination to head the Labor Department and Fred Hochberg’s nomination to serve as president of the Export-Import Bank.

The ultimatum to confirm the nominees or lose their power to filibuster outraged Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who called it a “sad day in the Senate”.

McConnell warned that Reid would go down in history as "the worst leader of the Senate ever” if he went ahead with the nuclear option.

"Now our request for a joint meeting of all the senators has been set for Monday night, a time when attendance around here is frequently quite spotty in an obvious effort to keep as many of his members from hearing the concerns and arguments of the other side as possible," McConnell said.

[pfony1]

What’s the harm in calling a Constitutional Convention to:

1. Set term limits on Senators and Congressmen?

2. Limit government spending to the PRIOR year’s tax revenues (any excess revenues reduce debt)?

3. Replace lush government retirement perks with Social Security and Medicare?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks jazusamo.

Harry Reid Moves to Destroy the Senate Rules that are Blocking Passage of Gun Control
GOA | July 11, 2013 | GOA Staff
Posted on 07/11/2013 1:07:58 PM PDT by EXCH54FE
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3041783/posts

[Political Junkie Too]

Make him take it away and remember to return the favor if we ever have control again.

Reid knows that if Republicans ever get control of the Senate again, they will easily be cowed into not returning the favor.

-PJ

[rawhide]

McConnell is all bark and no bite. McConnell has to go down as the worst GOP leader in history.

This guy has been rolled more time by the Rats than anyone else.
I believe McConnell is a closet democrat, and has an agreement to never have a serious democrat challenger, as long as he plays along with the Rats.

[etcb]

It is going to be funny when the GOP requires that every bill be read, en toto, on the floor of the Senate prior to a vote.

In addition, if just one Republican Senator would object to every unanimous consent request and demand that a quorum be present during all business, including speeches, the Senate would stop functioning.