It’s a Republican Joy Ride
Republicans are on a roll today.
Let’s start with Mel Watt. From Politico —
Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked the nomination of Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) to be director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The vote was 56 to 42 and 60 votes were needed to limit debate and clear the way for a final vote on the nomination.
The White House this week pushed to get Watt confirmed but Republicans said they oppose his nomination arguing that someone with more experience in mortgage finance, not a politician, should run the agency. Democrats said Watt’s 20 plus years on the House Financial Services Committee make him more than qualified.
He spent 20 damn years on the Houston Financial Services Committee and he’s not qualified? Who is? Joe the Plumber?
And then just to piss off women, the Senate voted 55-38 to block the nomination of Patricia Millett to be a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Republicans were largely united in opposing the nomination.
Millett is a Harvard law grad and has argued more cases before the Supreme Court than any other woman in private practice – 32 of them. Republicans said they were afraid it would “tip the balance” on the DC court. So elections only have consequences if Republicans win?
Today was not a good outreach day for Republicans. I imagine there will be some hardy laughter at Republican lunches today celebrating shooting down a perfectly qualified African American and a woman without even breaking a sweat.
Chickens have a harder time laying eggs than Republicans do insulting women and minorities.
Thanks to Carl for the heads up.
That court is currently 4 appointed by Presidents from both parties (4 each for 8) and 3 vacancies.
Appointing anyone tips the balance.
Thought Harry had an agreement about this kind of filibuster. Start making them talk, use the Texas rules
1The votes were procedural, and it is possible the nominees could still be confirmed. Also majorities voted to proceed with both confirmations, but 60 votes were required to proceed. The senate may change its rules, doing away the 60 vote requirement to end a filibuster. It seems that, during the last fifty years or so, filibustering has been used primarily by Republicans. Some day, maybe, the Republicans will think beyond the moment and realize their conduct has long term consequences.
2They just cut 2014’s work days down to 113 days, from 126 in 2013. It’s hard work obstructing.
3They can gloat, but demographics are against them in the long run.
To the GOP
You day in the sun
It’s just about done.
You had their chance
To sing and dance…
To make things good
Just like you should.
But you chose wrong
So to end this song,
(actually, I wanted to use the refrain of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” but it’s copyrighted and I’m a writer. Likewise “Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do…” So to end this song you get my inferior rhyme…but imagine how much better either of those are!)
You’ll soon be out
4And we’ll all raise a shout.
Time for harry Reid to step up and use the “nuclear” threat and change to majority rules in the Senate.
5Just another day at the office . . .
6Hopefully they can find a qualified Hispanic nominee to complete their hat trick*. Even better (for an old white guy Republican) – – a Hispanic woman nominee would give them a twofer.
*A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times or more during a game, or other achievements based on threes. (using the term “achievement” in it’s broadest definition)
7Maybe Mitch and Harry can come to another “handshake” agreement.
Can somebody please tell me…… where in the United States Constitution it says that you have to have 60 votes to pass anything in the United States Senate? Or that the threat of a filibuster, is reason for the Majority Party to just cave in?
What good does it do, if we who work, and try to elect Democrats to office, get them elected….. only to see them accomplish absolutely nothing?
This is getting not only disgusting, it is getting discouraging.
With the Republican U.S. House of Representatives voting to work less days, for the $174,000 annually they are paid, and cutting food stamps for our veterans, and the poor, our government is becoming one big joke.
Ball’s in Harry’s court on this stuff.
8YOOHOO, PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU LIVE IN TEXAS.
If you are about to go vote early, and if you have an unused mail-in ballot lying around, YOU MUST TAKE IT WITH YOU TO VOTE or you will not be allowed to vote. You can’t just promise to shred it. They have to have it in their hands, along with your valid voter registration and your matching photo ID. I assume you also have to turn it in on election day if you vote then.
9Oh gee – re voting in Texas – I’m an election clerk, not trained for early voting so I don’t know ALL about that – but – you DON’T need to bring your voter’s registration card for early or regular voting, just a photo ID, and it’s ok if your photo ID doesn’t match the poll book precisely – like, Jane Middle Maidenname will pass for Jan Maidenname Marriedname if the date of birth and the address are the same. Aaaaand, if you vote on Election Day, and you have a mail-in ballot that you just can’t find, come and vote anyway, you’ll vote provisionally and when they’re counting votes and they see that that mail-in ballot WAS NOT VOTED your provisional ballot WILL be counted. But if you can find your mail-in ballot, bring it – I won’t say it’ll simplify things, because the election clerks will have to go through some hoop-jumping to cancel that mail-in ballot, but hey, it’s going to be a slow day, come on in.
10The only way to be appointed to a lifetime job with this Senate is to be a white male, over 50, worshiping at a pentacostal or southern baptiste church, living in the south.
11Thank you, Katy Kay. I think we’re over-reacting and suppressing the vote. You do not even have to look like your photo ID. The female name thing is not a giant deal.
12It is time for the nuclear option http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/senate-republicans-patricia-millett
Liberals resurrected their calls for filibuster reform Thursday after Senate Republicans voted to filibuster two of President Barack Obama’s nominees.
“The Senate rules must change,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
13Read the above. All I can say is Happy Halloween. It is now raining here, a result of all the stuff that just yesterday fell on Texas. This is really cutting down on the traffic a the front door which is good cuz the first trick or treater that showed up wearing a Ted Cruz mask would have been eaten.
14Totally Off Topic…. or not.
5th Circuit gave Abbott a Stay.
Surprise, Surprise.
Now we go to the Supremes.
15As Warner said, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals has 8 judges and 3 vacancies. Since any vacancy-fillers would be appointed by Obama, the GOP is claiming that the court doesn’t need to fill those vacancies and that Obama is trying to “pack the court” by attempting to get it up to full strength. We all know that argument would melt like a snowball in heck if a GOP president got in (by some huge cosmic mistake).
They’re so small-minded they can’t even approve Millett, who served in the Justice Department under Clinton AND Dubya.
Here’s today’s WashPost editorial, written before the vote but expecting it:
16http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/stripping-a-court-as-a-political-ploy/2013/10/30/20c39486-41a8-11e3-a624-41d661b0bb78_story.html
Time to haul out a can of whoop-ass and end the faux filibuster. Make those twerps stand and deliver if they are going to try to stop appointments.
17JJ: IMHO, Katy Kay’s comment should be one of your lovely posts all by its ownself. Not all Texas voters who skim your blog will read the comment.
Miemaw ~ You are SO right about working hard to get out the vote for Democrats in ALL 50 states, and not get the benefit of majority rule. You can bet if the GOP was in the majority, we wouldn’t hear a single tiny whisper of filibuster as they gutted Senate Rules of the insidious 60 rule. It’s time the Democrats got in lock-step like the old Republicans used to do.
18It was barely noted that the House of Rep. changed a rule that would have allowed the Democrats to bring a bill to the floor when the Speaker hasn’t. This essentially stalled any hope of a minority getting something done. Of course, the minority is getting plenty done in the Senate
Does anyone think the Republicans would hesitate to use the nuclear option (aka democracy) if they were in this same spot?
I think not.
19North Carolina weighing in here. Mel Watt is the first sitting member of Congress to be denied confirmation by the Senate to a federal appointment since 1843. Let that sink in. Also, ask yourself why that might be. A look at his picture might offer a clue.
And the idea he’s unqualified is just nuts. He has Bank of America’s HQ if not in his district then just over the line, and in his time on Financial Services I haven’t seen him lift a damn finger toward anything that would keep the Crash of ’08 from happening again. You’d think that’s about as qualified as a candidate acceptable to Republicans could get.
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