General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDid the Senate delay GW Bush's recess appointees by going into session just a few minutes in order
to block them, the way it is being done now?
Sen. Barasso was whining about that on Andrea Mitchell's show today...
Richardo
(38,391 posts)But he didn't.
Background here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002118709
from what I have so far this is a first recess appointment with the Senate in session. If someone knows differently I would like to know when and who was appointed.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)gratuitous
(82,849 posts)But not quite the way it is being done now. The Republicans in this Congress have broken all previous records for holding up nominations for no reason. Some of the Bush nominations (like John Bolton) were held up for really good reasons - like the nominee wasn't qualified, was a colossal fuck-up, or would do real harm to the United States, its interests and reputation.
Obama's nominees have been held up basically to poke a Senatorial finger in his eye, and to throw sand into the governing machinery, not because of any lack of qualifications or anything else. Several judicial nominees, for example, were held up by various Republican nincompoops for no better reason than that they could. When the nominees finally came up for a vote, they sailed through with overwhelming majorities.
Back in the day, the Republicans whined about "the will of the people" and "up-or-down votes" on Bush nominees. That language is now null and void, and you won't hear a peep out of Senate Republicans about any of that nowadays. And for some strange reason, nobody in the liberal media seems all that concerned about asking the Republicans about their "that was then, this is now" situational ethic. But they are quite interested in Republican whining about a measly four recess appointments. It is a puzzlement, it is.
savalez
(3,517 posts)I did hear McConnell shamelessly parroting the "will of the people" thing about the recent recess appointments. As if he, McConnell himself, is not defying the will of the people by blocking an up or down vote in the first place. In other words, McConnell is the one defying the will of the people! The hypocrisy. The shamelessness. The same old Republican politician bullshit.
Lone_Star_Dem
(28,158 posts)However, all of Bush's 170ish(?) recess appointments were not made during a pro forma session. Which leaves the matter still unresolved.
wryter2000
(46,023 posts)The thing that's different is that the D's did cooperate with him and only blocked his appointments for good reason. For example, John Bolton.
louis-t
(23,273 posts)Repukes blocking appointees has to do with scoring political points, trying to undermine the agency that the appointee will head, trying to hold the country hostage until they get some other demand satisfied..