at it's finest. Richard Shelby is putting a hold on ALL Obama nominations until he gets his pork barrel spending for his state. http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...-in-the-senate-over-al-earmarks.php?ref=fpblg Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has put an extraordinary "blanket hold" on at least 70 nominations President Obama has sent to the Senate, CongressDaily (sub. req.) reports. The hold means no nominations can move forward unless Senate Democrats can secure a 60-member cloture vote to break it, or until Shelby lifts the hold. "While holds are frequent," CongressDaily reports, "Senate aides said a blanket hold represents a far more aggressive use of the power than is normal." Shelby has been tight-lipped about the holds, offering only an unnamed spokesperson to reporters today to explain them. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid broke the news of the blanket hold this afternoon after Shelby announced it to him in a letter sent today. Reid aides told CongressDaily the hold extends to "all executive nominations on the Senate calendar." According to the report, Shelby is holding Obama's nominees hostage until a pair of lucrative programs that would send billions in taxpayer dollars to his home state get back on track. CongressDaily laid out the programs Shelby wants to move forward or else: - A $40 billion contract to build air-to-air refueling tankers. From the report: "Northrop/EADS team would build the planes in Mobile, Ala., but has threatened to pull out of the competition unless the Air Force makes changes to a draft request for proposals." - An improvised explosive device testing lab for the FBI. From CongressDaily: "[Shelby] is frustrated that the Obama administration won't build" the center, which Shelby earmarked $45 million for in 2008. The center is due to be based "at the Army's Redstone Arsenal." Though a Shelby spokesperson would not confirm that these programs were behind the blanket hold, the Senator expressed his frustration about the progress on both through a spokesperson earlier in the day, the magazine reports. Back in Alabama, the Mobile Press-Register picked up the story early this afternoon. The paper confirmed the blanket hold, and reported that a Shelby spokesperson "did not immediately respond to phone and e-mail messages seeking confirmation of the senator's action or his reason for doing so." A San Diego State University professor and "Congressional expert" told the paper "he knew of no previous use of a blanket hold" in recent history. Late Update: Federal Times offers more details on the tanker angle.
The White House should call his bluff. Make a big deal out of it from the pork angle and embarrass Shelby at every opportunity. And every time something bad happens in one of those agencies, bring up the lack of effective management resulting from the partisan pork-barrel based "blanket hold" as the cause. I guarantee you if the positions were reversed, the Republican would have no qualms about unleashing that kind of scorched earth approach. Maybe it wouldn't hurt Shelby directly, but considering the current Republican obsession with the midterms, it would tweak a whole hell of a lot of his friends and colleagues as well as the RNC leadership.
Absolutely - they should hold cloture votes and test the GOP's resolve, and accuse every GOP Senator that backs the filibuster of supporting pork-barrel spending while destroying the effectiveness of government. In particular, I would bring up the nominees that have jobs related to security and the like.
Alabama's stimulus package. Democrats don't have the cojones to run the government. No wonder they're perceived as weak in foreign policy.
What exactly can the Democrats do here? As of today, they don't have a supermajority - they can't kill a filibuster. And what on earth does this have to do with foreign policy?
This thread should have been a "fill in the blank" thread. So, "Republican Leadership is: usually horrendous." Obama has long-term vision that many do not have the patience for. I do.
They can't frame a message of the Republicans' hypocrisy and obstruction. Part of it is because they haven't enforced their caucus as tightly as Republicans have. The other part is how their late-game wheeling and dealing gets the brunt of being the "worst aspects of Congress". This overshadows their attempts to compromise, and allows people to continue to think both parties are doing it. Holds and clotures are wonkish for the average American to care about, but again, it's the Democrats inability to communicate and relate to people about the ugliness going on right now.
There's no question that my party has a communication problem right now. The congressional leadership, pardon me for saying so, sucks. The White House played the bipartisan game for far too long, playing into the hands of the GOP, but what's worse is that they haven't played hardball with their own party's leadership in Congress. The perception, framed by the GOP, is that the Democratic Party is weak. I don't think that is true, but the GOP is doing a damn good job of selling it. Past time for a little punching back, in my opinion, not only with the GOP in Congress, but with our own leadership and members. We still have a very large majority. I'm not nearly as upset about having 59 votes as some people, because I never expected us to get to 60. In fact, I'd argue that we were never at 60 in the first place. What gets done will have to be done the old fashioned way. Twisting arms, getting tough, making deals, compromising, and getting **** passed. The President needs to spend less time traveling, getting on TV, and becoming over-exposed, in my opinion. He needs to do more, privately, of what he showed the Congressional Republicans on TV recently. Leadership, intelligence, and being tough... being the guy many of us thought we were electing, but behind the scenes. I don't expect the Republicans to give the President another chance to publicly show that side of himself. Heck, I suspect that will be it for the duration of his time in office. The Congressional Republicans were made to look bad and worse than bad. They looked silly. Get on TV less, but make those appearances count, Mr. President.
It is amazing to me how well the republicans have continually made fools of themselves, hypocritically acted, or just plain shot themselves in the foot and yet... The democrats have not taken advantage. It's criminally inept. And it has to start from the top. Obama fail.
They don't have to kill the filibuster, they can simply hold the cloture votes and if the entire GOP caucus supports pork barrel spending at the expense of getting **** done, their votes will be on record and the Senators will have to defend that record in November. Make the GOP go on record, it is hard to deny votes.
What's up with Obama finally growing a pair? Is this all because of Scott "I got a truck" Brown or is David Plouffe's renewed influence the cause of all this?
Essentially he is "selling" his support. Didn't Nebraska Senator Nelson (D) effectively do the same thing with regard to health care? In essence, Nelson got some perks for Nebraska in exchange for his support.
Yes, and both parties were pretty much disgusted by that, and it's one of the major obstacles to the House passing the Senate's health bill. If they go the reconciliation route, that will be one of the things killed. So it's odd that Shelby would then do the same thing. But as others have mentioned, Dems aren't nearly as good at the political game so he gets away with it.
Nelson has since withdrawn his earmark request. Of course that was after it started to look like the bill was going to fail.
As GOP voter, I am disgusted by the behavior of these Rinos and their shady deals. They need to be shown the door regardless of the crappy excuses. Overall, the government is a mess, both parties are conducting business as usual with crooks in suits devouring the slush funds known as Stimulus and TARP. We need new leadership on both sides of the aisle, the GOP needs to comeback to honest conservative principles or will lose us forever. The Dems need to make changes as well, Reid and Pelosi have to go. Obama has to own up to this culture of corruption he let slip right under his nose.
Shelby is a RINO? Don't think so. A lot of "authentic" conservative Republicans are disgusting too. I've got news for you: As a party, the GOP will never adhere to "honest conservative principles". Some members will, but the party won't because it's just as filthy and corrupt as Dems. If you don't believe that, keep chasing your pipedream like a dog chasing it's tail. Republicans eat just as much pork as Dems. They just pretend not to enjoy it.
Seems the president had a recent meeting that caused Shelby's change of mind. Obama To McConnell: Stop The Obstruction! President Obama said tonight he went to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to say he would use recess appointments if Republican senators failed to release their holds on his nominees. Obama said he spoke to McConnell (R-KY) Tuesday about the tactics used by his caucus, leading some GOPers to release their holds.
