One lone GOP Senator has placed a blanket hold of all of Obama’s appointees. The reason for it will disgust you. Now, what will the Nevada Leg Hound, Harry Reid, do?
Sen. Shelby of Alabama has done us all a favor through his brazen attempt to extort the Obama Administration by placing a hold on 70 critical appointees simply to obtain some financial pork for his state and key contributors.
It was no accident that the extortion happened on the first day of the new Senate – one with 41 Republicans. The filibuster proof Republican minority. It was the equivalent of a Dick Cheney F*ck You.
If anyone had any doubts whatsoever about the Republican minority feelings it’s oats and wanting to exercise power as if it were in the majority, I hope they are gone. Sen. DeMint’s reference earlier to making health care into President Obama’s Waterloo now seems almost quaint. How is this behavior not seen as treasonous by the press?
The question now has literally nothing to do with Shelby. One might have thought he would be ashamed, or that his peers would call him out. This is clearly not the case.
From my point of view, Sen. Shelby should surely be censured by the Senate for depriving the nation of much need talent. Can a censure resolution be filibustered?
The question now falls to Sen. Reid. He can continue to recognize the hold, although he has full discretion not to do so. Instead, he could publicize it, go on television to denounce the audacious selfishness of it, and ignore it. This would force Shelby and his compatriots to filibuster the 70 public servants in waiting, preferably on CSPAN.
The very worst reaction would be to honor the hold and to negotiate with Sen. Shelby in any way over his demands…. [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Huffington Post>
To give you some background, According to TPM,Shelby got a $45 million earmark for a federal IED lab in Mobile. Obama decided not to build it. I think Obama’s decision is a good one, because US forces have encountered IEDs primarily in Iraq. That war is winding down, so building the lab would be counterproductive. In the process, it deprived Shelby a major slap of pork, and he wants it back. I understand that he is claiming it’s needed to fight terrorism, but it’s clearly just a vehicle to transfer wealth from taxpayers to contractors in return for their support for Shelby.
Now you know the rest of the story.
Rachel Maddow covered this one quite well:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
So the question remains, what will Leg Hound Harry do? Were I a betting man, I’d put my money on the worst reaction: to hump the GOP leg, honor the hold, and negotiate with Shelby until he is sated with pork at taxpayer expense.
13 Responses to “Will Reid Take on Shelby?”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I hope the good people of Alabama vote him out of office. Clearly, this is one of the many things that's wrong with Washington, and we have NO hope of fixing anything as long as this sort of thing continues. The problem is that most people just accept this sort of behavior as "politics as usual." It has to stop, and it's up to the voters to stop it!
Just keep dumping snow on all of them. Wait for Reid to call a recess and get the presidential appointment paperwork ready.
What does Reid have to lose? His seat? That's gone. I can't figure him out. Even Poodles have spine.
Welcome, Mike. I agree completely. Should you return, and if you have a blog, let us know where to find you.
Mark, it may come to that. I remember how we screamed over Bush's interim appointments, but Democrats only filibustered his most extreme ideologues, not everyone.
Vig, you have a point. I intended no disrespect for the poodle.
I like the poodle. Reid, not so much. Shelby will die in office. Reid will lose his office. That's the story, sad but true.
Mike, I agree. I only hope Reid loses in the primary.
I have my issues with Reid as well, but at the risk of being scalped, I think we have to remember that he doesn't act alone.
Don't know if Shelby is up for re-election? Might be something to rile up the home folks in his favor;man's a Dixiecrat and they love useless gestures and losing struggles.
This Shelby incident shows for once and for all that the teabirthers don't give a flying F$%# about government spending or earmarks or any of the other issues they keep shouting about. Shelby is pulling this stunt so he can bring more pork to his district — that's exactly what the teaparty inbreds claim they're fighting against.
Apparently not.
CREDO is putting out the word. A petition is circulating to Reid telling him to muzzle this dog.
Marva: I received their email and of course signed.
Oddly prescient of Obama in his State of the Union speech to almost predict these hijinks.
You're right, Tnlib. Nevertheless, his job is to lead, and he's leading to the rear.
Oso, it seems to be OK with them when their leaders do it.
Tom, that's it. Pure hypocrites.
Marva, I received and signed it.
He did, Ivan, but it was easy to see it coming.