Shelby Blocks All Obama Nominations In The Senate Over Alabama Earmarks "Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has put an extraordinary 'blanket hold' on at least 70 nominations President Obama has sent to the Senate, according to multiple reports this evening. 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."
"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." One is "a $40 billion contract to build air-to-air refueling tankers" the other, "an improvised explosive device testing lab for the FBI...which Shelby earmarked $45 million for in 2008".
There you go, a Republican blocking 70 appointees unless he gets his pork for his state. Don't tell me they're trying to be bipartisan. And it's not just one lone Republican, the leadership is doing anything about it. "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office first doubted the story was true. Later, after Shelby confirmed it, McConnell's office refused to talk about the holds."
4 comments:
Makes me wonder why isn't someone from the Obama administration on every talk show, every newscast, at every press conference screaming bloody murder about this, and calling out the republicans for being obstructionist on national security and for being big-pork spending budget busters?
What am I missing?
TT
The only thing I can think of is that doing so would make him look just as partisan. If he can have the media do it, then it gets out there just the same with no tint on him. Then again, the Dems don't have the media amplifier that the Reps do.
I like an idea that I heard recently regarding the new stimulus bill. If you, as a representative or senator vote against it, then if it is passed, your district or state doesn't get any of the money.
Kind of an interesting chess move. Let's see how many budget hawks hold their ground without any "pork" to show the folks back home.
TT
Democrats need to get James Carville back on the tube. He would carve Shelby to pieces on this and a hundred other issues, in a folksy, down-home southern, non-elitist way that lots of regular people can identify with.
Democrats and Progressives really need to stand up to this type of classic Republican hypocrisy in a way that average citizens can understand and respect.
TT
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