White House photo
President Obama with his cabinet in 2009.
At a certain level, Senate Republicans huffing and puffing about President Obama's recent nominations seems irrelevant, since the GOP has a 45-seat minority. Unless Republicans intend to start filibustering qualified nominees -- a step without precedent in American history -- it's pretty likely the president will be able to pick the members of his own team.
And yet, the aggressive posturing continues. Republicans killed Susan Rice's nomination before it even happened, based on nothing but misplaced spite. They started trying to crush Jack Lew's nomination yesterday and Chuck Hagel's nomination last week. And don't even get me started on Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) tantrum on John Brennan's CIA nomination.
There is, however, an unintended consequence to all of this chest-thumping: Republicans are making an excellent case for filibuster reform, just as Senate Democrats have to decide on how best to proceed. Jonathan Bernstein had a good piece on this.
Political scientist Stephen Smith made a good point today: Republican knee-jerk opposition to Barack Obama’s Cabinet picks may well push reluctant Democrats to embrace stronger Senate reform. [...]
[A]ll Republicans are doing by threatening to block nomination after nomination is making it more likely that swing Democratic senators will realize that the current rules just aren't working. Overall, filibuster reform is badly needed, and there are some good ideas out there to solve a fairly difficult problem. But on executive branch nominations, reform is urgent, and easy.
When it comes to legislation, filibuster reform is far less urgent -- allowing Senate Democrats to pass bills that will quickly die in a GOP-led House is unappealing. But when it comes to confirming qualified nominees that Republicans oppose for nonsensical reasons, filibuster reform starts to look increasingly important.
GOP senators probably didn't intend to help make the case for procedural changes, but they're helping make the reformers' case for them.
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I suggest the first step Harry Reid can take to stay away from the root canal comparison is to embrace Merkley's bill and get it passed by simple majority pronto! -Kevo
Kick the GOP/Pea Brain Party into submission. They like attacks, do it to them. They need a taste of their own medicine.
I still suggest to Reid that the simple reform he needs to make is --
to allow a simple majority vote to change the rules at any time for the next 2 years.
Get away from a repeat of the situation wherein it is too late to change things when the Repubs go back on their word and continue to block things they promised that they would NOT block.
Anytime the Repubs get out of control, he can just call for a vote to change the rules. I hope that a majority would be willing to take the slight risk that the Repubs will not change the rules anyway the 1st time they have a majority at the start of a secession.
Will Senate Rules allow for fillibuster reform on cabinet nominations alone? That seems to be a good place to start, and some republicans, those in remission from collective psychotic episodes, might go along with that limited reform.
There are still too many Dems who fear what fillibuster reform might do when they're in the minority. We need them to remember that they're supposed to work for us and our welfare by governing.
How 'bout nominees in general? How many Senate-approval-required positions are unfilled?
Filibuster reform has to include up-or-down votes on all Executive branch and judicial nominees, eliminating the minority's stranglehold on those nominations, if those reforms are going to be worth anything at all.
If there is ever a Republican minority willing to take an unprecedented step and filibuster a presidential nominee, it's this bunch. I would put NOTHING past Lindsay Graham, Rand (barf) Paul, and the new Texan Ted Cruz shows promise too. It's a no brainer Democrats, for crying out loud.
Dems need to watch out. When the Republican administrations roll around, they may wish for the ole filibuster to have remained. It is because they are in power now that they want change.
I'll find that argument convincing when there's some actual evidence that "reluctant Democratic Senators" are finding it convincing. If they're still so wedded to their own privileges--or perhaps to an ideal of Senate comity and clubbiness that's been deader than Julius Caesar for a decade--that they oppose filibuster reform after the last four years, how can you expect a little thing like obstruction of cabinet nominees for no reason other than Republicans haz a sad that that mean Obama won't nominate John Bolton and Jim DeMint to affect their opinion?
Caligula's Horse would elevate the collective IQ of the Senate by 50 points, regardless of which party it represented.
Up next: Chuck Hagel is a dirty hippie and why Lindsey Graham is really, really straight.
"And yet, the aggressive posturing continues. Republicans killed Susan Rice's nomination before it even happened, based on nothing but misplaced spite."
That is incorrect. Rice's nomination couldn't have been killed without Obamian cowardice. Ever need somebody in the fox-hole of life with you? Well, you don't want President Mammoth Cave in there with you.
Hey, let's have no insults of Mammoth Cave! What has Mammoth Cave done to deserve this?
Executive Branch appointments should get an up-or-down vote within 60 days of being formally submitted to the Senate, with failure to conduct such a vote to be defined as Senate consent to the nomination.
The Senate rules should be changed to reflect this, and this should include giving the President-elect the ability to formally submit nominees before his inauguration, to start the clock ticking, so that much of a new President's Cabinet can take office at the same time as the President does.
Sixty days is plenty of time for a Senator's staff to dig into the background of a nominee if they're concerned about actual qualifications, positions, etc. Anything more than that is delay for the sake of delay.
To be honest, I don't know why the legislative branch is poking its nose into administrative branch business. If anything, the senate should only have the option of rejecting cabinet appointments (much as impeachment) with a two thirds vote, and only for something like malfeasance.
The GOP is just continuing the only strategy it's got: bullying. Trying to get Obama to back down. I doubt he will. As far as Rice was concerned I was never sure she was his real pick to begin with.
Nevertheless, there is a motive behind the GOP furor and it's what Rachel picked up a couple of night ago: the nominees Kerry and Hagel are Vietnam veterans, one of them was a regular soldier and not an officer. The Vietnam generation has been almost completely skipped over as far as leadership in this country goes: the powers that be have maintained their fear of those of us who went through the era and who did not come out like Cheney and his nasty wife: hating those who protested the war and vehemently leading us into more wars.
I say good for Obama on this score alone, and I am pretty sure he won't kowtow to the bullying of the eternal chicken hawks known as the GOP.
the best/dumbest thing i heard about last month was mitch mconnell filibustering his own bill. can't we just impeach him or throw him out or tar and feather him?
...and some Taliban/Teaparty fembot disparaged Mr. Obama on CBS this morning for a cabinet with too little diversity. He can't nominate Ms. Rice, but if he doesn't, he's sexist and racist. More smoke and mirrors by the group who want you to not notice the old snake oil salesman behind the curtain. Against stupidity, the gods themselves strive in vain.
This is why Obama should have simply gone ahead and nominated Susan Rice. His capitulation to idiots like Graham and McCain set the stage for attacks on Hagel, Lew and anyone else Obama nominates for a high level post requiring Senate confirmation.
The perception if unbalance is easy to solve and it involves making appointments he should be making anyway!
Chief of Staff
> Valerie Jarrett
Nat Sec Adv
> Susan Rice
US Amb to UN
> Michelle Fournoy
What great appointments!!
Why not leave Susan Rice where she is (unless she wants to change jobs) and make Flournoy National Security Advisor, a post which makes better use of her knowledge of the Defense Department?
Michelle Flournoy? The last thing we need is another inmate of Versailles on the Potomac rising to the top.
Hmmm.
Why don't any of Obama's friends want to stick around for another 4 years? Guess, like America, they've had enough!