Shelby puts blanket hold on all Obama's nominees -- Where are all the teabaggers now?

[2Xtreme21]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...ominations-in-the-senate-over-al-earmarks.php

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.

"While holds are frequent," CongressDaily's Dan Friedman and Megan Scully report (sub. req.), "Senate aides said a blanket hold represents a far more aggressive use of the power than is normal."

The Mobile Press-Register picked up the story early this afternoon. The paper confirmed Reid's account of the 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."
Shelby has been tight-lipped about the holds, offering only an unnamed spokesperson to reporters today to explain them. Aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid broke the news of the blanket hold this afternoon. 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. The two programs Shelby wants to move forward or else:

- A $40 billion contract to build air-to-air refueling tankers. From CongressDaily: "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." Federal Times offers more details on the tanker deal, and also confirms its connection to the hold.

- 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 to both CongressDaily and the Federal Times.

A San Diego State University professor and Congressional expert told the Mobile paper "he knew of no previous use of a blanket hold" in recent history.

Where's the outrage against this? This scum-of-the-earth is holding our federal government hostage because he can't get $40.5 billion worth of pork??? Again, this just furthers my point that the GOP is completely out of touch with reality.

 

[PokerGuy]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...ominations-in-the-senate-over-al-earmarks.php
Where's the outrage against this? This scum-of-the-earth is holding our federal government hostage because he can't get $40.5 billion worth of pork??? Again, this just furthers my point that the GOP is completely out of touch with reality.

Well, as long as he's putting a hold on Obama nominees he's protecting our country. He's doing the right thing for the wrong reason.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Well, as long as he's putting a hold on Obama nominees he's protecting our country. He's doing the right thing for the wrong reason.

?? How? You'd rather have no head of TSA, etc.? Thought you neo-cons were all about national security.

 

[Bowfinger]

Well, as long as he's putting a hold on Obama nominees he's protecting our country. He's doing the right thing for the wrong reason.

Thank you for a perfect example of the petty, fuck-America partisanship that is steadily destroying this country. Ignorant, hate-filled tools who care only for "their" party. /spit

 

[KMFJD]

Thank you for a perfect example of the petty, fuck-America partisanship that is steadily destroying this country. Ignorant, hate-filled tools who care only for "their" party. /spit

damn and i was always told

 

[Taejin]

are you a moron or just being obtuse? dissent has to be intelligent, the sack of shit pokerguy is spewing is about as intelligent as his mud-chewing ancestors

 

[highland145]

Had to make a couple of calls to find out how he, in the minority party, could even do this "blanket hold". Appears any senator can. Usually for a delay to do more background on the nominee. Looks like it could easily cut both ways in the future.

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

Where's the outrage against this? This scum-of-the-earth is holding our federal government hostage because he can't get $40.5 billion worth of pork??? Again, this just furthers my point that the GOP is completely out of touch with reality.

Rescinded.

 

[Robor]

It's fvcking shocking to see the righties stammer to defend this while whining about how long it took to seat Brown. Fvcking hacks.

 

[Pneumothorax]

?? How? You'd rather have no head of TSA, etc.? Thought you neo-cons were all about national security.

Well, if he can keep f-tards like Janet Napolitano from office, then more power to him!

 

[Atreus21]

are you a moron or just being obtuse? dissent has to be from my party, the sack of shit pokerguy is spewing is about as intelligent as his mud-chewing ancestors

Fixed.

 

[EagleKeeper]

?? How? You'd rather have no head of TSA, etc.? Thought you neo-cons were all about national security.

Given the mess that that TSA is doing; it may be a good thing.

 

[EagleKeeper]

The first item - the tankers - is a propoasl, not a contract.
The second item - what is the FBI's take on i?. If the funding wa already in place - why has it not gone forward?

 

[Jhhnn]

Baseless speculation is baseless. I'm surprised this hit-piece didn't come from the HuffPo or the DailyKos.

The blanket hold itself is quite real, and unconscionable on its face. Shelby and the senatorial minority are holding the nation's affairs hostage to their own desires.

The reasons for it are immaterial.

 

[Genx87]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...ominations-in-the-senate-over-al-earmarks.php



Where's the outrage against this? This scum-of-the-earth is holding our federal government hostage because he can't get $40.5 billion worth of pork??? Again, this just furthers my point that the GOP is completely out of touch with reality.

Where was your outrage when Bush nominations were under threat of filibuster?
Lets put this faux outrage back in its padded room.

 

[Robor]

Where was your outrage when Bush nominations were under threat of filibuster?
Lets put this faux outrage back in its padded room.

Does GWB pay you to defend his legacy? Sheez...

 

[Jhhnn]

Where was your outrage when Bush nominations were under threat of filibuster?
Lets put this faux outrage back in its padded room.

That was wrt a few judicial nominees, iirc. At the point the fracas broke out, Dems had confirmed nearly 200 judicial nominees, blocked only those few (8?) they regarded as ideological hacks.

Late in Clinton's term, Orrin Hatch went so far as simply refusing to convene the Judiciary committee so as to block Clinton nominees. He set the stage for Bush to pack the Judiciary with cronies.

Standard false equivalency argument/ convenient memory exploit from the rightwing- not surprising.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Where was your outrage when Bush nominations were under threat of filibuster?
Lets put this faux outrage back in its padded room.

In the words of your people-- "bu-bu-bu-but Booooosh!!!11"

 

[Bowfinger]

Where was your outrage when Bush nominations were under threat of filibuster?
Lets put this faux outrage back in its padded room.

If the Dems had tried this kind of blanket obstructionism you would have a point, and I would have agreed with you. As far as I can remember, however, the Dems only blocked specific nominations and did so for specific reasons. This is truly outrageous, not faux-outrageous.

 

[Genx87]

Does GWB pay you to defend his legacy? Sheez...

In what way was I defending GWB with that response?

 

[Genx87]

If the Dems had tried this kind of blanket obstructionism you would have a point, and I would have agreed with you. As far as I can remember, however, the Dems only blocked specific nominations and did so for specific reasons. This is truly outrageous, not faux-outrageous.

They blocked a lot of nominations. More than a select few. They also dragged the process out where in Bush's first term he had dozens if not close to hundreds of nominations still waiting to be processed.

That is why I laugh my ass off at these hacks like the OP who are whining now when the tables have turned.

 

[2Xtreme21]

They blocked a lot of nominations. More than a select few. They also dragged the process out where in Bush's first term he had dozens if not close to hundreds of nominations still waiting to be processed.

That is why I laugh my ass off at these hacks like the OP who are whining now when the tables have turned.

You laugh your ass off when an immature fucktard in congress decides to put a hold on all government process because he wants money for pork projects?

And you call yourself a patriot.

 

[xchangx]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...ominations-in-the-senate-over-al-earmarks.php



Where's the outrage against this? This scum-of-the-earth is holding our federal government hostage because he can't get $40.5 billion worth of pork??? Again, this just furthers my point that the GOP is completely out of touch with reality.

Not completely sure about the details behind the blanket, but the EADS contract is not pork. Alabama was awarded the contract a few years ago and the city of Mobile began development of land and buildings only to be told that the contract they were awarded no longer mattered.

 

[Jhhnn]

They blocked a lot of nominations. More than a select few. They also dragged the process out where in Bush's first term he had dozens if not close to hundreds of nominations still waiting to be processed.

That is why I laugh my ass off at these hacks like the OP who are whining now when the tables have turned.

*Citation needed* Mere assertion is not fact.

 

[Bowfinger]

They blocked a lot of nominations. More than a select few. They also dragged the process out where in Bush's first term he had dozens if not close to hundreds of nominations still waiting to be processed.

That is why I laugh my ass off at these hacks like the OP who are whining now when the tables have turned.

That's an interesting claim. If you can document anything that is even close to the scale of Shelby's obstructionism I will concede the point. As it stands, you're comparing mountains to molehills.