Sen. Shelby's "Blanket Hold"

B

Bonestorm

Thrillhouse
I think we can all agree that this is bullshit:

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) on Thursday placed a blanket hold on all of President Barack Obama's nominees before the Senate, according to his spokesman.

Shelby's holds mean that the Senate cannot vote on a nominee unless the hold is broken using a cloture vote that requires 60 senators or if the senator lifts the hold.

A spokeswoman for Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) office said that regardless of his concern, Shelby should not put a hold on more than 70 nominees over a parochial issue.

The ranking Republican applied the holds because of a dispute over a contract to build Air Force refueling tankers. The original deal was awarded to Northrop Grumman, which would have constructed the planes in Mobile, Ala.

[snip]

Shelby is also not happy with the Obama administration's decision to hold back funding for an FBI facility in Alabama dedicated to research on explosives used by terrorists.
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Under the current state of affairs, it's easier for a President to unilaterally launch a war than it is for him to get his personnel in place.


http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...-shelby-places-blanket-hold-on-obama-nominees
 
A bit of overkill because he is upset that his ear marks aren't getting fed enough. Yeah, if I were an R Senator I might help with the cloture on this one.
 
Damocles said:
A bit of overkill because he is upset that his ear marks aren't getting fed enough. Yeah, if I were an R Senator I might help with the cloture on this one.
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A "bit of overkill?" That's quite an understatement. The sheer number of holds placed by Republican Senators before this one was "overkill." This "blanket hold" is just plain bullshit.

And the trouble with the blanket hold is that it doesn't take just one cloture vote to get over it. You have to invoke cloture on each appointee that it applies to. Basically, in order to have anyone appointed the Senate has to go through the entire cloture vote process which takes time even if cloture is invoked.
 
NigelTufnel said:
A "bit of overkill?" That's quite an understatement. The sheer number of holds placed by Republican Senators before this one was "overkill." This "blanket hold" is just plain bullshit.

And the trouble with the blanket hold is that it doesn't take just one cloture vote to get over it. You have to invoke cloture on each appointee that it applies to. Basically, in order to have anyone appointed the Senate has to go through the entire cloture vote process which takes time even if cloture is invoked.
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Yes, quite. I like understatement.
 
Jarod said:
He likes understatement when it comes to negative things about Republicans.
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I like it pretty much all the time.

I like to use both understatement and hyperbole depending on the current mood. I think this guy will be told to back off by the party, it is simply too much to "punish" the administration for not funding your ear marks enough. If he doesn't I think that cloture will be reached rather easily for each of these nominations.
 
Damocles said:
I like it pretty much all the time.

I like to use both understatement and hyperbole depending on the current mood. I think this guy will be told to back off by the party, it is simply too much to "punish" the administration for not funding your ear marks enough. If he doesn't I think that cloture will be reached rather easily for each of these nominations.
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While cloture may be reached, Shelby could personally drag out the process to take days for each of the nominees when they should really take no time at all.
 
Damocles said:
I like it pretty much all the time.

I like to use both understatement and hyperbole depending on the current mood. I think this guy will be told to back off by the party, it is simply too much to "punish" the administration for not funding your ear marks enough. If he doesn't I think that cloture will be reached rather easily for each of these nominations.
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I hope the voters throw him out!
 
NigelTufnel said:
While cloture may be reached, Shelby could personally drag out the process to take days for each of the nominees when they should really take no time at all.
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I understand. Which is why I believe that the party will tell him to back off. No ear mark is this important. As for Jarod's hope, I think that won't happen. His constituency wants those jobs.
 
Damocles said:
I understand. Which is why I believe that the party will tell him to back off. No ear mark is this important. As for Jarod's hope, I think that won't happen. His constituency wants those jobs.
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His constituency are uneducated jerks. (for the most part)
 
Damocles said:
All constituencies generally are. Most people vote entirely unaware of the depth of understanding we put into politics here.
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I lived in Alabama for four years, his in particular are particularly uneducated jerks.
 
Damocles said:
I understand. Which is why I believe that the party will tell him to back off. No ear mark is this important. As for Jarod's hope, I think that won't happen. His constituency wants those jobs.
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What jobs? Senator Shelby will the first to tell you that the government doesn't create jobs, the private sector does. Well, he does when he is opposing Obama's jobs bill. But when it comes to the government pumping money into Alabama I guess he sings a different tune.

Wingnut talking points collide.
 
NigelTufnel said:
What jobs? Senator Shelby will the first to tell you that the government doesn't create jobs, the private sector does. Well, he does when he is opposing Obama's jobs bill. But when it comes to the government pumping money into Alabama I guess he sings a different tune.

Wingnut talking points collide.
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Do you have a quote of Shelby saying that government jobs aren't jobs? An economy can't be built solely on government jobs without collapsing on itself eventually, but that doesn't change that they are jobs.

Basically, what I am saying is that Jarod's hope will be unfulfilled because his constituency sees him "battling for" them, however much you think there might be a dichotomy of belief that will be the result directly within his state. Now. Whether you think he's got some hypocritical beliefs on the economy is actually rather irrelevant to that.
 
Damocles said:
Do you have a quote of Shelby saying that government jobs aren't jobs? An economy can't be built solely on government jobs without collapsing on itself eventually, but that doesn't change that they are jobs.

Basically, what I am saying is that Jarod's hope will be unfulfilled because his constituency sees him "battling for" them, however much you think there might be a dichotomy of belief that will be the result directly within his state. Now. Whether you think he's got some hypocritical beliefs on the economy is actually rather irrelevant to that.
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Here:

MOBILE, Alabama - Alabama's senior senator says the national deficit is the biggest challenge facing America.

"It effects every man, woman and child in Mobile," said Sen. Richard Shelby, speaking to a crowd of business leaders. "I don't believe we can borrow our way to prosperity. I don't believe we should saddle not only ourselves but our children and grandchildren with such a debt."

Shelby made the remarks at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast the same day President Barack Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget. The budget, which reportedly includes a $100 billion jobs package, is expected to add $8.3 trillion to the national debt, according to the Washington Post.

"The government can not create jobs. If they do create jobs with a stimulus here and a stimulus there they are short lived," said Shelby who insits lawmakers should focus on creating conditions for the free market to work. "Good tax conditions, good banking system, a good regulatory system that doesn't over regulate the economy," said Shelby.
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I don't disagree with you that his constituents may well like that he is trying to get some pork for Alabama. I was merely pointing out the Shelby is an hypocritical shithead. Or an idiot. Or both.


http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article...n_not_create_jobs/694034/Feb-01-2010_6-41-pm/
 
NigelTufnel said:
Here:




I don't disagree with you that his constituents may well like that he is trying to get some pork for Alabama. I was merely pointing out the Shelby is an hypocritical shithead. Or an idiot. Or both.


http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article...n_not_create_jobs/694034/Feb-01-2010_6-41-pm/
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Works for me. That was my only real point there, his constituency is unlikely to vote him out when he is "fighting for" them, even if it does seem dichromatic to us.

I would have said something like, "A recovery can't be built on government jobs alone because over time it will collapse on itself." Mostly because it is silly to say that all government jobs are "short-lived" or somehow "not" jobs.
 
NigelTufnel said:
I think we can all agree that this is bullshit:




Under the current state of affairs, it's easier for a President to unilaterally launch a war than it is for him to get his personnel in place.


http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...-shelby-places-blanket-hold-on-obama-nominees
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the bolded part is the bullshit. Federal Bench seats do not belong to the president and they are not 'his' personnel. Those seats belong to us, the people. As far as I'm concerned, this hold can stay in place for the next 4 years.
 
Sessions has officially set a precedent now. Blanket holds are going to get as common as night and day.

He's forced our hand. We're going to have to set amount of votes required for cloture to fifty.
 
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