Hissy fit alert. The left-wing blogs are screaming in perfect harmony about bad, bad, bad Richard Shelby of Alabama (R-of course), who put a hold on the entire government.
That’s not quite clear at this point, it appears that Shelby used a longstanding Senate mechanism to put a “hold” on numerous Obama appointees (Shelby says several, the blogosphere says 70 or more).
We must stop this Senate with all its rules and procedures and customs and practices, they say. Government can’t function this way. Shelby has “shut down” the government, OMG.
Except that he hasn’t. Just as there are rules to place a “hold” on nominees, there are rules to remove that hold. The Democrats just don’t want to follow those rules.
I’m not in favor of pork-barrel politics, but it’s all the Democrats have been about this year. Democrats have no standing to cry foul. Which is another way of saying, what goes around comes around.
For the past year the Democrats in the Senate connived and schemed to shut Republicans out of all major pieces of legislation, and are conniving right now to figure out a way around the Senate filibuster rule to pass the abominable health care plan. Using those quirky, pesky Senate rules.
The same set of rules Democrats invoked when they almost sparked a constitutional crisis a year ago by initially refusing to seat the duly appointed Roland Burris.
I guess some Senate rules are more equal than others.
It may be that the administration has to engage in dialogue with Republicans, rather than dictation. A little give and take, not just give and not just take.
That is how these rules developed over the decades, to ensure a balance of power lacking in other parts of the government. Deal with it, now that Scott is in town.
This is one big waaah from people who thought they were omnipotent, but have been brought back down to earth. And what a long, strange trip it’s been.
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Can Senate Republicans Refuse To Seat Any New Democratic Senators?
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