It is hard to know what is more disgraceful, why the minority chose to block Hagel or the fact that the majority has so pathetically abdicated their role by choosing to needlessly give the minority the power to do something so petty and stupid.

It’s not hard for me to know. The Democrats are the more disgraceful, as the Republicans are just acting in their normal, always disgraceful manner. That Republicans are assholes is well known. That the Democrats CHOSE to give assholes the power to block anything says more about the Democrats than it does the R’s.

And, just as a reminder, once again, the Democrats could end this TODAY. Or tomorrow. Or next week. Or anytime as long as they hold a majority AND the White House. They can end the filibuster and cloture votes for good today if they wanted to. That they don’t end it, proves that they really are in favor of the R’s blocking everything.

Unmitigated complete proof that they want the R’s to be able to block everything, yet D apologists will still insist it’s the Republicans to blame.

Pretty neat trick. Oh how I wish all of those D apologists would just look at REALITY. And the reality is the D’s could end this today if they wanted to. So if they don’t, it’s because they don’t want to.

They are only interested in being Senators.

Actually doing the work? Too risky for the continued “being a Senator”. There is a record of their choices.

I am very very tired of this self destructive behavior…very tired…just more of the same sick shit from these self centered, self destructive republican clowns…this is embarrasing……

When it comes to the GOP obstruction, recall the scorpion, midstream: “it’s in my nature,” he said as he stung the frog getting him across. They both died.

The fault isn’t in the Senate, but Senators, specifically the Senators who chose Harry Reid to lead them. His gentlemens agreement with Mitch McConnell failed spectacularly, as he ignored his own caucus-members he knew were right about the filibuster! Harry Reid should probably resign as Majority Leader, over Hagel.

Unless…. the Senate runs exactly as the Majority wants it to.

So?

You do not much care for Rule XXII, Jon?

Here it is, the “official glossary”, in black and white … and red, with a bit of blue around the edges:

http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/cloture.htm

Look at all the terms, the limits, the built-in idiocy.

Remember however, it takes two parties to “tango” this way … the legacy parties … the only parties which get any “substantive” media “coverage”, indeed, the only two parties allowed to “play” …

By now everyone must realize that there is something terribly wrong, and it goes far beyond “cloture”, it goes to money, to “special interests”, and to the “legal” bribery of “lobbyists”, the “revolving door” … and so much more.

Yes, “Every Day the Senate Gets More Idiotic …”

“Things” may well be idiotic, but who is it that are expected to be the fooled fools?

What do you suppose is THE question which that assertion, that fact, MUST raise in the minds of all who care, all who have a “stake” in this purported democracy?

We can, without doubt, “look forward” to more of the same … MUCH more of the same … unless …?

Ah, well …

There are ONLY two parties, both of them, as one, doing exactly the same damned thing, protecting the status quo, protecting the wealthy and politically powerful (even to the extent of destroying the Rule of Law to do so), and shilling for perpetual war, while insisting upon …wait for it … “austerity” … for the many.

Oh, and all members of both parties want to evade ANY responsibility, want the people to “believe” that “the other guys are to blame” …

But, then, Jon, you already know all of these things.

Thank you for covering the outrages … while the outrageous cover their asses (or elephants).

Eventually some “patterns” of behavior may emerge, and possibly, the people will realize that any meaningful change is up to them …

In the meantime, and it will be a very mean time, let us lower our opinions incrementally and most patiently, that the political class becomes neither upset nor dethroned.

Can’t have that.

DW

Republicans vote to block a republican nominee to an important post in a Democratic Administration.

And the Democratic majority lets them do it.

Hard to tell where the dumbass trophy should go this week.

Even some conservatives are disgusted by the GOP/Hagel Senate idiocy:

FROM:http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/senate-republicans-make-a-spectacle-of-themselves/

Money quote:

“The impressive thing about the anti-Hagel effort is how politically tone-deaf it is. It’s not just that their opposition is misguided, but they stand to gain nothing from it. No one outside of a small core of hard-liners sympathizes with what Senate Republicans are doing. While they may not be losing any votes over this, they are making sure that all of the moderates, independents, and realists that they have alienated over the last ten years will keep running away from them. Except for dedicated partisans, no one can look at the display most Senate Republicans have put on over the last eight weeks and conclude that these people should be in the majority.”

Tit, meet tat.

Dirk Kempthorne didn’t have anything to do with public land sales in Southern Nevada, either. But, Reid supported a filibuster of Kempthorne’s nomination as secretary of the interior until the administration agreed to redirect funds to Reid’s home state of Nevada.

“I said before that I couldn’t support Governor Kempthorne’s nomination unless we could come to an agreement about key public land issues,” Reid, who was the Senate minority leader at the time, said in a statement. When the Bush administration acceded to Reid’s demands, he backed off and helped clear the way for the nomination, which was approved unanimously.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-27-Sat-2006/news/7647637.html

not advising or consenting. childish grudge-settling and political hostage taking

May, 2005.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist comes out and says if the Democrats don’t quit blocking the votes on Bush’s judicial nominations, he’ll invoke the “nuclear option” where only a simple majority is needed.

February, 2013.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid comes out and chirp, chirp, chirp.

And we Democrats wonder why there’s a problem.

We won’t vote for the Republicans and the Democrats who do get elected won’t stand up to/for anything.

“… they wanted to make the White House do something about a completely unrelated matter. This is not advising or consenting. This is childish grudge-settl;ing and political hostage taking.”

No, it’s hardball. And until Democrats learn how to play it, they will remain chumps/complicit – pick your interpretation.

While I’m not a personal fan of Hagel, Obama did win re-election and is entitled to choose people to run the executive branch he heads. The Senate morally is obligated to let him create a functional government as long as he appoints qualified people.

If Hagel was unqualified, possibly involved in scandal, determined to have committed a crime, or even if senators were not given enough time to vet Hagel, blocking his nomination might be reasonable.

By the same token, then, you’d advocate for John Brennan’s confirmation?

There’s no “moral obligation” clause in the Constitution, just as there’s no filibuster in there. The Senate is free to do as it wishes; it doesn’t have to kowtow to the Executive Branch.

something so petty

Whole dust-up seems petty and trivial in our neo-fascist world. DOD can go on droning and instigating new conflicts as they wish just fine without a new CEO. Probably makes things easier for them in fact with the spotlight on the dysfunctional (as the PTBs obviously like it) Senate.

Never forget:
1. Senate Democrats are the most timorous creatures in the animal kingdom.
2. Barack Obama is an alumnus of the Senate Democrats.

One of the funniest political cartoons I saw came out in 2010. It was a basketball scoreboard that read Democrats 59, Republicans 41. The possession arrow, marked “Party in Power,” pointed to the Republicans.

Congress has both a moral obligation as well as a Constitutional obligation to exercise oversight over the Executive branch. As it stands now Congress is too much of a lapdog for the Imperial Presidency. Being in Congress is not about being in a sinecure position where you get paid a six figure salary rubber-stamp whatever the White House, particularly when your duties are expressly not to do that in the Constitution.

I keep thinking it can’t get worse. Oh.
What did Mark Twain say: “Suppose you were a member of Congress, and suppose you were an idiot. But I repeat myself.”
Reid is so totally inept that it defies description, and he’s their chosen leader. Really! It is mind boggling that his colleagues think so much of him — or that there are so many with less character and judgment. Hard to believe that there is any body of people anywhere so empty of substance. Can approval ratings actually become negative? If it’s possible, then U.S. politicians will find a way.

Well, let me say this about that…..the republicans KNOW what they want to do and they DO IT, predictably.

The democrate are still useless and clueless in my estimation. They either never have a plan or have one that is destined to fail.

Therefore, my vote goes thte dimocrats.

I keep thinking it can’t get worse

Me too. But every time I raise the “stupid bar” our friggin’ legislaturds clear it by 6 inches.

We need to have citizen-initiated measures, in those states that allow them, calling on the legislature of each such state, to make an “Application” to Congress (no more detailed definition is supplied) as specified in USConst Art V, wherein said Application calls for a Constitutional Convention (ibid.) to pass an amendment deleting the U.S. Senate.

While such a bomb would be thrown far past the future of any sitting Senator, I think it would wake up more than a few politicos.

This whole problem is the fault of Harry Reid and the deal he cut on filibuster. Hagel should just drop it and tell Obama to find someone else.

As the Republican Party continues to drive government into the abyss, it’s hard not to think that “Republican Patriot” is an oxymoron.

While I very largely agree with you about the disfunctionalism of the Senate I was pretty surprised when you said, “If Hagel was unqualified”.

Just what qualifications DOES he have?