It was delightful this afternoon to see the beet red face of Sen. Orrin Hatch on the tube - about to pop a blood vessel- as he castigated the Democrats for using a boycott. As I wrote in three previous posts it was time for the Dems now to shake off the post-election slumber and move into permanent combat mode. No collaboration with this hoodlum administration, come hell or high water.
Their display today proved they're paying attention, if not to me then to a very energized and impatient base tired of seeing pussyfooting in place of political opposition. Hatch's hysterics are especially choice given this asshole and his Reepo pals did pretty much the same for the past 8 years. So what the fuck is wrong with Orrin? Has he got Alzheimer's or something?
To set the scene: Confirmation votes for Health and Human Services nominee Tom Price and Treasury nominee Steve Mnuchin were delayed on Tuesday morning after Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee boycotted hearings, denying the committee the necessary quorum to proceed. It was a dramatic move by the minority party to try and stall the confirmations of both Cabinet appointees.
It was just the sort of thing I had been calling for, including in a post two days ago, when I referenced a former Senate aide (Adam Jentleson) who wrote in The Washington Post ("Senate Democrats Have The Power To Stop Trump If They Use It") about procedural measures to solidly muck up the works and slow everything to a grind.
The asshole Hatch, too dumb to get it, believed it was all about "bitterness", i.e. at Trump's, Russian assisted election win, as opposed to resistance and political warfare. So no surprise the smug son of bitch from Utah was apoplectic over his colleagues’ behavior. Know what I say? Tough! Suck it up, maestro, and get used to more!
It was just the sort of thing I had been calling for, including in a post two days ago, when I referenced a former Senate aide (Adam Jentleson) who wrote in The Washington Post ("Senate Democrats Have The Power To Stop Trump If They Use It") about procedural measures to solidly muck up the works and slow everything to a grind.
The asshole Hatch, too dumb to get it, believed it was all about "bitterness", i.e. at Trump's, Russian assisted election win, as opposed to resistance and political warfare. So no surprise the smug son of bitch from Utah was apoplectic over his colleagues’ behavior. Know what I say? Tough! Suck it up, maestro, and get used to more!
“I don’t remember us treating their nominees this way. Assuming that they don’t support these two [Price and Mnuchin], then they can vote against them.”
Well, sure, that's on too, Senator. But it's also nice to fuck up your overall process and timeline as well.
The gentleman from Utah wasn’t done, bloviating:
“We’ll see if they will come and do the job that they’ve been elected and sworn to do. I’m very disappointed in this type of crap, I mean, my God, there’s no excuse for it.”
Well, there's actually plenty of excuse for it, given you and your Reepo mates are simply prepared to make a Faustian deal with Bannon and Trump to shut up, while they destroy any polity as well as the constitution. So this is a way of Senate Dems delivering a wake up call, that people are paying attention to this administration and not just to their disgusting picks. (Who I have labeled despicables)
The committee chair stood up for the honor of the nominees, saying that Democrats “really shouldn’t treat dignified people who are willing to sacrifice and serve in the government this way. … This is the most pathetic thing I’ve seen in my whole time in the United States Senate.”
Dignified people? You mean this bunch of alligators Trump and Bannon intend to now fill the D.C. swamp with? Put a sock in it, Hatch.
To drive it all home, Hatch said of the boycotting members:
“To not be here and participate, that’s a total abnegation of their duties as senators, and I think it’s pathetic.”
Think what you want you goddamned, sniffing, pompous little asshole, we on the other side thought it was great. Anything to fuck your side up since you all seem to lack the will to hold the Trump fascists to any account, so committed are you to hanging onto his coattails to get your vicious agenda through.
To be clear, Hatch's posturing and histrionics (including actually calling the Dems "idiots" for holding their ground) was a pointed attack on the asymmetric obstruction strategy traditionally employed by a true opposition party. The fact is it relies heavily on governing and institutional norms, never exceeding what the basic rules allow. So I have no remote idea why Orrin is getting his panties in a twist. Does he wish to rescind the applicable Senate rules? Does he wish to be "king" of the Senate and just order all of the opposition to do his bidding because he (or Trump) says so?
Truth be told, Hatch's spiel might have carried some righteousness and moral weight had it been delivered by anyone but Sen. Orrin Hatch. He's indisputably one of the biggest hypocrites in the Beltway. He also seems not to know, or care, that another reason for delaying the votes is to do further cross checking on the nominees (Price and Mnuchin) due to press reports that suggest both have not properly completed their conflict of interests questionnaire and been forthright on their issues. (Including Mnuchin's of a $100m account he appeared to forget. As Jim Hightower put it, "maybe it was just chump change for him)
Maybe, but I somehow doubt it.
Anyway, good work, Dems. Now keep it up. I want to see more delay tactics as well as NO votes for all of these crappers. If the Repukes want them let them vote for them. That goes for you too, Joe Manchin, on the Sessions vote!
Update:
This morning the GOP Senators declared all out political war by nixing the need for a quorum to vet nominees. They are now officially in league with the other Nazi scofflaws of the Trump administration, after gaslighting the rules of their own institution.
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