Honestly, these Republicans disgust me. They really do. The fact that they obstructed filling so many positions (just as they did with Clinton) shows what an amoral bunch they are. Steve Benen:
“Obstructing a nominee as well qualified as Peter in a time of economic crisis is a harmful attempt to score political points that hurts our middle class and our broader economic recovery,” Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said in a statement.
Mr. Obama issued a separate statement congratulating Mr. Diamond and pointing out his expertise in unemployment and housing. “I hope he will be confirmed by the Senate as quickly as possible,” Mr. Obama said.
Even now, that appears exceedingly unlikely. In a statement, Shelby said he just doesn’t care: “While the Nobel Prize for Economics is a significant recognition, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences does not determine who is qualified to serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.”
That’s true, of course; the Nobel committee is not responsible for determining who’s qualified to serve. But it’s worth emphasizing a little detail Shelby may have forgotten — that responsibility rests with the U.S. Senate, not one conservative member.
Diamond’s nomination has been pending since April, and in case Shelby’s forgotten, we’re facing some difficult economic times and could use a functioning Fed. The nomination has cleared committee, is ready for a floor vote, and if Shelby opposes Diamond, he can vote against him.
But in 2010, that’s no longer good enough. Shelby has decided one of the nation’s most accomplished economists, a celebrated expert in employment policy, not only failed to earn his support, but is so offensive to Shelby’s far-right sensibilities that he’s forbidding the Senate from voting at all.
This is no way to run a country.
Every morning I wake up and wonder why no one’s started shooting.
Yep, Shelby is, unfortunately, my senator. He also doesn’t answer e-mails. Chaps my butt!
We did, the weekend of the start of the “recession” we set up targets in the yard and got out all of the BB guns – we even had a moving target, a frying pan attached to a pulley on the clothesline…it felt good to let fly!
If only the nomination were a short bill to gut banking regulations, it would magically be removed from committee and immediately put to a vote. Gee, I wonder how that stuff happens? I wonder why the huge Dem majority in the Senate can’t figure out how to make the rules work for them? Or maybe it is easier to point fingers at the naughty Republicans than to do anything about it? Poor, poor Dems – they just cluck to the press their sorrowful ineffectiveness.
Great Gandhi’s ghost in heaven, have y’all read the news with tea partyin’ gun totin’ fools killin’ folk?
How freakin’ dare y’all even jest ’bout “commenced to shooting,” in the name of your conscience much less future trolls who find threads like this to point to “leftist” craziness.
“Punching hippies,” indeed.
Little Steven: “Camouflage of Righteousness.”
http://empireofdirt77.blogspot.com/2010/10/little-steven-camouflage-of_12.html