The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

[dxmnkd316]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

Absolutely.

[unofan]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

No, the president is to appoint judges by and with the advice and consent of the senate.

The senate is under no obligation to approve his appointments.

They are under an obligation to advise. That means voting yay or nay.

[joecct]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

They are under an obligation to advise. That means voting yay or nay.

Why? Bills die in committee without a hearing. What makes judges different? Do I think he deserved a hearing? Yes. Would have been confirmed? Doubt it.

Politics sucks at times.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

They are under an obligation to advise. That means voting yay or nay.

That's pure applesauce.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

That's pure applesauce.

OK, ghost of Justice Scalia.

Obligation to vote? Perhaps not. However it's blatant obstructionism nonetheless, and the majority of the country are effing sick of it. In the fall, when "Her Thighness" wins and the "Demoncrats" take back the Senate, Garland will be confirmed under threat of Hillary nominating an honest liberal instead, filibustering be d@mned.

[unofan]

That's pure applesauce.

Considering a senator's official job consists solely of voting on things (unofficially, they fund raise daily too), I don't see how.

No one's saying they have to vote yes, but they have an obligation to at least vote.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

OK, ghost of Justice Scalia.

Obligation to vote? Perhaps not. However it's blatant obstructionism nonetheless, and the majority of the country are effing sick of it. In the fall, when "Her Thighness" wins and the "Demoncrats" take back the Senate, Garland will be confirmed under threat of Hillary nominating an honest liberal instead, filibustering be d@mned.

I see you must have missed the joke.

Also, I explicitly said I didn't agree with them but they have every right to do what they are doing.

[Kepler]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

The Kochs just sh-tcanned Ron Johnson. They had committed to a $2M buy, and they reneged.

Welcome, Senator Feingold.

[Rover]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

The Kochs just sh-tcanned Ron Johnson. They had committed to a $2M buy, and they reneged.

Welcome, Senator Feingold.

Something frankly I don't understand. Koch's aren't going to miss a few million bucks, but if you p iss off both this and the IL seat your margin is now two seats, with races in 4 states (NH, PA, OH, FL) that are probably going to be won by Clinton, plus 4 other seats (NC, AZ, IA, MO) that you hope the Dems don't make a run at either because the GOP incumbent is senile (McCain, Grassley) or just a do-nothing nobody (Blunt, Burr).

[Kepler]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

Something frankly I don't understand. Koch's aren't going to miss a few million bucks, but if you p iss off both this and the IL seat your margin is now two seats, with races in 4 states (NH, PA, OH, FL) that are probably going to be won by Clinton, plus 4 other seats (NC, AZ, IA, MO) that you hope the Dems don't make a run at either because the GOP incumbent is senile (McCain, Grassley) or just a do-nothing nobody (Blunt, Burr).

I assume their internal polling showed Johnson was irredeemably gangrenous and had to be amputated. Like the DSCC in 2012, the GOP is going to be making a lot of Very Nasty triage decisions this summer. Even though they're rich, money is still not an infinite resource.

It might be a warning, too. Johnson may have been doing stuff they weren't happy with -- not staffing-up professionally or, worse, thinking independently -- and when you yank money word gets around DC in a hurry. They may have cracked the whip here so their other possessions get in line and shut up.

With the Trump comet having turned into a meteor hurtling towards earth, the GOP PTB are going to eventually have to face the hard fact that the Senate is lost barring a miracle. At that point I would expect a huge migration of funding to the House, state and local. From everything I have read the GOP has a much deeper bench than the Democrats in those boring but important slots on which future elections can turn -- Lieutenant Governors, State Leg Majority Leaders, State Attorneys General. 2018 is almost as important to the GOP as 2016, and in 2018 they are playing on home field. Below the national level the state parties are insulated from most of the Trump / Cruz / Establishment civil war, and the smart money that is actually pulling Republican strings understands that unified, concerted action at the state level can all but nullify a national election from a pragmatic POV. The next wave election starts at the school board and at the city council.

Not to mention that a Hillary election is a GOP fundraising dream.

[Rover]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

I assume their internal polling showed Johnson was irredeemably gangrenous and had to be sacrificed. Like the DSCC in 2012, the GOP is going to be making a lot of Very Nasty triage decisions this summer. Even though they're rich, money is still not an infinite resource.

It might be a warning, too. Johnson may have been doing stuff they weren't happy with -- not staffing-up professionally or, worse, thinking independently -- and when you yank money word gets around DC in a hurry. They may have cracked the whip here so their other possessions get in line and shut up.

Which makes me curious how they think Wisconsin will go for President.

Think about it: Johnson is a buffoon, and Feingold is most likely more popular than Clinton. However, if you thought Trump was going to win Wisconsin, he ought to be able to pull a likeminded individual over the finish line with him. How many Trump/Feingold ticket splitters can their be? Seems to me they're giving up on WI totally this go around (I suppose they could fund some House races) which doesn't bode well for Trump's supposed ability to expand the map.

[Kepler]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

Which makes me curious how they think Wisconsin will go for President.

Think about it: Johnson is a buffoon, and Feingold is most likely more popular than Clinton. However, if you thought Trump was going to win Wisconsin, he ought to be able to pull a likeminded individual over the finish line with him. How many Trump/Feingold ticket splitters can their be? Seems to me they're giving up on WI totally this go around (I suppose they could fund some House races) which doesn't bode well for Trump's supposed ability to expand the map.

Gotta figure pulling Johnson's wings off means they think WI is gone. Is this localized or does it represent a national calculation? I guess we all watch Toomey's war chest for the other shoe to drop. If it drops this early, god help them they think they're in for Goldwater. I would expect PA is so symbolic (it is the poster child for a blue state with enough uneducated whites that Trump might be able to Huey Long them) they can't cut and run, ever. It would be conceding the election. Plus it's a good magnet for forcing the Dems to waste money there, since any Dem strategist who advises that PA is safe and then loses it will never work in this town again. PA : D :: AZ : R. The point of no return.

[Kepler]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

Tr(i)ump(h) of the Will has already inspired one fine American.

[joecct]

Tr(i)ump(h) of the Will has already inspired one fine American.

Thinking back, I think it was more Il Duce than der Fuhrer.

[Kepler]

Re: The 114th Congress: Two More Years!

Thinking back, I think it was more Il Duce than der Fuhrer.

Ben Howe suggests an interesting precedent: Hugo Chavez.

This is Howe's twitter.