How congressional Republicans subvert the Constitution
U.S. Rep. Diane Black, a Republican from Tennessee, has announced she will sponsor a House resolution condemning President Obama for using “recess appointments” to fill vacant slots at the National Labor Relations Board and at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Here’s how she put it in her press release Tuesday:
“It’s astounding to me that the president is claiming these are recess appointments and within his authority, when Congress was not in fact in recess,” said Black. “These appointments are an affront to the Constitution. No matter how you look at this, it doesn’t pass the smell test. I hope the House considers my resolution as soon as we return to Washington so we can send a message to President Obama.”
Let’s look at that last sentence once again, shall we?
“I hope the House considers my resolution as soon as we return to Washington so we can send a message to President Obama.”
Return to Washington from where? From the recess that they’re not having?
And why can’t the House consider that resolution say, today, three days after Black sent out that release? Because they’re still not in session to do the nation’s business, and haven’t been since before Christmas?
Later in her press release, the congresswoman registers the following complaint:
“… the NLRB appointments were jammed through by the president before the Senate even had the chance to consider the appointees. Their names were only put forward on December 15th, a mere two days before the Senate recessed for the holiday.”
Again, “a mere two days before the Senate recessed for the holiday”? You don’t say,
Black’s statement further complains about “an affront to the Constitution.” Let’s look at that a little more closely as well:
The Senate was given the power to advise and consent on appointments as a means of ensuring that the president appoints qualified people. That authority was never intended to be twisted into a tool for forcing federal agencies to stop doing business, which Senate Republicans admit is their goal. By refusing to fill those vacancies — by refusing to even allow a vote on filling those vacancies — they are trying to shut down agencies they don’t like.
Nothing in the Constitution gives them that authority. Nothing.
(Without new board appointees, the NLRB would not have a quorum and thus could not operate or make decisions. Without a director, the CFPB could not carry out many of its legal duties as well.)
As insurance against such abuse by Congress, the drafters of the Constitution gave the executive branch the power to appoint officials for limited terms whenever Congress went into recess and was not available to do its job. By any legitimate definition, Congress has been in recess since before Christmas and remains in recess today, as Black inadvertently acknowledges in her statement.
By pretending that it is never in recess, Congress is trying to permanently strip the executive branch of its recess-appointment powers. Never again can a president make such appointments, because never again will Congress admit it is in recess. Like the use of advise and consent to shut down agencies, it is an attempted de facto rewriting of the Constitution itself.
(And yes, Democrats used that same technique to block recess appointments under President Bush. The only thing you can say in their favor is that at least they were attempting to block nominees they did not like — a legitimate use of their constitutional authority — rather than trying to shut down entire agencies.)
It is certainly fair to argue that with his response, President Obama is himself stretching if not exceeding his constitutional authority. Under the circumstances, however, his only alternative would be to do nothing and allow the legislative branch to illegally poach on executive functions and permanently if unofficially alter the Constitution.
It is not a good situation.
– Jay Bookman
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553 comments Add your comment
md
January 13th, 2012
2:46 pm
“But it does convey simple, elementary lessons about human nature that sure seem to make liberals mad for some inexplicable reason.”
I noticed that too…….I suspect they hit a little too close to home. Much like the question of sharing grades…….they don’t like that one much either…………
0311/1811
January 13th, 2012
2:47 pm
Paul:
Thanks for your input.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
2:47 pm
If they are still functioning then Jay just told one helluva whopper when he said these entire agencies were “shut down”.
For someone blogging here so frequently, you definitely fail at accurately quoting and comprehending. Jay did NOT say these entire agencies were shut down what he said was The only thing you can say in their favor is that at least they were attempting to block nominees they did not like — a legitimate use of their constitutional authority — rather than trying to shut down entire agencies
If you are going to act like something other than a troll, start with accurate quotes and not falsely stating someone’s position.
Holding my Nose
January 13th, 2012
2:47 pm
Silliness…
Mick
January 13th, 2012
2:48 pm
corey@2:44
Very nicely put, polite golf clap…
0311/1811
January 13th, 2012
2:48 pm
Kentucky Jacket :
I have made the same arguments on and off all day.
They really don’t/can’t respond to them (except for Paul who in candor tries) so save your breath.
You are correct in that Obama made the same arguments he is now rejecting.
Flip-floping at it’s political best.
0311/1811
January 13th, 2012
2:50 pm
Good Fight:
I quoted that exactly before and no one “tried to shut down an agency”.
I have worked with agencies without a “head” and everything goes on pretty much as usual. The job gets done by those who actually do the work.
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
2:50 pm
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
2:36 pm
I consider his answer to be non-responsive.- Doom
Don’t really care about your “consideration”- keep up
Sure you do. That’s why you posted about it silly.-Doom
0311/1811
January 13th, 2012
2:50 pm
Off for awhile ………….. be nice.
TaxPayer
January 13th, 2012
2:50 pm
And the lesson learned today from the Congresswoman from Tennessee is that a recess by any other name is still a recess. And as soon as she returns from recess, they can whine about it some more in the court of public opinion if they think it will help them. Better yet, take it to the Supremes and put it in line for immediate and urgent consideration unless Republicans would rather not mess with the court while it’s discussing that healthcare legislation.
0311/1811
January 13th, 2012
2:51 pm
Thulsa:
Tag team …………… take it for awhile …………….
md
January 13th, 2012
2:51 pm
“You are correct in that Obama made the same arguments he is now rejecting.”
No surprise there considering it took the nuclear option to finalize the hc bill……..the very same process Senator Obama railed against………….
Mick
January 13th, 2012
2:53 pm
md
Don’t you think changing one’s mind is an application of choice?
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
2:54 pm
Paul,
I gotta agree with md. I think it touched a nerve and that’s why so many liberals jumped on it all at once. Its kinda like the idea that very high nominal tax rates discourage entreprenurial risk taking.Its self evident common sense that is backed up by empirical evidence but there are a lot of liberals that just wouldn’t care. Their rigid ideology to punish the rich and high achievers would rule over self evident lessons in human nature that we’ve known forever.
Bruno
January 13th, 2012
2:54 pm
The Senate was given the power to advise and consent on appointments as a means of ensuring that the president appoints qualified people.
Their names were only put forward on December 15th, a mere two days before the Senate recessed for the holiday.
It is certainly fair to argue that with his response, President Obama is himself stretching if not exceeding his constitutional authority.
Yet, somehow Jay and the Libs are able to turn itall around in their minds to make the Republicans the bad guy here.
If you guys ever wonder why you get so little respect from the righties, it’s due to BS like this.
JamVet
January 13th, 2012
2:55 pm
Sure, it’s bubble gum and was terribly overplayed, but I still loved it…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umoPLztzZxw
Peadawg
January 13th, 2012
2:55 pm
OFF TOPIC but funny/ironic nonetheless….
Paula Dean has diabetes…can’t same I’m surprised.
Jay
January 13th, 2012
2:57 pm
“You see below he is saying its ok to block nominees that you don’t like but that its not ok to shut down entire agencies. Its a pretty weak argument and a terrible job of trying to justify why Dems did it.
– Doom
Actually, it’s not at all a weak argument. It’s not me who argues that “it’s ok to block nominees that you don’t like but that its not ok to shut down entire agencies.” It’s the Constitution that says that. It’s the Founding Fathers who said that. The power to advise and consent was included specifically for the purpose of blocking nominees that Congress doesn’t like. It was never intended to be used to cripple the federal government and block agencies from doing what the law requires them to do.
As to this:
And are those agencies completely shut down as Jay asserts? Or are they still functioning on a day to day basis? If they are still functioning then Jay just told one helluva whopper when he said these entire agencies were “shut down”.
Prior to the new appointments, there were just two remaining members on the five-member NLRB. Two members does not constitute a quorum, and thus the NLRB could not legally make decisions or hold hearings or set rules. It could not even meet. Without a quorum, the board could not function. And that was exactly what the GOP intended to accomplish. It wanted to shut down the NLRB without having to repeal the law creating it.
As to the CFPB: The law creating the agency stated explicitly that it could not begin to regulate non-banks until after it had a director in place. And regulating non-banks — payday lenders, check cashing stores, credit bureaus, debt collectors, etc. — is an important part of its mandate.
By refusing to confirm Richard Cordray, whom Senate Republicans acknowledged was a strong nominee; they could keep the CFPB from doing its duty. So that’s what they did. As the Washington Post reported, back when Elizabeth Warren was rumored to be the nominee, the threat had nothing to do with whoever was nominated:
“It’s not sexist. It’s not Elizabeth Warren-specific,” McConnell spokesman Donald Stewart said. “It’s any nominee.”
(I should add that Cordray’s recess appointment may not even be enough. The law states that the CFPB can’t begin to regulate non-banks until a director is confirmed by the Senate. The administration argues that a recess appointment suffices, but it hasn’t been clear as to how).
Midori
January 13th, 2012
2:57 pm
if Obama is not running the POTUS office as if he is a community organizer, then I’m Abe Lincoln. He is stirring up as much hate, discontent, etc. as possible …..
Brain cells lost after reading that: 100K and counting…..
md
January 13th, 2012
2:57 pm
“Don’t you think changing one’s mind is an application of choice?”
Yep…..and in that case, the choice in favor of political expediency……
Mick
January 13th, 2012
2:58 pm
bruno
**If you guys ever wonder why you get so little respect from the righties, it’s due to BS like this**
That statement in itself is BS, there is a wide chasm between the left and right and in between shall they never meet, unfortunately…
TaxPayer
January 13th, 2012
2:59 pm
The justice department is there to advise the president in matters where the law appears hazy to some and to provide clarity as needed and they gave President Obama the green light on his use of the recess appointment under the given circumstances and that rule of law may be torturous for the Republicans but it still stands.
Lobbyist Own Obama
January 13th, 2012
2:59 pm
liberlefty and comrade occupier, Trinity United Church’s Rev. Wright and his replacement Rev.Moss are both racists Black Liberation Theologists that preach black racist messages daily. So is the Obama’s because you have to be a member of it to be a member of Trinity United.You can do you OWN work and search youtube and google and view it for yourself. There is plenty of proof if you take you head out of your a$$. Jay won’t do it for you because he has his own head up his own a$$.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
2:59 pm
I have worked with agencies without a “head” and everything goes on pretty much as usual. The job gets done by those who actually do the work.
Well Scout, some things get done but other things don’t and certain decisions are required to be made by certain boards, groups or head. So while some things can get done for a short term, long term it can be devastating and you know that.
JamVet
January 13th, 2012
3:00 pm
B, quit the vitriol. (J/k bro, and giving ya back what you sometimes give me!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPZURwQ_wME
Mick
January 13th, 2012
3:00 pm
**Yep…..and in that case, the choice in favor of political expediency**
Or, choice in favor of helping oneself govern more strongly…
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:01 pm
But…but….but Jay said the Republicans shut down the consumer financial protection bureau.
Hmmm. Doomy just called them. Number is 855-422-2372. Strange. Even though the Republicans entirely shut them down according to Jay they are open for business today.
Someone go wake up Jay from his fainting couch. Let him know they are open as usual.
Paul
January 13th, 2012
3:02 pm
Thulsa
As one of the bloggers pointed out, that’s been reprinted many times.
So no, I don’t see the response as ‘anger.’ To clarify my ‘pity’ jest, it’s the same theme we see here so ofter: conservatives say to liberals ‘you believe such and so” and liberals say “what the heck are you talking about?!!?” then conservatives continue with “well, we know you really think what we say you really think, so…”
It was illustrated just the other day in an example I gave. Pres Obama gave remarks, in which he reiterated, for the umpteenth time, how capitalism is what made this country the greatest on earth (I know, I know, the mark of a true socialist) and how the promise of the country, which he’d like to see realized, is to provide everyone the same shot at success.
And along comes Candidate Romney saying “Pres Obama doesn’t want equal opportunity for success, he wants to guarantee outcomes no matter what people do.” (words to that effect ’cause some people go google nuts when they see quotes).
Lobbyist Own Obama
January 13th, 2012
3:02 pm
TaxPayer, Since when has Eric Holder AG believed in the rule of law and order. Holder is so corrupt.
Mick
January 13th, 2012
3:03 pm
doom
I called and all I got was a recording. I’m going to do a shot tonight in your honor…
md
January 13th, 2012
3:03 pm
“The justice department is there to advise the president in matters where the law appears hazy to some and to provide clarity as needed and they gave President Obama the green light on his use of the recess appointment under the given circumstances and that rule of law may be torturous for the Republicans but it still stands.”
Might want to check the dates, but I believe the JD didn’t make a ruling until 2 days after the appointments…….
Adam
January 13th, 2012
3:05 pm
JohnnyReb: He cannot run for reelection on his record
Beg to differ. Just because you don’t LIKE his record doesn’t mean he “can’t” run on it. He IS running on it, if you didn’t notice from his videos where he shows his promises kept.
the method of operation for a community organizer is to create such turmoil that the establishment caves or compromises. If that is not what Obama is doing, because he can’t get his way with Congress, then night is day.
And what was he doing the first two years? You don’t remember the rhetoric about how one is weak if they compromise and all the lefties getting upset because he compromised too much?
md
January 13th, 2012
3:05 pm
“Or, choice in favor of helping oneself govern more strongly…”
And against his own convictions…………character??
Paul
January 13th, 2012
3:05 pm
AmVet!!
All right! We’re gonna have a Bubble Gum Travelin’ Music Friday?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg7ZsOFSV7c&feature=related
YOUR party SUCKS
January 13th, 2012
3:06 pm
Enter your comments here
theyeshaveit
January 13th, 2012
3:06 pm
AmVet,
Aren’t you a bit early for FNM? Anyway, I like that “bubble gum” music. But then again I even miss the bubble gum that came with TOPPS baseball cards.
TaxPayer
January 13th, 2012
3:06 pm
LOO,
You may want to review the authority given the DOJ. As to your thoughts regarding individuals, take it up with them. I’m sure they’d be glad to discuss your concerns, as torturous as they may be.
Mick
January 13th, 2012
3:06 pm
md
Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do…
Joe Hussein Mama
January 13th, 2012
3:06 pm
Doom — “Its kinda like the idea that very high nominal tax rates discourage entreprenurial risk taking.Its self evident common sense that is backed up by empirical evidence but there are a lot of liberals that just wouldn’t care. Their rigid ideology to punish the rich and high achievers would rule over self evident lessons in human nature that we’ve known forever.”
If lefties here are showing “rigid ideology to punish the rich” through increased tax rates, then our righty posters are showing the same rigid ideology to punish in their insistence to raise tax rates (or impose flat tax rates or amounts) on low-income Americans.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
3:08 pm
Hmmmm… so doomy calls the CFPB today after Obama has appointed a agency head as “proof” that the lack of an agency head was NOT stopping the CFPB from operating in any capacity. And that “proof” is a phone number and someone answering a phone?
Someone tell me that is not the “proof”.
Welcome to the Occupation
January 13th, 2012
3:09 pm
Got an idea for Willard’s running mate. How about stealing the Dems fire and swiping the right-wing Democratic mayor of Chicago.
He’s in the process of pushing through draconian fines to keep OWS protesters from gumming up his G8/NATO meetings in Chicago this spring. So he’s perfect, right in line with Bill O’Reilly’s thinking on OWS.
Kamchak
January 13th, 2012
3:09 pm
Enter your comments anywhere else but here
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:10 pm
“And regulating non-banks — payday lenders, check cashing stores, credit bureaus, debt collectors, etc. — is an important part of its mandate.”
Oh lawdy. That means that as we speak that these particular bidnesses are robbing people blind and ignoring all law. And they’re going on their newfound sprees of criminality all because the CFPB doesn’t have a chief in charge. Oh my.
“and thus the NLRB could not legally make decisions or hold hearings or set rules. It could not even meet. Without a quorum, the board could not function.”
Oh noes. Lions and tigers and bears oh my. Boeing must be devastated that they NLRB can’t rule over them with an iron fist. Lotsa other bidnesses that must be all upset that the busybodies over at the NLRB can’t do anything. Oh noes! The sky is falling. the sky is falling…
TaxPayer
January 13th, 2012
3:10 pm
Might want to check the dates, but I believe the JD didn’t make a ruling until 2 days after the appointments…….
Well that just ruins everything… remind me again how.
YOUR party SUCKS! But MINE is GRRRRRREAT! (formally That Black Guy)
January 13th, 2012
3:11 pm
My new handle.
I changed it in protest because what that guy in your party did was HORRIBLE, although when that other guy in my party did it it was ok. Well, not really ok, but I didn’t say anything about it.
Paul
January 13th, 2012
3:13 pm
Okay Scout, new information, time to reengage.
“I have worked with agencies without a “head” and everything goes on pretty much as usual. The job gets done by those who actually do the work.”
Jay posted “As to the CFPB: The law creating the agency stated explicitly that it could not begin to regulate non-banks until after it had a director in place. And regulating non-banks — payday lenders, check cashing stores, credit bureaus, debt collectors, etc. — is an important part of its mandate.”
Suppose the Congress just created the Secret Service and said ‘you can protect visiting dignitaries, but you have no authority to protect the president until a director is in place.” A minority of Congressmen then blocked the appointment of a director, saying they didn’t like aspects of the law.
Would you be okay with that?
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:13 pm
keep up,
I didn’t say someone answered the phone. I just got their lengthy directory options. Reading comprehension sir. But their website is up and everything and typical of any federal agency it just looks like you gots to navigate through the red tape.
Jay
January 13th, 2012
3:14 pm
In other words, Doom, you now admit as indirectly as you can that I am right, that the goal was indeed to shut down those agencies, and you attempt to shift the topic to whether those agencies OUGHT to be shut down.
That is a dishonest approach to debate and discussion.
TaxPayer
January 13th, 2012
3:15 pm
Does anyone have a copy of that chart that shows the relationship between the number of jobs created as a function of the reduction in marginal tax rates. I seem to have misplaced mine and yes I am so embarassed by it so please try to contain the laffter.
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:15 pm
That Black Guy,
You gotta love that logic of the libs. George Orwell wrote about it. I think it was doublespeak. BTW thanks much for the joke about LSU and the 50 yard line. I’ve already passed it on with much fanfare.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
3:17 pm
Reading comprehension sir. But their website is up and everything and typical of any federal agency it just looks like you gots to navigate through the red tape
That website seems mighty thin. As for reading comprehesion, again, there is now an agency head and the agency is getting on its feet. Your claim of a phone number today as proof that the lack of an agency head was NOT holding them back establishes what?
More dishonest debate and discussion from you.
Welcome to the Occupation
January 13th, 2012
3:17 pm
That is a dishonest approach to debate and discussion.
Rope a dope hour.
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:19 pm
“and you attempt to shift the topic to whether those agencies OUGHT to be shut down.”
Jay, Nope. I’m just injecting a little light humor into the fray. That’s a discussion for another day. But as I noted the CFPB still has their phones on, their website up, etc. Give em a call now that you woke up from the fainting couch.
Kamchak
January 13th, 2012
3:21 pm
Jay, Nope. I’m just injecting a little light humor into the fray.
The, “I was just kidding” card.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
3:21 pm
I’m just injecting a little light humor into the fray
A variation of the “I was just joking” card.
stands for decibels
January 13th, 2012
3:21 pm
Trinity United Church’s Rev. Wright and his replacement Rev.Moss are both racists Black Liberation Theologists that preach black racist messages daily.
Ok, I’ll ask–just what is inherently racist about black liberation theology?
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:22 pm
keep up,
Nope. I just called back. Press option zero and you will get a live person. They are indeed answering the phones and working today sir.
Why do you make it so easy to dispatch your nonsense?
Paul
January 13th, 2012
3:23 pm
Kam – Keep Up
I think we have a new theme song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxmsRK4IG6o
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:24 pm
Holy cow! Are the libs predictable today or what??? This is wayyyy too funny.
Kamchak
January 13th, 2012
3:21 pm
Jay, Nope. I’m just injecting a little light humor into the fray.
The, “I was just kidding” card.
Link Report this comment Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
3:21 pm
I’m just injecting a little light
JamVet
January 13th, 2012
3:24 pm
The artist formerly known as That Black Guy, LOL at your new moniker.
Political blogs are a hoot, aren’t they?
Here’s a black guy that this white kid thought was fab.
(Warning. Extremely vulgar language…)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4hf7sfEwr0
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:26 pm
They blog in unison, the recite their talking points in unison, I wonder if they goosestep to the dear leader in unison also?
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
3:27 pm
Why do you make it so easy to dispatch your nonsense?
You haven’t. In fact you seem to be ducking and weaving while flat knocked out. You have proven you don’t know what you are talking about. (and I am not kidding)
Paul – Great selection!
Mick
January 13th, 2012
3:27 pm
doom
Lighten up? It’s the weekend, bama won the snore bowl, and the eagle is flying…
Midori
January 13th, 2012
3:29 pm
Wonkbook: The radical Republican tactic behind Obama’s controversial nominations
-snip-
The less obvious, but perhaps more true, interpretation is that Wednesday’s appointments are a salvo in an ongoing war over a controversial tactic that’s Thomas Mann has dubbed “a modern-day form of nullification.”
Obama made four recess appointments on Wednesday. One of them lifted Richard Cordray to head of the Consumer Financial protection Bureau. Another added three members to the National Labor Relations Board. But despite having hundreds of nominees outstanding — including for important positions like the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors and the FDIC — Obama didn’t pull a Teddy Roosevelt and make 160 appointments on the same day. Why? What makes these four nominees different from all other nominees?
The answer is that, without them, the institutions they’re intended to lead will fail. Obama’s maneuver was about the agencies, not the appointees. In the absence of a director, the CFPB can’t exercise its powers. The expiration of Craig Becker’s term on the NLRB, meanwhile, means the board is about to fall from three members to two members — a number that the Supreme Court has ruled is less than a legal quorum, and so a number that means the NLRB cannot make binding rulings.
This is not an accident: Republicans have straightforwardly argued that they would obstruct the confirmation of any and all nominees to the CFPB until the Obama administration agreed to radically reform the agency. They were, in other words, using their power to block nominations to hold kill or change agencies that they didn’t have the votes to reform through the normal legislative order. Much the same has been happening at the NLRB. A That’s what Mann means when he invokes “nullification”: just as the original nullification crisis was about states refusing to implement federal laws that their representatives did not have the votes to overturn, the modern-day incarnation features Republicans refusing to implement laws they don’t have the votes to overturn. And this is what Obama is fighting.
As Brian Beutler puts it, Obama’s maneuver “does more than fill vacancies. It actually restores the power the agency was given under the law — power Republicans were hoping to strip without passing new legislation. That’s the key thread connecting these recess appointments — and why other languishing nominees haven’t been recess appointed.” So though Obama is setting a new precedent with this move, it’s not clear that the precedent he intends to set is related to the obstruction of nominees. Rather, it seems related to Republican attempts to use the nomination process to undermine agencies they dislike.
Welcome to the Occupation
January 13th, 2012
3:30 pm
Lobbyist Own Obama: “Trinity United Church’s Rev. Wright and his replacement Rev.Moss are both racists Black Liberation Theologists that preach black racist messages daily.”
Rev. Wright is a brave truth-teller.
May I remind you of a certain video now circulating of US marines urinating on the corpses of suspected Taliban fighters. Now you tell me who is more right, Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell who say god exacts retribution against places like New Orleans or the US for their immoral lifestyle or say Rev. Wright who speaks of a nation that has lost its soul and suffers retribution for that reason, I ask you.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
3:31 pm
Midori — I think Doom just did a Romney after your post.
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:32 pm
keep up,
I’m pretty much staying on topic. You’re the one who when you’re proven wrong then switches to bogus claims of dishonesty, switching the conversation, and such. Ya got schooled on whether or not the CFPB is really open and your response is to say I’m dishonest? nothing new there.
Paul
January 13th, 2012
3:34 pm
Hi Midori!!!
Made it for the Friday Afternoon Fun, I see –
It makes a nice change from Republican Anarchy Week.
getalife
January 13th, 2012
3:34 pm
NFL playoffs.
Who dat?
JamVet
January 13th, 2012
3:38 pm
The Snore Bowl.
Hysterical.
Yanni (Yawn-ee) should have done the half time show.
Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.
They carried them to the flatlands
And they died along the way
But they built up with their bare hands
What we still can’t do today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-b76yiqO1E
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
3:39 pm
Doomy, again the only schooling going on is in the voices in your head. Obama appointed a head to the agency several days ago. So your claim that because the agency is NOW open with someone answering the phone proves that the “lack of a head” is NOT keeping the agency from opening how?
JOE Cool
January 13th, 2012
3:41 pm
You can always tell what team is losing….they do the most whining about fouls.
Peadawg
January 13th, 2012
3:41 pm
“NFL playoffs.
Who dat?”
The 49ers top ranked defense says hello.
(ir)Rational
January 13th, 2012
3:42 pm
Jay – Gave you a while to respond to my assertions that you were either being purposefully dishonest or ignorant and you haven’t. Guess we’re left to draw our own conclusions. As to the reason why the nominations were being blocked, not sure why that seems to matter so much to you and others. They were being blocked, which is the prerogative of the Senate, whether you like their reasons or not. Do I think the entire government should function much more smoothly? Yes. Do I think that blocking these nominations would hinder that? Yes. Is it okay for the President to make “recess appointments” when the Senate isn’t in recess? No, as clearly stated by the Constitution. So, once again, are you being intentionally dishonest by parroting party lines? Or do you have a different explanation?
Normal
January 13th, 2012
3:42 pm
Got this from “The People For The American Way”…
Every year, half a billion dollars flow through the major institutions of the Radical Right. Help us stand up to one of the most powerful waves of right-wing activism in American history.
Tell New Hampshire Officials: Investigate James O’Keefe
He and his accomplices broke the law with their latest stunt. Join the call for a thorough investigation!
Dear Normal, (my add)
James O’Keefe is a right-wing hit man. His deceptively edited undercover videos have been used by Fox News and Andrew Breitbart to attack NPR and Planned Parenthood and destroy ACORN. This week in New Hampshire, he and his accomplices violated the law.
According to news reports, O’Keefe sent his undercover operatives to commit fraud in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. They went to polling stations, falsely presented themselves, and requested ballots under the names of recently deceased voters — a violation of state and federal law. O’Keefe even posted a video of their exploits on YouTube.
O’Keefe badly wants to convince Americans that voter fraud — an extremely rare phenomenon — is a pressing threat to our democracy. So badly, in fact, that he reportedly sent his own agents out to commit fraud. The reason is simple — he wants fewer Americans to vote.
Click here to tell the Attorney General and U.S. Attorney in New Hampshire to investigate O’Keefe’s fraud.
In state after state, right-wing lawmakers are passing unnecessarily onerous rules on how and when people can vote. They are disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of mostly poor, minority and young Americans in the process.
O’Keefe, who is already on probation for tampering with a Democratic Senator’s phone system, has shown that he is willing to go to any length to advance his right-wing agenda. He must be held to account for his actions.
Fortunately we already have effective state and federal laws that prevent and punish voter fraud while allowing eligible Americans to cast their ballots. O’Keefe should learn that the hard way.
Call on Attorney General Michael Delaney and U.S. Attorney John Kacavas to investigate right-wing fraud James O’Keefe.
– Michael Keegan, President
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Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:42 pm
“So though Obama is setting a new precedent with this move, it’s not clear that the precedent he intends to set is related to the obstruction of nominees.”
Midori,
Thank you very much for clearing that up for Jay and the liberals. They were under the mistaken impression that Obama was acting under the usual procedures and rules when clearly he is not. I never thought you would come through for me and validate our points. Schweeet! Thanks again Midori. Love, Doomy
Midori
January 13th, 2012
3:42 pm
Hi Keep
Hi Paul
getalife
January 13th, 2012
3:43 pm
Pea,
If we beat San Fran and Packers beat the Giants we get a Saints vs Packers rematch for the NFC Championship.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 13th, 2012
3:45 pm
Hi Midori!
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:45 pm
“So your claim that because the agency is NOW open with someone answering the phone proves that the “lack of a head” is NOT keeping the agency from opening how?’
Keep up,
Your getting way too mixed up in your own diatribe. Take some aspirin or midol or whatever it is you take and simmer down before you blow a blood vessel.
JamVet
January 13th, 2012
3:46 pm
Welcome to the Occupation,
I have purposely not learned one thing about that apparently disgusting situation.
For those of you who are even remotely inclined to think that all of our men and women in uniform are heroes, it is only because you likely never served and have some romanticized ideal in your heads. The sad reality is that the military that I served in was not without with misfits, dead enders, uncaught criminals and borderline psychopaths. And that was in the supposedly “smart” branch!
And I am hard pressed to think that things are all that different today.
Support the troops.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQFYJXMVxTc&feature=related
Peadawg
January 13th, 2012
3:46 pm
“If we beat San Fran and Packers beat the Giants we get a Saints vs Packers rematch for the NFC Championship.”
And if my aunt had a d*k she’d be my uncle. What’s your point? Defense wins championships time and time again.
Midori
January 13th, 2012
3:46 pm
…. It’s an important move that brings together four important battles the Obama administration is waging:
1. Nullification. Fights between Congress and the president over presidential appointments have gone on for decades. But Senate Republicans have taken the fight to a new level by using the power to deny appointments to require changes in the laws. The Dodd–Frank financial reform established the C.F.R.B., but Wall Street hates it, and Republicans openly vowed not to confirm any director unless Obama agreed to weaken the law.
So Obama tried the audacious and legally indeterminate move of simply declaring the pro-forma session a sham, insisting Congress really was on recess, and appointing his man. If it stands up to the likely legal challenge – the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is threatening to sue – Obama will have taken a dangerous new weapon out of Congress’s hands. Obama’s maneuver may stand, or it may lead to a further reform of the confirmation process. But allowing Congress to functionally eliminate full-passed laws simply by denying the president any appointments to carry them out is a dangerous precedent that Obama would be derelict if he allowed to stand.
2. “We can’t wait.” …
-snip-
Instead he is dramatizing his opposition to Congress, making it clear that Republicans are standing in the way of his economic program. Part of the agenda entails talking up bills he knows Congress won’t pass, like new infrastructure spending. Part involves taking unilateral steps that bypass Congress, like executive orders or recess appointments. Obama’s political advisers believe that this makes him look strong and demonstrates his desire for action. I was skeptical it would work, but Obama’s approval ratings have indeed climbed.
3. Welcoming Wall Street’s hatred. …
-snip-
4. Trapping Mitt Romney. Obama’s primary charge against Mitt Romney is likely to be that he wants to return to the Bush era. The accusation will have several points to bolster it – lock in Bush-era tax levels for the rich, let insurance companies discriminate against families with a pre-existing condition – but the most powerful is Romney’s strong support for repealing Dodd–Frank. The accusation has resonance because Romney comes from the world of finance, has drawn extremely strong support from finance, and he simply looks like a stereotypical Wall Street shark.
If I were Obama, I would want to set up financial reform as the number one contrast issue of the presidential election. Appointing Cordray to the post is a good step to establishing the contrast. And Romney, perhaps still concerned about a conservative primary threat, seems to be walking right into the trap.
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/01/grand-strategy-behind-obamas-recess-appointment.html
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:46 pm
people for the american way? Isn’t that one of them kook left web sites? Why yes! It most certainly is.
(ir)Rational
January 13th, 2012
3:47 pm
get – So the Packers are going to win the Super Bowl again? Cool.
josef
January 13th, 2012
3:49 pm
So…what’s the kvetch of the day?
Jack
January 13th, 2012
3:50 pm
I couldn’t sleep at night knowing the CFPB didn’t have someone in charge. Now I don’t have worry about that anymore.
getalife
January 13th, 2012
3:50 pm
SEC and NFC teams win Championships Pea.
What is their ranking on pass defense?
Saints win .
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:51 pm
Holy cow. The libruls coming up with some long gobbledeegook posts today they are.
getalife
January 13th, 2012
3:53 pm
“get – So the Packers are going to win the Super Bowl again? Cool.
”
The LSU quarterback played well in your last game.
Thulsa Doom
January 13th, 2012
3:54 pm
Jack,
I don’t know how any of the libruls got any sleep knowing there was no head of the CFPB or the NLRB. Lotta restless nights for em. Maybe that’s why some of them seem so tired, slow, and listless today.
Joe Hussein Mama
January 13th, 2012
3:54 pm
Peadawg — “And if my aunt had a d*k she’d be my uncle.”
Duk?
Peadawg
January 13th, 2012
3:54 pm
Saints pass defense? 30th
49ers pass defense? 16th
Curious Observer
January 13th, 2012
3:55 pm
The sad reality is that the military that I served in was not without with misfits, dead enders, uncaught criminals and borderline psychopaths. And that was in the supposedly “smart” branch!
Amen, JamVet. I remember that upon my arrival from advanced infantry school at Camp Lejeune, the first weekend I was greeted by the sight of two “old salts” at the end of the squad bay sitting on the floor and beating their knees with a tent pole section, hopeful that they could inflict enough injury to qualify for medical discharges. The overwhelming majority of servicemen and servicewomen are honorable people, but there are some scum among them.
Jay
January 13th, 2012
3:55 pm
(ir)Rational, I had already responded earlier to similar claims.
(ir)Rational
January 13th, 2012
3:59 pm
get – Rodgers went to LSU? I seriously don’t care about him. I feel like a man without a team this year because my guy spent the entire year on the sidelines with nerve damage. Do like his little brother though, so I guess, as much as it pains me to root for a team from NY, go Giants?
(ir)Rational
January 13th, 2012
4:00 pm
Oh, and by seriously don’t care, I meant didn’t know.
JKL2
January 13th, 2012
4:01 pm
Dana Perino said Bush refused to make appointments because it was unconstitutional. obama obviously has no such problem. Not sure of all the technical details involved, but she said it was wrong and I’ll take her word for it.
(ir)Rational
January 13th, 2012
4:01 pm
Jay – I didn’t want to go through 7 pages of responses to find the answer, but I guess I can. No matter what you said though, it does seem like you’re being intentionally dishonest to use a member of the House of Representatives saying something about the House of Representatives to claim that the Senate is in recess. Cause, as I’m sure you know, it doesn’t matter even a little bit what the House is doing in regards to political nominees.
getalife
January 13th, 2012
4:04 pm
get – Rodgers went to LSU?
No but his back up won a Championship at LSU.
Manning fan ?
Drew Brees of course.