Obstruction Is Suddenly Fashionable Again, Just Don’t Call It Obstruction

Obstruction Is Suddenly Fashionable Again, Just Don’t Call It Obstruction

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You can bet that, come January 20, 2017, the Credentialed Media will surely follow the Democrat line that it’s not obstruction, it’s principled opposition

(Politico) Senate Democrats are preparing to put Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks through a grinding confirmation process, weighing delay tactics that could eat up weeks of the Senate calendar and hamper his first 100 days in office.

Multiple Democratic senators told POLITICO in interviews last week that after watching Republicans sit on Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court for nearly a year, they’re in no mood to fast-track Trump’s selections.

Now, in all fairness, what comes around goes around, much in the same way that Democrats might be hoist on their own petard when it comes to the nuclear option. That said, obstruction is a time honored way to make sure, among other things, that the minority party cannot be run over by the majority.

But it’s not just about exacting revenge.

Yes it is.

Democrats argue that some of the president-elect’s more controversial Cabinet picks — such as Jeff Sessions for attorney general and Steven Mnuchin for treasury secretary — demand a thorough public airing.

In other words, demagoguery and character assassination will occur.

“They’ve been rewarded for stealing a Supreme Court justice. We’re going to help them confirm their nominees, many of whom are disqualified?” fumed Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “It’s not obstruction, it’s not partisan, it’s just a duty to find out what they’d do in these jobs.”

See? It’s no longer obstruction!

Democrats can gum up the works with procedural delays, but, they will not be able to block any of Trump’s appointments.

That said, the days of mandated bipartisanship for critical nominations are over. Democrats ensured that when they changed Senate rules in 2013 to kill the 60-vote requirement for all nominations except the Supreme Court. Democrats then moved to approve dozens of lifetime judges, though Republicans required procedural votes to stall the nominations as long as they could.

What will be a real hoot is when Trump nominates someone to replace Justice Scalia on the Supreme Court.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach.

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