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1 of 1- Common Sense
- Exchanger
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GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
Senate Republicans pushed through a pair of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees Wednesday, upending standard committee rules to circumvent a Democratic boycott. The Senate Finance Committee advanced a pair of Trump’s nominees with only Republican members present — Steven Mnuchin to head the Treasury Department, and Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) as secretary of Health and Human Services.
By unanimous consent, the Republicans gathered in the hearing room agreed to change the committee’s standing rules, which normally require at least one member of each party to be in attendance for committee work to proceed.
“It’s just another way of roughing up the president’s nominees,” said committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). “They have been treated fairly. We have not been treated fairly.” Republicans made the unusual move after Democrats refused to attend a vote on the nominees for two days running, arguing the pair had made misleading statements to lawmakers that needed to be rectified.
The nominees now head to the Senate floor, as partisan tensions over filling out Trump’s White House continued to intensify.
“Both nominees have yet to answer important questions that impact the American people,” committee Democrats wrote in a letter sent to Hatch Wednesday. “Further, we have significant concern that both Mr. Mnuchin and Mr. Price gave inaccurate and misleading testimony and responses to questions to the Committee. These cabinet nominees should answer basic questions that the American people deserve answers to before moving forward.”
Hatch was dismissive of that argument Wednesday. “Oh, come on. Come on,” he said. “They don’t have one argument that’s worthwhile. Not one. And if they had, they should have shown up.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” former vice president Biden said during a campaign event in Texas on Monday. "All men and women created by — you know, you know, the thing.”
- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
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Re: GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
Yet more division.
Perhaps if the republican members were to actually listen to the concerns, especially those about Mr. Price
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- Rongone
- Sentient Being
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Re: GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
I'm of the opinion that all of Trump's choices should go through and be confirmed with the exception of DeVoid . . . Errrr I mean DeVos. Her answers were woefully lacking in insight and knowledge concerning education in the U.S. Her background is not one that even remotely qualifies her for secretary of education.
For the rest of the nominees, I say let them into the office, and we'll see what they can do. Frankly, I think some of them will follow the old adage "when the going gets tough, the sprinters get out". And, from my perspective, some of Trump's nominees are certified short hitters. People that are known for having a great arm for a short throw normally don't last too long in the big leagues.
It's going to be an interesting 4 years.
- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
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Re: GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
Devoid would be the one I target as well.
Of course, Tom Price is an ethics disgrace.
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- Conspiracy Theory
- Dark Overlord
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Re: GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
Um....didn't some Brand-R guy read Green Eggs And Ham aloud in the Senate to do the same damned thing?
If you make yourself miserable trying to make others happy that means everyone is miserable.
-Me again
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- tennyson
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Re: GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
Don't like the rules - just change them by yourself. 
"Do not confuse motion and progress, A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress"
- Rongone
- Sentient Being
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Re: GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
I didn't contribute to the go fund me page, but I did send a message to Toomey expressing my opposition to this totally unqualified nominee for secretary of education.
I haven't heard back from Toomey, and, based on his past performance, I doubt that I'll get a response.
Teacher makes GoFundMe to 'buy' senator's vote on Betsy DeVos
The confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education is at an apparent standstill with 50 votes for, 50 against, going into a Monday vote.
Pressure from constituents has led two republican senators to say they'll vote 'no' on DeVos but despite pressure from voters, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania still plans to confirm. It's worth noting, perhaps, that Toomey has received considerable campaign contributions (over $60,000, according to the Center for American Progress) from DeVos in the past.
After placing several calls and faxes to Toomey's office without changing the republican senator's vote, a Pennsylvania teacher named Katherine Fritz decided to raise a DeVos-amount of money to "buy" Toomey instead.
Fritz created a GoFundMe titled simply, "Buy Pat Toomey's Vote" with the express purpose of raising $55,800 — roughly the amount DeVos has donated to Toomey's campaigns — to send to the senator to encourage him to vote no on DeVos.
As of this writing, the GoFundMe has raised over $12,500.
"This campaign isn't actually about buying a vote from an elected official. But it is about using satire to point out the various ways in which our elected officials can — legally! — take money from the same people that now seek political office," Fritz writes in the GoFundMe description.
The money raised by the campaign, which can't be directly used to "bribe" a politician, will be donated to three Pennsylvania education organizations: Camp Sojourner, the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network and the Children's Literacy Initiative.
- Rongone
- Sentient Being
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Re: GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
Toomey, despite hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians contacting him to urge him to vote against confirmation of DeVos, chose to follow the marching orders of his party and voted for her confirmation. I guess one excuse he could use for not listening to his constituents would be he and his staff's inability to answer or respond to the voters opposition to DeVos.
Constituents Complain About Toomey’s Jammed Telephone Lines
February 2, 2017 5:56 PM
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — “Where’s Pat? Where’s Pat? Where’s Pat?”
Shouting “Where’s Pat” outside his Pittsburgh office at Sheraton Square, local residents are complaining that they cannot get through to Sen. Pat Toomey’s offices by phone to voice their concerns on a number of issues.
KDKA political editor Jon Delano dialed both his Washington and Pittsburgh offices and repeatedly got a busy signal.
Sen. Toomey’s communications director, Elizabeth “E.R.” Anderson, says they are very aware of the difficulty.
“Sen. Toomey’s staff in both Pennsylvania and Washington are taking an ‘all hands on deck’ approach in answering as many calls and emails as possible while also attending to other responsibilities,” she said. “Voicemail accounts are being emptied regularly, but with call volume as heavy as it is, mailboxes do fill quickly. We appreciate everyone’s patience.”
The senators are being targeted by people who want them to vote against Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education.
Sen. Bob Casey’s office says contact volume is up 900 percent.
With four lines available, Sen. Casey was answering one of them explaining his opposition to DeVos.
“She is really way outside of the mainstream on education,” Sen. Casey says to a constituent on the phone.
“I thought she would actually try to work harder to win our votes by talking more about public schools, but she didn’t,” Sen. Casey said.
DeVos has been opposed by many groups who say she has no public school experience.
Right now, it’s fifty-fifty on whether she gets confirmed, which explains the heavy call volume.
Toomey is encouraging constituents to reach him online through his website.
The vote on DeVos is expected early next week.
Two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, have announced they would oppose her.
But it takes three Republicans and all the Democrats to defeat her confirmation.
On Wednesday, Sen. Toomey said he would vote for DeVos.
Toomey believes DeVos is "a champion of school choice" and "a great pick."
And she gives him lots of money for his re-election campaign.
Money talks . . . Public Education walks as far as Toomey is concerned.
Last edited by Rongone (2/03/2017 12:26 pm)
- Just Fred
- Duke of Cortona
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Re: GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
Boy, I really don't like that guy. I really don't. BTW, I had the same experience you had trying to contact him. Had no problem getting through to Casey.
- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
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Re: GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott
Buy Pat Toomey's Vote
$40,276 of $55.8k goal
Betsy DeVos has donated $55,800 to the campaign of United States Senator Pat Toomey.
Incidentally, despite all evidence to the contrary, Senator Toomey thinks that Betsy DeVos would be a great choice to lead the Department of Education.
Betsy DeVos has never set foot in a classroom, did not send her children to public school, cannot distinguish between proficiency and growth, and thinks that guns should be allowed in schools in the event of grizzly attacks. That fictitious grizzly is about as qualified as Ms. DeVos to run the Department of Education.
If Betsy DeVos can buy Senator Toomey's vote, we should be allowed to do the same.
If, of course, Senator Toomey does not wish to accept any funds raised*, all money will be donated to Camp Sojourner, the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network, and the Children's Literacy Initiative.
*or if this tongue-in-cheek fundraising page somehow constitutes a bribe, despite being eerily identical to the actions of Ms. DeVos.
Last edited by Goose (2/03/2017 3:36 pm)
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.