Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings **live commentary thread**

[Pandaguineapig]

Protesters working hard to make sure sessions gets confirmed

[Pandaguineapig]

Protesters working hard to make sure sessions gets confirmed

Sessions was getting confirmed regardless. Right now it's probably going to be a very slim margin for him though.

But this helps him look dignified and statesmanlike by comparison

[Pandaguineapig]

Protesters working hard to make sure sessions gets confirmed

Sessions was getting confirmed regardless. Right now it's probably going to be a very slim margin for him though.

But this helps him look dignified and statesmanlike by comparison

It makes him look controversial and unpopular. 

Lol im sure the screaming feminazis and kkk robes are winning over america as we speak

[Pandaguineapig]

If DeVos ends up being 50-50, with Pence as the tie-breaking vote, surely Republicans know the backlash they're going to face for that...

Anyone who is going to be extremely upset over devos being confirmed as education Secretary is already a hardcore democrat, odds are we hear very little about her if she gets confirmed

[Pandaguineapig]

If DeVos ends up being 50-50, with Pence as the tie-breaking vote, surely Republicans know the backlash they're going to face for that...

Anyone who is going to be extremely upset over devos being confirmed as education Secretary is already a hardcore democrat, odds are we hear very little about her if she gets confirmed

Devos is just so utterly incompetent and so clearly motivated by donations. She doesn't have the credentials for the job.

Every cabinet has patronage appointments unfortunately but this is a position that has very little power in a department that is controlled mostly by mid-level bureaucrats.

[Pandaguineapig]

If DeVos ends up being 50-50, with Pence as the tie-breaking vote, surely Republicans know the backlash they're going to face for that...

Anyone who is going to be extremely upset over devos being confirmed as education Secretary is already a hardcore democrat, odds are we hear very little about her if she gets confirmed

Devos is just so utterly incompetent and so clearly motivated by donations. She doesn't have the credentials for the job.

Every cabinet has patronage appointments unfortunately but this is a position that has very little power in a department that is controlled mostly by mid-level bureaucrats.

Yeah, but does it have to be this obvious? Make her ambassador to some county and call it even.

In hindsight devos was ridiculously controversial for an education Secretary(she'll still likely get confirmed with pence as a tiebreaker) there are charter school advocates with much less baggage

[Pandaguineapig]

If DeVos ends up being 50-50, with Pence as the tie-breaking vote, surely Republicans know the backlash they're going to face for that...

lol you think they care.

Of course they think they can afford to ignore it. We'll see how well that works out for them.

Just like merrick garland was going to hurt republicans last year?

[Pandaguineapig]

Which other Republican Senators are most likely to vote against DeVos at this point?

Nobody.

I doubt anyone wants to be the third republican vote against devos and trigger a 3am tweetstorm from trump

[Pandaguineapig]

If Devos gets confirmed(likely but with Pence as a tiebreaker) then Price becomes the next liberal boogeyman that democrats will try to have defeated. Unlike Devos, I doubt Price will have any republican defections

[Pandaguineapig]

If the democrats vote to abolish the department of education they can get rid of devos.....

[Pandaguineapig]

I understand the opposition to Puzder but are democrats willing to have Scott Walker as the next Secretary of Labor just so they can claim a scalp?

[Pandaguineapig]

And ... Puzder is out.

Win for the resistance.

Win for Scott Walker

[Pandaguineapig]

Richard Grenell just got confirmed 56-42, the months long blocking of his confirmation just go to show the tribal mindset that democrats have when members of groups they feel they own leave the plantation

[Pandaguineapig]

Richard Grenell just got confirmed 56-42, the months long blocking of his confirmation just go to show the tribal mindset that democrats have when members of groups they feel they own leave the plantation

Or maybe it's just because he's a terrible nominee and red state democrats need to get reelected?

Yeah no, he is objectively qualified for the post but less qualified appointments have been confirmed quicker with more D support. I wonder why😉

[Pandaguineapig]

Richard Grenell just got confirmed 56-42, the months long blocking of his confirmation just go to show the tribal mindset that democrats have when members of groups they feel they own leave the plantation

Or maybe it's just because he's a terrible nominee and red state democrats need to get reelected?

Yeah no, he is objectively qualified for the post but less qualified appointments have been confirmed quicker with more D support. I wonder why😉

Because qualified is a subjective term.

Yes because the previous ambassador was qualified as a goldman sachs executive, but a long time national security advisor is unqualified?

[Pandaguineapig]

Richard Grenell just got confirmed 56-42, the months long blocking of his confirmation just go to show the tribal mindset that democrats have when members of groups they feel they own leave the plantation

Seek help

Why is it that female and minority republicans always face the most visceral reactions from the left? If Grenell were straight he would have been confirmed in November with at least 70 votes and you know it

[Pandaguineapig]

This would seem to confirm that Farr and Korbes have the support of Collins and Murkowski, otherwise McConnell would just hold his nomination until January when he has a larger majority and Flake leaves for a gig as an MSNBC commentator

[Pandaguineapig]

Tim Scott voting no on Farr

This doesn't mean the nomination is dead necessarily, they could just postpone the vote and have Trump re-appoint him in January when they gain two seats (Three if you count Flake leaving). Depends on if they view Farr as being worth it to do so

[Pandaguineapig]

Tim Scott voting no on Farr

This doesn't mean the nomination is dead necessarily, they could just postpone the vote and have Trump re-appoint him in January when they gain two seats (Three if you count Flake leaving). Depends on if they view Farr as being worth it to do so

Yeah, but then you start the whole process over again. All nominations are sent back to the President because it's a new congress, so there's a question over whether Trump still has passion for this guy or wants to try someone else. Assuming the nomination is re-made, it then goes through committee again - a new hearing is not required, but written questions are still asked and the nomination must go through a two-meeting markup procedure. Only then does it go back to the floor, at which point the leader must find time for it again and pass CLOTURE on it again, before the senate could vote. All that is weeks or months for more crap to come up and doom the nomination even more.

McConnell knows that it's far easier to just bring the special counsel bill to the floor and thus get back Flake's vote, but thankfully for us McConnell's about as smart as a fruit fly (i.e. not smart at all).

The special counsel Bill is likely unconstitutional, but I agree that it would make sense for the Senate just to vote on the bill and let it die in the house. As for your first point, that is all true but the Senate often will fast-track reappointed nominees, like when the Senate quickly confirmed David Stras in January after gropey mcgroperson tried to stall his nomination