Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings **live commentary thread**

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Good, glad she was confirmed. Democrats engaged in so much damn character assassination on this confirmation hearing. not only on DeVos but on all education advocates who supported charter schools or private vouchers.

Surely having such an elitist simpleton as your figurehead kind of undermines the cause of "education reformers", no?

[Dr. Arch]

Good, glad she was confirmed. Democrats engaged in so much damn character assassination on this confirmation hearing. not only on DeVos but on all education advocates who supported charter schools or private vouchers.

Character assassination? It was clear that she doesn't know squat about the public education system, and she was still confirmed. I bet a good chunk of posters in this forum are more qualified than she is. I can only shudder at the thought of the damage her incompetence will inflict on an already wanting education system. Party line hacks are horrible.

Eyes on states like Kansas moving forward.

[Mr. Morden]

Bold Prediction - zero Republicans cross over to vote against Puzder, Puzder makes it through 52-48.

Better question, will any Republican vote against any of the remaining nominees?

Better question yet, will any of the 50 cowards ever oppose Trump in any meaningful way? (i.e. not just talk it abstractly, a la "maaaaaaaaybe I'll have to vote against Tillerson ")

I am not sure it’s so obvious that we can extrapolate what’s happening now forward to what happens when we go from voting on personnel to voting on policy.

Sure, the GOP caucus is voting in near lockstep to confirm the personnel that Trump wants around him.  But that’s what normally happens.  When you get into actual policy debates, that’s where presidents often have real defections from their own party.

The health insurance issue is one where this is already playing out.  Trump would apparently like Congress to do *something* on this issue, but it’s far from obvious that anything other than minor tinkering can pass.  Now, I don’t think it’s clear that Trump cares that much about the issue, so maybe it doesn’t count.  But does Trump really care that much about *any* policy issue?  I’m not convinced.  It’s Paul Ryan who is more interested in passing the Republican agenda than Trump.  And I’m guessing there will in fact be issues where Ryan’s agenda is constrained by divisions within the GOP caucus.  Health care is one, but there will be others.

[TDAS04]

Very shameful that DeVos was confirmed.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

See, this is why the country needs to split.  Let unqualified morons like DeVos control education in Alabama and Kentucky and Tennessee or whatever.  Don't force the states that didn't vote for this to have education rot in their states.

[Tartarus Sauce]

This one makes me want to vomit.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

I just heard a rumor that Toomey is voting against DeVos.  If this is true and there aren't any Dem deflections, she's finished.

SIKE. Spineless fycking coward.

Goddamned spineless cowards, all of them. Too afraid to get targeted on Twitter by the petulant man-baby that runs the free world. Pathetic. I hope all the kids that get their public schools shut down are forced to live with the Senators that voted to confirm Devos, and that those Senators have to pay for their private schooling. This is infuriating.

[The Other Castro]

Manu Raju ‏@mkraju  10m10 minutes ago
Sen. Collins, Murkowski, Scott and Isakson all withholding judgment on Puzder's nomination after he revealed he hired undocumented immigrant


I'm guessing this will either end up similar to Tillerson (people pretend they are concerned and then vote Aye anyway), or Puzder may pull out.

[Devout Centrist]

Manu Raju ‏@mkraju  10m10 minutes ago
Sen. Collins, Murkowski, Scott and Isakson all withholding judgment on Puzder's nomination after he revealed he hired undocumented immigrant


I'm guessing this will either end up similar to Tillerson (people pretend they are concerned and then vote Aye anyway), or Puzder may pull out.

He'll sail through anyway. F**king pieces of sh*t.

[Bojack Horseman]

Good, glad she was confirmed. Democrats engaged in so much damn character assassination on this confirmation hearing. not only on DeVos but on all education advocates who supported charter schools or private vouchers.

She should not have been confirmed for the same reason the Mayo Clinic shouldn't hire me to be a heart surgeon.

[Tender Branson]

DeVos was confirmed 51-50.

Atlas:

[Confused Democrat]

Good, glad she was confirmed. Democrats engaged in so much damn character assassination on this confirmation hearing. not only on DeVos but on all education advocates who supported charter schools or private vouchers.

Pot meet kettle.

She's patently unqualified for the job and should have been outright rejected by the Senate. To put things into perspective, the previous Education Secretary served as New York's Commissioner of Education and then United States Deputy Secretary of Education before eventually being appointed to be the 10th United States Secretary of Education.

What are Betsy DeVos' qualifications for the job? She's a billionaire with opinions on education policy, of which she only has a surface understanding of.

[Xing]

Good, glad she was confirmed. Democrats engaged in so much damn character assassination on this confirmation hearing. not only on DeVos but on all education advocates who supported charter schools or private vouchers.

DeVos deserves the attacks. She is wholly unqualified for this position, as she clearly demonstrated in her hearings, and isn't merely for "school choice" or "vouchers", but doesn't even think education should be public, thinks teachers should make less (since we're clearly the richest people in society), and is 100% bought and paid for. Wanna know why so many of these Republicans voted for her? Look up how much she donated to their campaigns. She is an embarrassment.

I'd be perfectly fine with having a serious discussion with people about charter schools, and whether or not they should get public funding. I have very strong opinions on this, but if people have more to say than just "choice is good", I'm happy to debate them and talk about this. Unfortunately, a lot of people just threw their support behind her because of the idea of her being for "school choice", and didn't really have much to say about her other positions or qualifications. Is that really a good justification? What if I supported Mark Zuckerberg for Secretary of State, because he seemed "dovish", and yet he could hardly give a coherent answer in his confirmation hearing, and showed a complete lack of understanding of foreign affairs and governments? Surely people would call me out on this, and rightly so.

[Virginiá]

While I despise DeVos for so many reasons, there may be a silver lining to her and the other nominees: Trump is staffing his administration with a bunch of people who really aren't qualified at all, and in some cases have unpopular policy plans, and the ensuing incompetence will make it harder for them to pass his agenda. Look at the mess he's already made. Imagine what could have been had Trump been very professional about this and filled his administration with experienced & effective officials?

We were probably getting a pro-voucher / anti-public school nominee anyway, so maybe at least with DeVos we can more effectively impede their agenda.

[The Dowager Mod]

Thank god she was confirmed!
I was afraid my children would be attacked by bears in school.

[Classic Conservative]

She wasn't my choice, I supported David Barton or Michelle Rhee, but I would've voted for her. As for Puzder, I'm opposed to him.

[Pandaguineapig]

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

[Sumner 1868]

Great midterm news.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Would it be a bit much for Democrats to troll about unregulated charters meaning RADICAL ISLAMISTS!!! would be able to receive funding for their schools?

[RI]

NV is D+1 in 20 months. Republicans officially sold out the children of this country.

Nevada is much more Republican in midterm years (unless Harry Reid's running). I wouldn't count Heller out any time soon.

[Nhoj]

Manu Raju ‏@mkraju  10m10 minutes ago
Sen. Collins, Murkowski, Scott and Isakson all withholding judgment on Puzder's nomination after he revealed he hired undocumented immigrant


I'm guessing this will either end up similar to Tillerson (people pretend they are concerned and then vote Aye anyway), or Puzder may pull out.

There is talk of scott walker angling for it if he pulls out.

[Confused Democrat]

Manu Raju ‏@mkraju  10m10 minutes ago
Sen. Collins, Murkowski, Scott and Isakson all withholding judgment on Puzder's nomination after he revealed he hired undocumented immigrant


I'm guessing this will either end up similar to Tillerson (people pretend they are concerned and then vote Aye anyway), or Puzder may pull out.

There is talk of scott walker angling for it if he pulls out.

That's not a very funny joke.

[Dr. Arch]

Manu Raju ‏@mkraju  10m10 minutes ago
Sen. Collins, Murkowski, Scott and Isakson all withholding judgment on Puzder's nomination after he revealed he hired undocumented immigrant


I'm guessing this will either end up similar to Tillerson (people pretend they are concerned and then vote Aye anyway), or Puzder may pull out.

There is talk of scott walker angling for it if he pulls out.

That's not a very funny joke.

Just let it burn at this point. If DeVos can get the position, anyone can. We're screwed as a country for 2 years, at least, and damage control effectiveness is somewhere in between extremely limited to none.

Republicans pretty much nailed their coffin for all I care. I'll see if the D party goes the right direction. If it does, I'll become D.

[Nhoj]

Manu Raju ‏@mkraju  10m10 minutes ago
Sen. Collins, Murkowski, Scott and Isakson all withholding judgment on Puzder's nomination after he revealed he hired undocumented immigrant


I'm guessing this will either end up similar to Tillerson (people pretend they are concerned and then vote Aye anyway), or Puzder may pull out.

There is talk of scott walker angling for it if he pulls out.

That's not a very funny joke.

Not a joke but it seems hes denying the rumors. http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/scott-walker-nixes-speculation-he-s-in-mix-for-donald/article_d3824fe2-a53c-5365-a2d3-fca4e9d9b589.html

[NeverAgain]

I hope they allow the full regional control of education so that these Trumpist states can reap what they sow.