Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings **live commentary thread**

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Fake president Pussygrabber's twitter is now ranting about the record long time it's taken his Cabinet to be  confirmed.

Given his track record, I'm assuming he's lying, still.

[publicunofficial]

Tester is reportedly a "No" on Sessions, citing Sessions' support for the Patriot Act and his opposition to the Violence Against Women Act.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

In other news, resident socialist Elizabeth Warren has been ordered to remain silent because she read a letter from Coretta Scott King that insulted Sen. Sessions.

She's not a socialist and you've learned nothing.

I didn't watch the violation and so cannot fairly say she is innocent. And she is a socialist.

Stop embarrassing yourself on this, please.  For your own sake.

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

^ Oh, yes, because it is a high crime to say that Warren is a socialist and to refuse to say she shouldn't have been silenced. (To Clarify, I am NOT saying that the silencing was right or wrong. I am simply not taking a position on the enforcement of a rule that I am not familiar with the exact language of.)

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

^ Oh, yes, because it is a high crime to say that Warren is a socialist and to refuse to say she shouldn't have been silenced. (To Clarify, I am NOT saying that the silencing was right or wrong. I am simply not taking a position on the enforcement of a rule that I am not familiar with the exact language of.)

Elizabeth Warren is not a socialist just because you don't like her.  You're one of the most thickheaded people here so I see why that's hard for you to comprehend, but maybe you should at least try to work on fixing your image here.

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I'm going to express what I believe to be the truth, and that's just how it is. I don't care about my Atlas approval rating.

[publicunofficial]

I'm going to express what I believe to be the truth, and that's just how it is. I don't care about my Atlas approval rating.

Woah watch out, got a tough guy over here.

[Meclazine for Israel]

 
Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump  8h hours ago
 It is a disgrace that my full Cabinet is still not in place, the longest such delay in the history of our country. Obstruction by Democrats!

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Trump wins again!

If putting incompetent cronies into important positions is winning, I think the Groppenfuehrer is going to get tired of winning.

[ApatheticAustrian]

liz is only a socialist if you use the imho ludicrous US definition of the word....in europe she would be a center-center social democrat.


and btw...trump lies regarding the cabinet...for what it's worth

[Sir Mohamed]

Just terrible that DeVos got confirmed. She has no clue of education policy and massive conflicts of interests. Too bad that no other Republicans have to backbone to stand up to the Trumpster, because they’re afraid that he’s slamming them on Twitter.

[SCNCmod]

Does anyone have video of Senator Brian Schatz' DeVos Speech? (by itself.. vs contained within a 3 hours cspan video)

[100% pro-life no matter what]

^ Oh, yes, because it is a high crime to say that Warren is a socialist and to refuse to say she shouldn't have been silenced. (To Clarify, I am NOT saying that the silencing was right or wrong. I am simply not taking a position on the enforcement of a rule that I am not familiar with the exact language of.)

Elizabeth Warren is not a socialist just because you don't like her.  You're one of the most thickheaded people here so I see why that's hard for you to comprehend, but maybe you should at least try to work on fixing your image here.

Every Democrat, except maybe Joe Manchin, is a socialist.  Problem solved!!!!

[Pheurton Skeurto]

I didn't think it was possible to make a post that was more stupid than the one you replied to, but you did it. Congrats.

Um, k? Feel free to disagree, but I don't see how they are anything other than generic, very liberal Democrats. Calling them "socialists" or "Democratic socialists" is nonsense.

Everyone with any type of left-wing views = liberal
Everyone with any type of right-wing views = conservative

Cool. Glad it's that black and white.

[Confused Democrat]

The confirmation of DeVos means that every Trump cabinet pick is going to be confirmed.

Democrats are going to hang their hat on blocking Gorsuch, which will either succeed or result in the abolition of the filibuster on SCOTUS nominees.

[Gass3268]

Tester also announced on Rachel Maddow last night that he will also be voting no

Manchin may be the only Democrat to vote yes.

[Pheurton Skeurto]

Tester also announced on Rachel Maddow last night that he will also be voting no

Manchin may be the only Democrat to vote yes.

No chance of any defections from the R side? Not that they care about civil rights or racism or anything.

[Gass3268]

Tester also announced on Rachel Maddow last night that he will also be voting no

Manchin may be the only Democrat to vote yes.

No chance of any defections from the R side? Not that they care about civil rights or racism or anything.

Collins is a yes because Sessions is her friend. No word from Murkowski, but I doubt it.

[Xing]

I don't understand a thing, maybe it's just because I'am a fool...Collins and Murkoswski are both in the Committee competent about Education...this Committee is 12-11 Republican...so, not even both, but just the vote of one of them would have blocked DeVos in the preliminary fase, without the need of a full floor Senate vote...if they weren't willing to vote for her, why did they vote for advancing her nomination in Committee?

It looks pretty clear now that McConnell let these two vote no to placate their constituents who were going hard at them on DeVos. But he wasn't going to let them actually block the process. So just like the 50 other R senators had no choice but to vote "Yay", Collins and Murkoswki had no choice but to vote "Yay" on the Committee. We, critics of DeVos, should really not hold them up as Moderate Heroes...

Those who pay close attention know how much of a "moderate" Collins really is. Ordinary voters, though, just hear about how she doesn't always vote with the Republicans, so she gets to keep up her image as a moderate.

The people of Maine should decide whether she's moderate enough for them, not Atlas Forum. In 2008, a huge Dem wave, she beat back a serious challenge by 20 points. It's pretty clear that the people of Maine feel she is moderate enough for them, and it is their judgment that counts. Regarding DeVos, Collins was clear about her views: She opposed the nomination, but did not feel the matter was serious enough to prevent the full Senate from having their say on it.

Oh, I'm not allowed to have an opinion on a Senator from a different state, or define "moderate" differently from others? That's interesting, considering how much time you've spent talking about how you feel about a Senator from a different state, and defining "socialist" in a rather... odd way.

[publicunofficial]

I don't understand a thing, maybe it's just because I'am a fool...Collins and Murkoswski are both in the Committee competent about Education...this Committee is 12-11 Republican...so, not even both, but just the vote of one of them would have blocked DeVos in the preliminary fase, without the need of a full floor Senate vote...if they weren't willing to vote for her, why did they vote for advancing her nomination in Committee?

It looks pretty clear now that McConnell let these two vote no to placate their constituents who were going hard at them on DeVos. But he wasn't going to let them actually block the process. So just like the 50 other R senators had no choice but to vote "Yay", Collins and Murkoswki had no choice but to vote "Yay" on the Committee. We, critics of DeVos, should really not hold them up as Moderate Heroes...

Those who pay close attention know how much of a "moderate" Collins really is. Ordinary voters, though, just hear about how she doesn't always vote with the Republicans, so she gets to keep up her image as a moderate.

The people of Maine should decide whether she's moderate enough for them, not Atlas Forum. In 2008, a huge Dem wave, she beat back a serious challenge by 20 points. It's pretty clear that the people of Maine feel she is moderate enough for them, and it is their judgment that counts. Regarding DeVos, Collins was clear about her views: She opposed the nomination, but did not feel the matter was serious enough to prevent the full Senate from having their say on it.

Wulfric you have repeatedly said in the past that Congress should refuse to seat people that you consider to be Socialists. Why can Maine decide what it wants, but Seattle can't?

[Shadows]

Susan Collins election is less about moderate or not - She is just very highly liked. She is the 2nd most popular Senator after Bernie Sanders. She has massive favorables. She will absolutely win in Senate election.

Dems should try to get King to be a D & move him leftwards in policies & attack the Warner, Menendez crowd in blue states !

Warren-Sanders are 70+, get new strong progressives in blue states!

[Mr. Morden]

Warren-Sanders are 70+, get new strong progressives in blue states!

You mean their age or their poll numbers?  Because last time I checked, Warren was 67 years old, not 70+.

[Blue3]

Warren-Sanders are 70+, get new strong progressives in blue states!

You mean their age or their poll numbers?  Because last time I checked, Warren was 67 years old, not 70+.

I think he meant she'd be 70+ if she were to be sworn in 1/20/2021.

[Mr. Morden]

Warren-Sanders are 70+, get new strong progressives in blue states!

You mean their age or their poll numbers?  Because last time I checked, Warren was 67 years old, not 70+.

I think he meant she'd be 70+ if she were to be sworn in 1/20/2021.

But I thought the conversation was about Dems in the Senate, not Dems who should be in the White House?

[Shadows]

Warren-Sanders are 70+, get new strong progressives in blue states!

You mean their age or their poll numbers?  Because last time I checked, Warren was 67 years old, not 70+.

I think he meant she'd be 70+ if she were to be sworn in 1/20/2021.

But I thought the conversation was about Dems in the Senate, not Dems who should be in the White House?

They'd be 70+ in 2020, I think 1 of them is getting nominated & if Bernie is there, Liz is VP pick (Bernie is too old probably). Point is you need strong progressives in the Senate from 2020!