Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings **live commentary thread**

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/819608462053228546

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I'll believe it if/when it happens

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

It's hilarious that so many of you think Sessions is going to work in a white robe and hood.  Lunacy.

Don't be silly, he already tried to trade it for a black robe and gavel during the Reagan years.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Mattis confirmed as Secretary of Defense in a unanimous vote:

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/20/mad-dog-mattis-confirmed-as-defense-secretary-first-trump-cabinet-member-to-be-approved.html

At the time that article was written, the vote was unanimous, but voting was still in progress.  Looks like it ended up not quite being unanimous:

https://twitter.com/CQnow/status/822569447722455040

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Mattis is the best Trump nom by a mile. Still don't get why she made this her hill to die on

Sounds like Gillibrand believes he wasn't good enough to be worth throwing out the law on and scrapping civilian oversight of the military.

Yep, and she's absolutely right!

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

McCain says he'll vote to confirm Tillerson:

https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/823179101796081665

Does this mean that for once in his life Rubio might've actually decided to grow a pair after all?  

More importantly, this is beyond pathetic.  It's like every time McCain seems like he can't possibly sink any lower, he always manages to find a way.  We now have someone who had been among the most vocal and uncompromising hawks in the Senate voting to confirm a blatantly unqualified Russian stooge as Secretary of State because the nomination came from a Republican "President" with almost literally no knowledge of foreign affairs whose best known interaction with McCain had been to attack him for being a POW (saying, among other things, "I like guys who don't get captured").  We already have the Moscovite Candidate in the Oval Office, a National Security Advisor who truly cannot be trusted to put America's interests ahead of those of the Russian government, and now we may have another Russian puppet/corrupt guy who sold his soul to Putin/useful idiot (take your pick) at State because John McCain is apparently worried that some people might still think he has some semblance of a soul.  I never thought I could have a lower opinion of him than I already did, but...wow.  I get that "country first" doesn't really mean much to McCain anymore, but this is pretty disgusting.

Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, keeping people like Flynn and Tillerson out of office should be a no-brainer.  The only reason to cheer on something like this is if you're a soulless hack or just such a petty, sheltered, selfish, and all-around pathetic manchild that you blindly cheer for anything that makes people in the other party scared or upset regardless of who will get hurt or the damage it could do to America (and we do admittedly have some of those on the forum).  This is different than just trash-talking fans of a rival sports team.  Politics is not a game (despite what some on the forum may think) and when you treat it like one the way many Americans have been since 2010, people get hurt.    

It should frighten everyone that national security posts are being given to people who may actively work to pursue the interests of a foreign government (and a hostile one at that) rather than those of their own country.  Even if you think I'm wrong about Tillerson and Flynn or I'm exaggerating/being melodramatic, how are Flynn's close ties to the Russian government or Tillerson's clear lack of any meaningful qualifications for SoS not highly alarming at best?

Graham also says he'll vote to confirm Tillerson:

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/mccain-tillerson-senate-confirm-233989

Rubio still hasn't announced his decision.

Give me a f***ing break!  I've seen wet sh!t with more of a backbone than Lindsey Graham.  What pathetic piece of garbage.  I really need to stop looking at this thread before I give myself a stroke

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

As a Dem I'm glad to see that Tillerson will be confirmed. If the neocons defected Trump would in all likelihood just choose a candidate more acceptable to them, and I'd prefer not to get drafted into Secretary Bolton's march on Tehran.

Tillerson as SoS is bad for the country, period.  Bolton can't even make it out of committee and we're not gonna have a draft again.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

https://twitter.com/SarahMMimms/status/826450051434176515

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Putting my personal biases aside, they look really bad when they keep on delaying his nominees. This is going to stick with them during midterms and Trump voters won't forget it.

You're incapable of putting your personal biases aside.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

and flake is more or a less a good guy.

Whatever you think of his political positions, Flake is objectively one of the most despicable human beings in the Senate.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Looks like Manchin needs a primary challenger!

Lol sure, go ahead and primary Manchin. A Democrat in West Virginia. See what happens.

This. There are much bigger fish to fry than jeopardizing the balance of power in the Senate because Manchin voted for Trump's cabinet nominees. Take out Flake and Heller while protecting the vulnerable Democrats first.

You don't win if you don't try you guys. Plus he already voted for Sessions and Munuchin so he already made his bed.

Manchin took the lead on universal background checks after Sandy Hook and he's a Senator from West Virginia, I care more about that then I do about whether he votes with us on something that we have no chance of winning anyway.  Manchin does what he can when he can and if you don't see how his situation is different than someone like Lieberman, I really don't know what to say except that the world is a far more complicated place than you think.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Collins to vote NO on Pruitt

http://mainepublic.org/post/i-will-vote-no-susan-collins-says-she-ll-oppose-scott-pruitt-lead-epa

Must mean they have enough votes to confirm him (same with McCain voting against Mulvaney)

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Amazing news.

As Buckley would say, I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Joe Manchin will be Deputy Secretary of the Interior. Official Announcement Monday: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/01/politics/donald-trump-joe-manchin-interior-sec/index.html

It wasn't funny the first time you posted it.

This

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Ajit Varadaraj Pai to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission )

Result: Motion Passes, 55-41


NAYs ---41
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Booker (D-NJ)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Casey (D-PA)
Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Duckworth (D-IL)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harris (D-CA)
Hassan (D-NH)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Hirono (D-HI)
Kaine (D-VA)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Leahy (D-VT)
Markey (D-MA)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Reed (D-RI)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Udall (D-NM)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Warner (D-VA)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 4
Cochran (R-MS)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Strange (R-AL)
Tillis (R-NC)

Ugh, that guy is horrible.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Lol between Katsas, not returning a blue slip (despite being on Judiciary!) and saying he won’t vote for Talley I wonder what Kennedy is up to

Maybe he actually has some shred of integrity?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

CLOTURE passes 48-47.

Which Democrat voted yes? I know one did, and I know Manchin voted no...

What about the rest of the Senate?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Grassley(!) is a No on two district court nominees the senate will consider in later weeks: http://www.kbzk.com/story/37050855/exclusive-grassley-urges-trump-to-reconsider-controversial-judicial-picks

!!!!

Unless it’s Kennedy, I’ll believe Republican no votes on when I see them.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

The Democrats shouldn't be letting anyone get confirmed by voice vote, honestly.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

The Democrats shouldn't be letting anyone get confirmed by voice vote, honestly.

US Marshals and US Attorneys are always remarkably non-controversial choices, but you have a point on at least some of the rest. I definitely wouldn't consent to letting the EPA CFO or the Homeland Sec. Counsel avoid a formal floor vote.

The point is to slow everything down so they accomplish as little as possible and some of Trump’s US Attorney nominees have been pretty bad.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY HIRONO ALWAYS VOTES AGAINST CLOTURE BUT OFTEN NOT AGAINST THE NOMINATION

I DON’T KNOW!  WHY ARE YOU USING ALL CAPS?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Rand will vote for Pompeo.

I think Rand Paul is probably the second-saddest spineless mollusk in the Senate, closely following Ted Cruz. Jeff Flake

At least Ted Cruz doesn't really pretend to be anything other than a weasel on two legs

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

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

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

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

You mean like Donald Trump, Dick Cheney, Paul Ryan, Jeff Sessions, Steve Bannon, and Scott Pruitt?  Also, I'm pretty sure 99.99% of Democrats don't know, much less care, that Grenell was gay.  I certainly didn't until you brought it up, but again...you know...who cares about his sexual orientation?  Also ROTFL at the idea that Grenell gets anything even remotely resembling a visceral reaction from the left.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

https://mobile.twitter.com/kasie/status/994287940888121344

BWAA BWAA BWA BWAAAA



WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Translation: Republicans already have enough votes to confirm her without Manchin.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Kobes passes CLOTURE 49-49. Pence broke tie, Senators Flake and Inhofe did not vote.

Today's episode of empty threats is brought to you by Jeff Flake.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Vitter confirmed 52-45:

NAYs ---45
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Collins (R-ME)(!)
Coons (D-DE)
Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Duckworth (D-IL)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Hassan (D-NH)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Hirono (D-HI)
Jones (D-AL)
Kaine (D-VA)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Leahy (D-VT)
Manchin (D-WV)
Markey (D-MA)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Peters (D-MI)
Reed (D-RI)
Rosen (D-NV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Sinema (D-AZ)
Smith (D-MN)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-NM)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Warner (D-VA)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 3
Booker (D-NJ)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harris (D-CA)

Butalao confirmed 92-5:

NAYs ---5
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Hirono (D-HI)
Markey (D-MA)
Sanders (I-VT)
Warren (D-MA)

Not Voting - 3
Booker (D-NJ)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harris (D-CA)

The Republican-controlled Senate just confirmed a judicial nominee who think Brown v. Board of Education was wrongly decided.  Something to remember the next time a rich old white man from the south says that African-Americans “need to leave the Democratic plantation.”