Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings **live commentary thread**

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Grassley is giving his opening remarks for the sessions hearing.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Can't believe that someone who voted against the Violence Against Women act will be our next Attorney General.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Sessions will probably be okay given that he freely gave out the Olive Branches of recusing himself from any further investigations against Clinton or her foundation, and enforcing Roe and Obergefell. My estimate of the Confirmation vote is 56-44 in favor.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

The Rubio love is a bit sickening........

It's pretty much illegal to criticize him on Atlas.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Both Corker and Romney would be confirmed ~97-0. There was no reason Trump needed to use Tillerson.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Anyone who still thinks McCain is bipartisan or has a spine is utterly retarded at this point.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Manchin and Heitkamp clearly looking for a leg up in their 2018 re-election bids here.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Once they have passed committee, what is to stop McConnell from ramming them through the full Senate immediately? There is no filibuster on cabinet appointees anymore.

Dems can make it impossible for a vote to be called through traditional talking filibusters, obviously. You don't even necessarily need to talk through the night. Senators greatest weakness is their desire to sleep and have a weekend, so you really only need 10 hours of material at the most.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Is anyone getting confirmed today? Trump and nation kinda needs a cabinet... xD

The entire day is debate over DeVos. Her final vote is noon tomorrow.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Paul just voted Aye

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

The last few are taking their sweet time

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

My previous endorsements of Senators Heller and Flake are revoked.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

School choice is one of the few areas where I'm moderate. I went to one of the supposedly best public high schools and it wasn't all that good. The curriculum was disjointed, there was no structured social life, there was no effort to foster student-teacher relationships, the material wasn't sufficiently challenging, afterschool programs weren't adequately advertised, and-- well, in general it left a lot lacking, especially for a 'top' school. I'd like to see what private industry could do in the sector. Education is so important because it has a big impact on people's lives. It's funny how the areas I'm most moderate about, other liberals tend to be most passionate about, and vice versa.

For me at least, opposing DeVos isn't so much about her support for vouchers, it's more about the fact that she never attended or taught at a public school , nor did her children, yet wants to be in a job focused mostly on the public school system. She also has no comprehension of Proficiency vs. Growth or basic federal disability laws. Basically, she has no experience relevant to the job, and is therefore objectively not qualified to do it. It's not a partisan thing at all. It's about keeping out someone who simply isn't ready for the job.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

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.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

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.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

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.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

DWS forced Warren to not actually endorse Sanders, but everyone knows Warren would have endorsed Sanders had she been allowed to, which makes her a socialist, like it or not.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Sanders calls himself a Socialist. Why would he call himself a Socialist if he wasn't an actual socialist? It's not as if being a socialist is "cool" in this country. Even extreme liberals like Nancy Pelosi are capitalists.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

DWS forced Warren to not actually endorse Sanders, but everyone knows Warren would have endorsed Sanders had she been allowed to, which makes her a socialist, like it or not.

Neither Warren nor Sanders is a socialist, though. They're generic Democrats.

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.

Sanders calls himself a Socialist. Why would he call himself a Socialist if he wasn't an actual socialist? It's not as if being a socialist is "cool" in this country. Even extreme liberals like Nancy Pelosi are capitalists.

DEMOCRATIC socialist.

All that part means is that Sanders doesn't support appointing a dictator. Socialism is not a system that requires a dictator to make it work.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

@Wulfric: Socialism is inevitable. Get over it.

Even if it is inevitable, I will still fight against it, as I believe it is an unamerican ideology. Pelosi said it best: "We're capitalists and that's just the way it is."

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former 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.)

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former 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.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

The final vote on Sessions is beginning.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Sessions ahead 26-22 so far. No D's voting Yes/R's voting No yet.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Manchin votes Yes.

29-26 Sessions so far