Lets pretend a disabled Vietnam veteran, who also happened to be a republican senator, was up for a job, but became the first person in history unable to get that job, despite having all the qualification and support needed. And lets say that particular job was heading up the US military, during a time a war, and his absence leaves the military leaderless. And lets say the reason this particular republican was blocked was because the senate minority was pissed off about something he had nothing to do with, and because of an allegation that its possible he was bribed by a foreign government, BUT the only evidence to back the charge up is the fact the veteran hasnt proven that he wasnt.
And then after blocking the appointment of a disabled Vietnam veteran, turned republican senator, for the job of heading up the military during a time of war based on an event he had nothing to do with and charges that are basically transparent bullshit. the minority that blocked him, then decided to go home for the next 10 days and take a vacation.....leaving the military without a head the entire time. And then say on the way out the door, they actually agree to drop the filibuster......just as soon as they get back from their vacation.
Can you just imagine how absolutely PISSED FOX News, Rush Limbaugh, Right Wing Talk Radio and the right wing blogasphere would be if this ever was allowed to happened?
You can just hear them now, throwing out treason charges, and demanding the senators who blocked this man be impeached and accusing them of working with Americas enemies cant you?
Actually you dont have to imagine. Because that just happened. And for the record, none of the people I mentioned aren't really all that pissed. Flip on the TV and check if you dont believe me....you'll likely find them either supporting the move, or ignoring it.
You see, in the right wing IOKIYAR. Its OK If Your A Republican, seriously you can do whatever it is you like. and that little R after your name = "get out of jail free".
Or at least that appears to be whats happened here. Since the GOP just made history, blocking defense department appointee for any reason. Doesnt help the reasons basically have nothing to do with the nominee at all.
What I'm saying is this, this is a "bullshit call" no matter what your political party
Look their are legitimate reasons to hold up a nomination. John Brennan, the nominee to head the CIA is also being held up. But his is being held up over questions about memo's that he authored claiming legal authority for government officials, including the CIA head to execute american citizens without a trial via Drones.
So people want to know what rules/oversight if any are actually in place, before they approve a guy to a position where he has already claimed he had the power to kill you.
Thats not whats going on with Hagel.
Hagel was blocked specifically for 2 reasons:
1) Republicans want more information about what President Obama did the night of the Benghazi attacks. There are still some unanswered questions from that night the White House hasnt answered in the 20 briefing they did for congress on the subject (assuming unlike Ron Johnson and John McCain the rest of the GOP actually is going to these things......instead of skipping them to hold a press conference on how much they care). Important questions, like was Obama wearing boxers or briefs that night? What color was Hillary Clinton's pants suit? Did Obama put a Kufi on and do a victory lap around the White House screaming ALLAHU AKBAR when he heard about the attack? Those kinds of things. You know conspiratorial bullshit because they cant how it is less people died in Benghazi then did most of the embassy attacks under Bush/.
And what did Chuck Hagel have to do ith Benghazi anyways? nothing, dude was a private citizen at the time, presumably sitting at home looking at porn on the internet..........
But hey, we need to randomly block someone to get answers to important underwear related questions, so why not the Secretary of Defense at a time of war right?
2) and so far this one is solely the creation of Ted Cruz and the far right. Is Wounded Vietnam Chuck Hagel, secretly an enemy of the state, working for communist and/or Islamic government? After all as a private citizen Hagel set up 7 financial funds, one of which apparently did some foreign investing to the amount of $200,000.
Now doesnt it seem reasonable that that money was likely intentionally put in that fund by the North Korean government? or maybe it was the Iranians? (full disclosure by the way, I also have an investment fund that invests overseas, so its possible I am also a paid Iranian/North Korean/Islamic agent covering for Hagel)
Cruz himself has no evidence of that, but I mean it seems reasonable right? So clearly its up to Hagel to clear his name from charges made without evidence
And hey then there is the charge being made by a number of right wing Web Sites, that Hagel was actually paid off by a group called "Friends of Hamas" an accusation that was backed uo on on the Hugh Hewett Radio show by Senator Rand Paul, after Hewett suggested it to the Senator
there is however one small problem however, "Friends of Hamas", does not you know actually exist.
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| S.H.I.E.L.D: More Real then Friends of Hamas...... |
So to recap, slandering a disabled war veteran as a secret enemy agent without evidence, IOKIYAR, in fact we will even help you spread lies.
Oh and if you needed any more evidence this whole damn move, is basically an exercise in political masturbation: John McCain and Lindsey Graham said yesterday, on the floor, minutes after voting to filibuster, they would switch their votes and end the filibuster 10 days from now, when the senate comes back from vacation.
yea, thats right they said BEFORE THEY LEFT THE FLOOR, hey we just want to fuck around for a while and be dicks for dicks sake.
Of John McCain suffers from multiple personality disorder....especially on this issue, so his announcement that he expects not to agree with himself in 10 days makes sense.
For example, back when he was running for President, John McCain suggested Chuck Hagel would be at the top of the list for Secretary of State, he made the same suggestion (in addition to John Kerry) when he attacked Susan Rice earlier this year.
Hell earlier this week, when Ted Cruz suggested Hagel was an enemy of the state as a justification for the filibuster McCain, NOW supports, McCain defended Hagel and said this “No one on this committee should at any time impugn his character or his integrity.”
Now of course I suppose in 10 days McCain may change his mind about changing his mind. I mean he already debuted a whole new 2 reasons to block Hagel on FOX news this morning.
So two points here:
1) we now have Bullshit reason Number 3: Hagel was a meanie poo poo head by speaking out against his own party. By the way does anyone remember when John McCain ran for president on the premise he always spoke out against his own party? yea........oddly for once I guess its not IOKIYAR, instead IOKIYJM Its OK If Your John McCain....
2) now McCain thinks Hagel should step aside.....BUT also thinks Hagel will get the votes when they get back....after McCain flip flops on the filibuster.
Being for it before you were against it before you were before it? IOKIYAR Seriously no on called him on that yet.
Oh and one other flip flop by McCain, and Lindsey Graham for that matter: Before today's cloture vote 6 republicans pledged to break any attempt at a filibuster based on principal, even though many of them were going to vote against Hagel; Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Roy Blunt, Rodger Wicker, John McCain and Lindsey Graham.
When time came to hold the vote, Blunt, Wicker and of course Graham and McCain, said "yea we know what we said, but fuck principals" for voted in favor of the Filibuster.......right before McCain and Graham pledged to honor their pledge to break the Filibuster next time.
To be fair this means, to their credit, Collins and Murkowski kept their word and voted against the filibuster...and were joined by Senators Thad Cochran and Mike Johanns, bringing the total number of votes to break the filibuster to 59....one short of what they needed. Too bad McCain cant be trusted to remember what he said for more then 30 seconds anymore, if he or Lindsey Graham had a set, we could have avoided this whole thing. But still legit thumbs up to those 4 Republicans, for not giving into bullshit, even though I think all of them are voting against Hagel when the vote comes.
Oh a couple other profiles in courage to highlight here too, but these are more of the sarcastic variety. You see Senator Orrin Hatch voted present and David Vitter refused to vote.
Oh one last point I need to bring up. Knowing full well that the first ever filibuster of a cabinet nominee by an actual minority will have far reaching implications for how nominations proceed in the future (such as say if the GOP ever has the White House but not 60 votes in the senate, and want to confirm nominees) Hatch and many other republicans are desperately trying to convince people this isnt a filibuster.
Take Senator Jim Inhofe for example who said "It's the 60-vote margin, it's not a filibuster." Yea see their is no such thing as the 60 vote margin, the Constitution clearly states Majority +1, which is 51. The only reason we ever need 60 votes is because thats what the Senate decided is needed to break a filibuster....therefore by definition if you have a 60 vote margin, you have a filibuster.
Senator Lamar Alexander also tried to claim this wasnt a filibuster, but his excuse was even worse. "We know what a filibuster is … it's when one side or the other… decides to try to kill a nomination by requiring 60 votes." then added "Do 60 of us believe it's time to end debate on the nomination to become Secretary of Defense?"
"See we arnt filibustering, filibustering would mean we oppose the guy.....and we have every intention of confirming him.....just not right now because we can bitch"
I mean I think that sums it up best of all. This is basically a joke, the GOP have turned confirmation hearings into an actual literal joke. And honestly no one seems to care, even left wing blogs have moved on to the next story.
yet we all know had Dem's done this it, especially for made up reasons that amounted to "why not" would be a major story for weeks. But hey it seems almost universal at this point IOKIYAR.
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