Salazar Decries McCain Obstruction: We Can’t Do Our Job ‘If We Don’t Have Our People In Place’
Salazar Decries McCain Obstruction: We Can’t Do Our Job ‘If We Don’t Have Our People In Place’
Following a Senate hearing yesterday, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar explained to reporters that his department “can’t go about doing our job” because Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is preventing the confirmation of his top land staff:
We don’t have the capacity at this point in time, frankly, to provide those answers, because I don’t have the leadership yet. So yes, it will be a detriment at this point in time. We frankly can’t go about doing our job if we don’t have our people in place.
Senate rules allow a single Senator to anonymously block the confirmation of Presidential appointments, for any reason. McCain is blocking Bob Abbey, the nominee to be the Bureau of Land Management administrator, and Wilma Lewis, the nominee for Interior’s assistant secretary for land and minerals, “until the Obama administration takes a position on his legislation to clear a path for a copper mine in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest.”
McCain is not the only senator to abuse his privilege by holding nominees in order to extract concessions from the Obama administration:
– Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) has placed a hold on Robert Perciasepe, nominated to be the Environmental Protection Agency’s second in command, because “he is dissatisfied” with the EPA finding that clean energy legislation would only cost American households a postage stamp a day.
– Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) has placed a hold on Cass Sunstein, nominated to be the director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, on concerns from the agriculture industry about his opinions on animal welfare.
While conservatives block key appointees, they’re also railing against the Obama administration for trying to staff up with appointees that don’t require Senate confirmation. The right-wing has referred to these appointees as “czars” that are part of a “socialist plot” and a “giant expansion of presidential power.”
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Let them filibuster. They don’t even have close to a majority.
Sooner or later, the repiggies will need something.
Play hard and mean with them. That’s all they respect.
Some folks only understand a 2 by 4 across the head.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:03 pmObama should just have made it policy to remove every Bush appointee from every position in government across the board.
If McCain and the rest of the Republicans want to obstruct our government, they are going to pay for it at the ballot box.
Nothing more un-patriotic than actively obstructing your nations government for blackmail. It’s treason and Obama should have them all prosecuted for it.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:10 pmOMG
Look at McCain’s photo!
He’s not only contracted Sarah Palin’s winking affliction,
he’s taken so much viagra his thumb is having an errection!
July 15th, 2009 at 2:11 pmWhen chimpy was in office it was ‘the president deserve to have his people in place. We demand an up or down vote on his nominees!”
Now that the shoe is on the other foot, what ever happened to the nominees getting that up or down vote?
July 15th, 2009 at 2:12 pmWhat I can’t believe is that Holder still has Bush US Attorneys in place.
Maybe it’s time for some recess appointments?
July 15th, 2009 at 2:12 pmahhh yes the black (socialist) helicopters are comin to git ya! They want to take away your guns and your white women!
July 15th, 2009 at 2:12 pmMcCain looks like he has one foot in the grave.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:13 pmMy goodness!
Some of our comments seem to be angering the trollie rollers here today.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:15 pmYes, evangenital. Apparently trolls are very sensitive about their Grampy McInsane!
July 15th, 2009 at 2:19 pmSalazar: We frankly can’t go about doing our job if we don’t have our people in place.
I’m pretty sure that’s the plan.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:19 pmevangenital, I think the trolls are angry about constantly being voted down. They should be happy though,at least their getting votes. Unlike their leaders in the last two election cycles.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:19 pmMcain needs to quit his job so he can work for a better america, or go fishing, or be a fashion model, also.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:23 pmhe can model Depends undergarments
July 15th, 2009 at 2:24 pmThe intertwining of the financial sector(WallStreet) with our resource extraction and large agribusiness interests has led to our problems. Progressives, in large part, call for regulated capitalism. Rape, pillage and plundering don’t fit our worldview when it comes to the environment and food supply. Put the Congress on a steady diet of fast food, untreated and unfiltered water, in the smoggiest places in America for 30 days: on second thought we can’t as we’d be charged with abuse of a corpse. The smell would be awful as well; burning political contributions.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:24 pmThey need to get rid of this rule. They also need to get rid of the 60 vote rule.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:26 pmIsn’t what McCain is doing pretty much the legal definition of extortion?
July 15th, 2009 at 2:27 pmThat’s the way I see it as well The Moderate Squad.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:33 pmSo much for country first! The Democrats need to get fierce and force a filibuster on these GOPers. Bulldoze them, break some arms Reid!
I get exhausted just looking at McCain. I really hope, by some miracle, that McCain does not get re-elected in 2010.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:35 pmHey! Harry Reid, are you AWAKE! Do something! Call a press conference, tell the American people what’s going on! Write a letter to the Washington Post or NYT! Use every tool at your disposal…..DO SOMETHING!!
July 15th, 2009 at 2:38 pmLook at the picture above of old man Mccain,hes winking. I think hes sending a secret message to Palin. If he is, does anyone have any ideas of what it might be?
July 15th, 2009 at 2:46 pmWhat a beautiful thought Evan….do you get to administer it or can I??????
July 15th, 2009 at 2:48 pmAre you sure that he isn’t secretly winking at Larry Craig?
Same-sex superhappyfun seems to be running rampant within the repiggie ranks.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:49 pmSounds like it’s time to abandon outdated ‘gentle(men)’s rules that govern this astute body, since some of the players are abusing their power over the group.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:52 pmThink hard McCain, and I know it’s difficult for you, but do you remember chastising the President with these words “so much for bipartisanism Mr. President…politics as usual”.
You claim that you hate earmarks, but what the heck is this?
July 15th, 2009 at 2:54 pmCaption:
Yup, I’m a Maverprick, er Mafiarick, a, whaaddaa…Oh yeah! A moforick!
July 15th, 2009 at 2:58 pmSorry O/T again,
July 15th, 2009 at 2:59 pmRight now Frankin is questioning Sotomayor. Limpbo and billdo must be going nuts right now. Their both going to relapse. Limpbo with his oxycontin and billdo is probably harrasing some intern in fox studios. Gotta love it.
Party of NO obstructs so they can accuse the Obama admin. of getting nothing done…. and run on an Obama do nothing admin.
Say it over and over and spread the word as it appears the GOP run media may play into this also.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:01 pmThe Dems should stop trying to get any bipartisan help. It is time for the Dems to start playing real hardball just like the Republicans did when they had control of Congress. Ram the legislation through and use the media to denounce the Republicans for being obstructionist. The Republicans have conservative talk radio and Fox, but the rest of the media is MSM which has a bigger audience.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:18 pmSalazar: We frankly can’t go about doing our job if we don’t have our people in place.
I’m pretty sure that’s the plan.
I am hearing some from the younger generation becoming frustrated with Obama as our country is not changing as they expected. The obstruction hid by the corporate media is working with those who have no clue.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:18 pmI seem to recall the use of the term “Czar” coming into vogue during the Reagan administration.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:47 pmNeocan’ts don’t want progress, equality or liberty.
‘If you can’t own it, it ain’t worth a shit‘ mentality.
This mirrors corporate mentality and is why these ’secret holds’ are much like ‘double secret probation’ in Animal House.
If it’s good for all people, I’m against it, because I’m much more important that THOSE people’.
McCan’t, Neocan’ts, Republican’ts…the trifecta, I guess.
July 15th, 2009 at 4:03 pmThe Grand Obstructionist Party strikes again. The conservative base not only desperately want Obama (and therefore the nation) to fail, they wish to make it a self-fulfilling prophesy by doing everything in their power to bring their hope-he-fails obsession to fruition.
July 15th, 2009 at 4:43 pmThe party of NO remains the obstruction to progress.
It is their plan to cause delay in everything regarding the Obama administration so as to stymie them as long as possible; then the repugs can claim that the Dems are incompetent or incapable of carrying out their assignments.
Typical partisan bullying by the repugniscum.
July 15th, 2009 at 4:44 pmChambliss is from Georgia, not SC.
Seriously, the Palmetto State has enough issues without him.
July 15th, 2009 at 4:51 pmSenate rules allow a single Senator to anonymously block the confirmation of Presidential appointments, for any reason.
This is a rule that needs to be changed. There is NOTHING democratic about it. The Republics have blocked so many of Obama’s appointees it is starting to affect the stimulus monies. He doesn’t have the people in place he needs to distribute and monitor the stimulus money. This is by design by the Republics. They want the stimulus to fail (and therefore our economy to continue to fail) because they see it as the only way they can regain power.
I have never seen anything like the obstruction the Republics are throwing at President Obama in all the years I have been following politics (and there are a lot of years there).
July 15th, 2009 at 4:52 pmObama had the quote of the week yesterday:
They want to paralyze him and then blame him because of inaction.If they believed his policies would fail, they’d let them fail–but they don’t. They’re scared–and maybe convinced–they will work, and so they have to thwart him.
Because the destruction of America and the deaths of millions will just allow them to trumpet their Aynrandistan visions.
Of course in reality they’re the people who’ll blow up Howard Roark’s buildings because they don’t like his ideology.
July 15th, 2009 at 4:54 pmI really do wish that President Obama had made recess appointments of everyone the Republics are currently obstructing. It’s really too bad that Obama’s sense of fair play wouldn’t allow him to do that. Unfortunately for him it is getting to the point that is the only way he is going to fill the positions that are currently being obstructed by the Republics.
July 15th, 2009 at 4:57 pmkrystalview says:
Hey! Harry Reid, are you AWAKE! Do something! Call a press conference, tell the American people what’s going on! Write a letter to the Washington Post or NYT! Use every tool at your disposal…..DO SOMETHING!!
Reid needs to call a press conference daily and read off the names of appointees who are being obstructed by the Republics. He then needs to tell us how this affecting President Obama’s ability to do his job.
The only problem with that plan is that the Networks won’t cover the press conferences. They will be too busy interviewing Liz Cheney.
July 15th, 2009 at 5:01 pmUncle Ho says:
The GNOP has traded the “up and down” for the “in and out”.
PEACE
July 15th, 2009 at 5:18 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins says:
Reid needs to call a press conference daily and read off the names of appointees who are being obstructed by the Republics…
I disagree. It should come from Obama who can lend an air of authority. A speech by Obama gets a lot more coverage.
July 15th, 2009 at 7:22 pmIt’s the GOP and the Republican senators and House Representatives conspiracy for President Obama to fail. And If Obama fails, so does the United States of America.
Every single Republican in Congress should be tried for treason against the people of the United States of America.
Now,if only the democrats, who by the way, are in control and in charge will come and do it! They lack the cojones to do so.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:27 pmI gave Ken Salazar $50 when he ran for the senate. I still want it back. His brother is worse. Still don’t know where they get their money, but it can’t be pretty. Gentlemen who lie are no gentlemen in my book. They are just liars. Maybe Ken Salazar would be interested in a polar bear cookbook.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:34 pmAmazing that McCain claims to be such a moderate, all the while maintaining these far right ideas. But McCain, whom I used to support, seems to be getting sillier and sillier. He seems to have joined the nut jobs in our party. Nothing moderate about him now. Of course, the Feds funds will assist in putting our Arizonans back to work but obviously McCain has no interest in that program. Poor thing cannot figure out if he is going to leave one foot in the moderate camp and the rest of himself in the far far right. But I wish he would explain his point of view to all the folks who will not get stimulus money because he got himself in a snit.
July 16th, 2009 at 7:36 pm