After 7 Months of Republican Filibuster Brazil Gets US Ambassador

[Joanne98]

Source: Brazzil Mag


The Republicans in the US Senate are a minority (40 votes out of 100) but they are doing everything they can to slow down the Obama administration. First they held up the appointment of the undersecretary for the Western Hemisphere, Arturo Valenzuela, until just a few weeks ago.

And they have only now (seven months after his nomination) decided to permit Thomas Shannon, the former undersecretary and a former assistant to the ambassador in Brazil, to take his post in Brasília.

This tug-of-war left the Obama administration without two key players during the Honduras crisis and the debate on relations with Cuba. Ironically, it was exactly because of Honduras and Cuba that the nominations were held up.

In the case of Shannon it was first senator DeMint who held things up because he wanted more flexible dealings with the de facto government in Honduras led by Roberto Micheletti.

DeMint's position can be described as the exact opposite of what Brazil has been calling for: because, in DeMint's opinion, Zelaya was a puppet of Hugo Chavez, even though the elected president, there was no need to put him back in office.


Read more: http://brazzilmag.com/lamvt/component/content/article/81-january-2010/11638-after-7-months-of-republican-filibuster-brazil-gets-us-ambassador.html

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Look what the WH gave them........

That has now finally been removed (on December 17). But as a result of this pressure, the US is issuing visas to members of the Micheletti government (which Brazil and the rest of Latin America do not like) and there will be continued support of the opposition in Cuba and less negotiations with the government (all of Latin America has been in favor of the removal of the embargo for years).

[burning rain]

1. It's smart politics for Republicans to filibuster everything in the Senate.

They please their base by obstructing as much as possible, while making Senate Democrats look ineffectual in the eyes of theirs, disillusioning some heading into the 2010 midterms. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have themselves to blame for allowing a minority of 41 to stop almost anything. They could change the rules if they so desired, or use--or at least threaten--the nuclear option. Hopefully they will in the New Year and demonstrate thereby their determination to accomplish more.

[zalinda]

2. They should only be able to filibuster

ala Mr Smith goes to Washington. Anything else is obstruction, and they should be called on it very publicly.

zalinda