Harkin will not vote for Geithner. Speaking on senate floor now. (CSPAN2)

[AlinPA]

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

1. Really? Why isn't he? I don't like Geithner, either. He and Larry Summers

were partly responsible for the economic mess we're in right now. Way to go, Tom!

[karynnj]

7. Could be many reasons

1) He may think the fact that he refused to just say that he didn't correct 2001 and 2002 taxes because they were beyond the statue of limitations

2) He may think he is too connected to Wall Street - Harkin is a populist.

I bet there are many Democrats who will vote for him, who have reservations.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. I'm sure you're right and that there are many Dems who are voting for him

because they want Obama to have his important Cabinet member. But I have to say that not paying IMF taxes really bothers me. I worked at the IMF for years and they tell us that we have to make arrangements to have state and federal income taxes taken out of our paychecks because IMF won't do so, as it is a nongovernmental entity. I find it very difficult to believe that he didn't know or forgot.

[karynnj]

26. It bothered me

because even if he somehow missed all of that - when he was caught on 2003 and 2004 - he had to have known he did the same thing in the two earlier years.

Reading your experience, he likely wasn't all that honest. I watched part of the hearings and he seemed pretty arrogant dancing around - rather than answering most of the Senators' questions.

I guess the Democrats didn't want Obama embarrassed, but it is hard to believe that he is so uniquely good that his dishonesty is accepted.

[Abq_Sarah]

27. It's far more embarrasing

For President Obama to have a tax cheat at the head of the treasury.

[w4rma]

2. Harkin is smart. (nt)

[terisan]

3. Hmmm. I like this.

[ORDagnabbit]

4. does it really matter? www.moneyasdebt.net

[Uzybone]

6. No it doesnt, Geithner will be confirmed

Its a protest/principles/purity vote.

[Sebastian Doyle]

5. Geithner and Summers are both useless Wall Street Whores

Bob Reich should have been in there instead.

[bluestateguy]

8. Harkin has turned into a real blowhard over the years

He just gets worse and worse as the years go by.

[DCBob]

9. The vote will be at 6pm and Geitner will be confirmed..

According to Krugman he is "uniquely qualified" for this position.

[Cha]

11. I wonder what's up with Harkin?

Is he looking at the big pic? Or is there anyway to tell?

[DCBob]

12. I guess many of his constituents are upset about Geitner.

This gives him some cover.

[Cha]

13. Ah, maybe his constituents

aren't aware of the total picture? Thanks.

[Mass]

14. Harkin is voting with his principles on this one, not to please Obama.

I am not going to hold this against him.

Enough people will vote for him for him to be confirmed, and Geitner came out as not honest when he tried to justify why he did not payback his taxes for 2001-2002.

[DCBob]

19. No one should vote for Geithner to "please Obama"..

They should be voting for Geithner because he is uniquely qualified for this position.

[Hippo_Tron]

23. He should vote for Obama's choice unless he has a damn good reason not to

There's a tradition of senatorial courtesy with regard to Cabinet appointments and I wish more Senators had respect that. Senators get more input with regard to judges and other appointments but advise and consent for the cabinet means that the President should be allowed to pick his own cabinet unless there are drastically good reasons why his choice is unfit to serve.

I think the back taxes are a shitty excuse to not vote for Geithner. That said, you're right that this doesn't matter a whole lot in the end.

[karynnj]

28. So - his lack of honesty dosen't count

I assume that Obama found him uniquely qualified - so he thought that was not enough to stop him. A senator may not want that compromise. Another way of looking at it is that the Obama team put the Senators in an awkward position.

[dflprincess]

30. Because that tradition of senatorial courtesy was such a good thing

when the nominee was someone like Gonzo or Boulton.

[Hope And Change]

15. Feingold voted no.

[Mass]

16. I was wondering how he would vote, Same for Sanders.

[Hope And Change]

17. Anyway, seems that Geithner will be approved in the end.

[Hope And Change]

18. Btw, McSame voted no.

[DCBob]

20. They are still voting but the pro-Geithner Sens are congratulating each other on the floor..

Seems like he has the votes.

[Hippo_Tron]

22. Feingold has been a strong proponent of senatorial courtesy

He even voted for Ashcroft when almost all of the Democratic Caucus did not in order to uphold this principle. Do you know his reason for not voting for Geithner?

[karynnj]

29. That is more surprising as he generally votes for all cabinet positions

on the grounds that the President should have his team - he voted for Rice as SOS.

[TheKentuckian]

21. I'm not mad at anyone voting no on Geithner. It is hard to reconcile that

he will be in charge of the IRS and can't get his shit together to pay his taxes but the people in the know believe he is especially qualified for the position and has a unique understanding of the situation we're in, so I'll deal with him with the understanding that he is flawed but will be useful and help to lend some confidence for the financial sector.

I hope everyone votes down Lynn, however. I don't like making new rules and an exception to them in the same breath. The dude is highly likely to be a tool of the military industrial complex.

[zulchzulu]

24. Harkin, Feingold, Byrd and Brown voted the way I would have, but Geithner will be held to task

Obama is not going to give him a free pass. Geithner is going to have his work cut out for him, as Obama says.

[Mass]

25. Brown did not vote. Sanders voted NO.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00015

Not surprise that they voted this way either. I would have voted this way too, had I have to choose. Between the tax question and the fact that he is so much in tune with the way the system is working (it may be a good thing to reform it, but people can be doubtful that he wants to reform the system).