Obama's Recess Appointments: GOPers Raging Now, Welcomed Process Under Bush

[babylonsister]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/27/obamas-recess-appointment_n_515978.html

Obama's Recess Appointments: GOPers Raging Now, Welcomed Process Under Bush
Nico Pitney First Posted: 03-27-10 06:17 PM | Updated: 03-27-10 07:16 PM


President Obama's decision to bypass the vacationing Senate and directly appoint 15 nominees has produced some expected cries of outrage from Republicans.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) pronounced himself "very disappointed" with the move, charging that it showed "once again" that the Obama administration has "little respect for the time honored constitutional roles and procedures of Congress." The president's team had "forced their will on the American people," McCain fumed in a written statement.

Were these the words of a principled opponent of presidential recess appointments, or of a politician in a tough primary jumping at an opportunity to bash President Obama?

Well, here's how McCain reacted in 2005 when President Bush was considering a recess appointment for John Bolton, the controversial nominee to be United Nations ambassador: "I would support it. It's the president's prerogative."

snip//

There is a key difference, however, between 2005 and 2010: the amount of Senate obstruction. As White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki noted today:

{A}t this time in 2002, President Bush had only 5 nominees pending on the floor. By contrast, President Obama has 77 nominees currently pending on the floor, 58 of whom have been waiting for over two weeks and 44 of those have been waiting more than a month. And cloture has been filed 16 times on Obama nominees, nine of whom were subsequently confirmed with 60 or more votes or by voice vote. Cloture was not filed on a single Bush nominee in his first year. And despite facing significantly less opposition, President Bush had already made 10 recess appointments by this point in his presidency and he made another five over the spring recess.

Sen. Harry Reid echoed this sentiment in a statement: "Nominees under President Obama have fared worse than others in recent memory. Regrettably, Senate Republicans have dedicated themselves to a failed strategy to cripple President Obama's economic initiatives by stalling key Administration nominees at every turn. With the recess appointments of these highly-qualified individuals, President Obama has shown that he is serious about getting the right team in place to create jobs and protect the American workforce, and I support his decision."

[sakabatou]

1. Hypocrisy: one more motto of the Republicans

[opihimoimoi]

2. The GOP continues down the path of Obstructiveism with an Obsolete approach

with one mission in mind...to stifle Obama...to deny him success,....to seek a return to the Helm of the Nation

Its not COUNTRY FIRST as they claimed in 08

Its THEM FIRST...

Obama did the right thing....The GOP Bullies are poor sports/poor leaders/poor LOSERS = poor thinkers = poor solvers = poor odds

[Kdillard]

3. The games being played with Obama's appointments are ridiculous. He has the perogative to do recess

Appointments and have vital positions filled. Republicans need to sit down and shut up.

[Cirque du So-What]

4. I'd like to see a compilation of remarks made by repukes

who defended WhistleAss' recess appointments back in the day. I'm sure it'll provide an opportunity to point & laugh at blatant hypocrisy.

[justgamma]

6. Up or down vote!

Every Puke on every show, at every townhall, in every news article yelled "Up or down vote!"

We could use the same language, unfortunatly, Dems don't know how to say it in easy to understand words and no 2 every say it alike.

They need to point out the hypocrisy at every turn.

[NYC Liberal]

8. Problem is they don't care about being hypocrites.

They will just repeat the day's talking points when called on it and the media will lap it up.

[Enthusiast]

5. Just more never-ending RW hypocrisy.

I am so fed up with these fucks.

[mstinamotorcity]

7. Well it is like every thing

that they object to under "this President" but they were fine under the old President.:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: yea right those repugs if they weren't so funny i would :cry:

[lunatica]

9. Their screams are music to my ears

And their hair on fire is candy to my eyes

[The Genealogist]

10. Once again, two standards for following rules

One for Repukes, another for Dems. Only the Dems are expected to follow the "time honored" (read Repuke honored at the time) rules; Repukes have, with God's own blessing, everything they want and do. Such miserable, hypocritical buffoons.

[lumpy]

11. I like it. Obama taking care of the nation's leadership by

filling those vacancies held up by the GOP. I like to see our president showing he is not going to be hampered by petulent pols who put their selfish political goals before the welfare of this country.