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Join the College Kossacks on Facebook. Hat Thief
by DemocraticLuntz on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 06:51:40 PM PDT
Thanks for informing us.
"The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels." Al Gore, 7/17/08
by TomP on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 07:18:14 PM PDT
[ Parent ]
in San Francisco, full committee present, to investigate the oil spill here. I didn't connect the dots when I heard that on local news, but maybe this is part of your story too.
Cars After The Age Of Oil: EVs in 2010
by dotcommodity on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 07:08:13 AM PDT
DemocraticLuntz is a sophomore at the George Washington University.
"There is nothing false about hope." -- Barack Obama
by DC Pol Sci on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 07:26:51 AM PDT
"The revolution's just an ethical haircut away..." Billy Bragg
by grannyhelen on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 07:27:36 PM PDT
or the weekend?
Or it has to be a non-federal-holiday type recess?
Obama lied. The 4th amendment died.
by daddy4mak on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 07:31:47 PM PDT
I'm not sure.
by DemocraticLuntz on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 07:34:42 PM PDT
To make appointments, I believe.
OBAMATHON! We CAN Believe Again!
by JustAngry on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 11:58:22 PM PDT
But constitutionally, there is no minimum.
Just something you always have to keep in mind with these guys.
by Kagro X on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 05:58:35 AM PDT
made several during a one day recess. This is not foolproof.
whenever i have nothing particular to say i find myself always always plunging into cosmic philosophy or something -- archy (Don Marquis)
by mspicata on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 07:14:34 AM PDT
The whole practice looks goofy to me. Seems like any strict constructionist would say, the Constitution allows recess appointments only where the vacancy itself occurs during the recess.
by Smallbottle on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 10:13:19 AM PDT
over and over again. I bet if they actually challenged this in court that interpretation would hold up.
Especially since it was established in a time when the congressional body was not a full time body and only met periodically.
The strict constructionist would have a hard argument to support current recess appoints if the actually vacancy did not occur during the bodies recess.
But they won't challenge it because they want their parties President to have the same powers.
by totallynext on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:07:56 AM PDT
...I mean, who's going to stop him? Being that it takes sixty votes to do anything and all?
Rubus Eradicandus Est.
by Randomfactor on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 11:36:56 AM PDT
If they don't intend to keep the Senate "open" through Christmas, what was the point? Hopefully this is not like one of those anemic non-binding resolutions. Dad, great question!
Luntz, terrific job
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." Sinclair Lewis
by cpa1 on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 07:43:40 PM PDT
Yep, that's the government that King Georgie and his Republic Party minions have given us. A government of Republican cronyism and war profiteering, Halliburton etc.
Blackwater:
by Jeff Y on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 08:44:21 PM PDT
candidates are running on the same old 'scare the electorate' crap.
Just how stupid is the average American voter to fall for GWOT again?
Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else. --Will Rogers
by groggy on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 09:10:37 PM PDT
average American voter. Half the voters in this country are STUPIDER than the person you're thinking of."
Ferengi Rules of Acquisition: #34 "War is good for business...but only from a distance, the closer to the front lines, the less profitable it gets"-8.25, -6.21
by Jacques on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 04:45:49 AM PDT
by groggy on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 10:43:20 AM PDT
But as Kagro X points out, that is by tradition only, not rule of law.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE, IT NEVER IS!
BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE INVESTIGATE IMPEACH INCARCERATE
by crystaljim on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 08:59:19 AM PDT
There's technically no recess now.
Daily Kos used to be worthwhile.
by andgarden on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 07:52:51 PM PDT
the days in red for Nov and Dec. are days when the Senate is not in session, not a true recess as stated in the diary unless the Senate is not in session for 3 consecutive days, this year the only true "recesses" for this session were in February, April, May/June, July, and the entire month of August.
This is a good move presently, however my one concern would be is Reid going to do this for all of next year as well? If I'm not mistaken the congress usually goes into recess for the conventions and I'm certain(although you never can tell with this president) that he would not make any recess appointments after the election, but how long will Reid stalemate the President?
Bigotry is the disease of ignorance...Education & free discussion are the antidotes of both. Thomas Jefferson
by RiverCityMadman on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 11:05:04 PM PDT
That's what they're paid for, and they've already had 5+ weeks off this year!
Sign up for Gook: McCain's Racism video updates -7.13, -7.44
by Blissing on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 11:49:00 PM PDT
is that even when they are in recess for holidays, etc. Generally they are back in their home states handling constituent issues. It's almost never a real vacation (unless a lobbyist is involved ;-D)
by RiverCityMadman on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 06:05:02 AM PDT
and no reason why they shouldn't, by coordinating personal schedules to let everyone visit their districts at intervals. Meanwhile, well done, Harry.
As for giving up a holiday or two at home -- isn't that what our troops are doing?
by Clio2 on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 09:19:24 AM PDT
How many Democratic Senators actually have to BE there? Unless you need a quorum, you'd only need one or two to alternate in the chair and a few to speak on the floor. You could rotate those handfuls of Senators and give everyone plenty of time out of town while still keeping it from falling into recess.
"Unseen, in the background, Fate was quietly slipping the lead into the boxing glove." P.G. Wodehouse
by gsbadj on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 12:33:26 PM PDT
And blocking vote-stealer extraordinaire von Spakovsky is priority number one for the year prior to the election.
Don't get me started . . .
by Upper West on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 08:17:23 PM PDT
issues, so vote-stealing would only come under their auspices in the guise of the shell organizations who'd be funding voter deception and intimidation.
Still pretty important, though.
by DemocraticLuntz on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 08:20:02 PM PDT
by DC Pol Sci on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 07:27:59 AM PDT
Maybe I'm an easy mark, but Reid just won back a decent amount of his lost mojo with this move. We elected this majority to oppose the Bush agenda, after all.
by Steve M on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 08:42:12 PM PDT
I've been pissed off at other things Reid has done (or, sometimes more importantly, not done), but I am happy to see Reid do something I can respect him for.
The game is called hardball, and this is the way it is played. It's about time our team won an inning.
by Gareth on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 03:10:24 AM PDT
I don't see how refusing to lie down and roll over so Bush can f*** us over for the umpteenth time is playing "hardball." Seems like a no-brainer to me.
by Uncle Bug on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 04:49:37 AM PDT
I'll light off maybe one firecracker over this. It's a necessary move, sure, but only because cheneybush has abused the fuck made unprecedented use of this privilege (which upon reading doesn't sound like a basis for appointing someone who is already undergoing the nomination process, but for emergency appointments to fill positions which become open during a senate recess). But when Reid is dissing another senator's hold and rolling over for every policy demand without compromise (and preemptively, to boot) I have to wonder exactly how much obstrction he is causing the tireless dictator clan. Simply keeping bush's or cheney's favorite operative from being officially installed is a long way from ensuring that the evil that is intended will not come to pass. The administrative branch has been thoroughly compromised, down to the intern level. I see more of a turf battle here than anything else - much like Denny Hastert getting his blood pressure into the stratosphere over the FBI raid of Jefferson's office. Reid wants to have the soapbox before gift wrapping bush's next pony.
On Liberation Day, 1/20/09, Americans will greet us with flowers and candy
by kamarvt on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 05:45:21 AM PDT
that it's only a start.
by Clio2 on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 09:20:21 AM PDT
obsolete. The Senate is never in recess long enough to make a recess appointment necessary for running the country. In ye olden days, sure, but not now. I'd like to see this changed by amendment at some point. Either eliminate the recess appointment power entirely, or if we need to cover some sort of national emergency, we can a time requirement that the Senate has to be recessed for more than 30 days.
In 2000, a criminal became President. In 2004, we failed to remove him.American Democracy, 1787-2004, RIP
by davewill on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 10:39:40 AM PDT
but did you really steal OPOL's hat? That's not very nice.
Blessed are the cheesemakers.
by Light Emitting Pickle on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 08:59:45 PM PDT
(after I linked to his Kucinich fundraiser page and begged people to give).
by DemocraticLuntz on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 09:09:56 PM PDT
the mark of a good liberal!
by Light Emitting Pickle on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 09:13:55 PM PDT
forgiving!
by DemocraticLuntz on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 09:15:08 PM PDT
I don't believe I'd ever done so. What happened when you stole his hat? I'd say he had a right to be pissed.
by Light Emitting Pickle on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 09:22:10 PM PDT
I wrote it right after Yearly Kos (that evening).
You can read what he had to say in the comments.
by DemocraticLuntz on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 09:27:39 PM PDT
Heh.
by Light Emitting Pickle on Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 09:33:00 PM PDT
That diary was hysterical. I missed it when it was posted, though I did hear about the infamous train robbery. I missed a lot of things at YKos apparently. Hopefully I'll catch more in... Austin.
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." --Samuel Johnson
by joanneleon on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 04:09:03 AM PDT
to see you again, LEP!
NFTT Progressively supporting the troops
by Timroff on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 05:18:17 AM PDT
by Light Emitting Pickle on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 08:14:17 AM PDT
I was listening to NPR yesterday and they covered this story. In the morning Nina Totenburg said something like, "This just shows the amount of partisanship that there is in Washington now." And then Daniel Schure had a long op-ed piece about how the entire government is now "Pro Forma". He was saying that this was the worst example of this "Pro Forma" government.
I am astounded that NPR could so easily miss the main point. The main point of this is that the Senate is FINALLY taking back its constitutional obligation to give consent and advice regarding appointments. The Senate (and not just the Democrats) have an obligation to do this in order to properly do their job. If anything, this is an example of our government working the way it is supposed to and a good example of how the powers are supposed to be divided between the different branches of government.
I give Reid credit on this one, but it seems to me that this was a no brainer and this is really only the Senate doing what they are OBLIGATED by the constitution to do. Up until now they just haven't been doing it.
I go forth to make new demands on life. Do something that is worthy of it and me. May I dare as I have never done! May I persevere as I have never done!-HDT
by Democrat on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 06:09:36 AM PDT
news!
I was always wondering why they were pandering to Bush--
He has 23% approval rating, no followers (but his own cult sheep) and Congress' approval rating is the lowest in history.
WHY were they not standing up to him???
Maybe they are finally getting the damn message!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Seminole DemocratA blue voice calling from the deep red
by SemDem on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 08:25:18 AM PDT
wide narrow
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