Does any Democrat in the Senate remember that we actually won on November 4?
Senator Patrick Leahy's statement on delaying the confirmation hearings for Eric Holder, nominee for Attorney General, Via Politico:
Therefore, to accommodate the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, at their request we are delaying the hearing, again, until January 15. The Assistant Republican Leader said last year that 'attorney general nominees have been confirmed, on average, in approximately three weeks.' Nonetheless, in order to accommodate the Republicans members, I am rescheduling the hearing on Mr. Holder for twice that long, until more than six weeks after his official designation. It is disappointing to me that they are insisting that we delay at a time when the nation needs its top law enforcement officer and national security team in place and working. I trust that with this additional time to prepare, they will cooperate in proceeding promptly to Committee and Senate consideration of the historic Holder nomination as Democrats did for President Bush.
For the first two years of the Bush Administration, the Democrats couldn't assert themselves because, well, we'd been attacked and it would have been disloyal and unpatriotic to oppose the president on anything.
Then they couldn't assert themselves because they were in the minority, and as everyone knows, a senate minority has no power or influence at all. Just ask Senator Corker.
Then they couldn't assert themselves because, while they did have a majority and the most Americans no longer considered it unpatriotic to oppose President Bush, the majority wasn't big enough. If they dared to upset the Republicans -- or Joe Lieberman (Turncoat-CT) -- they could risk losing their majority and then they'd be powerless.
But now? Now that the Republican party is circling the drain, with fewer seats in the House, fewer seats in the Senate, and -- oh yeah -- the most devastating presidential loss in a generation, what is the excuse for delaying the confirmation hearing of President-Elect Obama's nominee for Attorney General?
The Republicans are insisting.
That's it. That's all. No concerns about losing the White House. No concerns about upsetting the precious feelings of Joe Lieberman. No concerns about being perceived as unpatriotic.
The Republicans are insisting.
That's the only reason given by Sen. Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. At the insistence of the Republicans, he has no choice but to accommodate their demands.
Exactly how many seats in the Senate do the Democrats need to have before they can stop accommodating the demands of the Republicans? Would 100 be enough?
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Update:
Feel free to let our representatives know -- politely, of course; no throwing shoes -- how you feel about all this "accommodation."
433 Russell Senate Office Bldg
(at Constitution and Delaware)
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4242
The members of the Senate Judiciary Committee (h/t to Shhs):
Edward M. Kennedy
D-Massachusetts
Arlen Specter
Ranking Member, R-Pennsylvania
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
D-Delaware
Orrin G. Hatch
R-Utah
Herb Kohl
D-Wisconsin
Charles E. Grassley
R-Iowa
Dianne Feinstein
D-California
Jon Kyl
R-Arizona
Russell D. Feingold
D-Wisconsin
Jeff Sessions
R-Alabama
Charles E. Schumer
D-New York
Lindsey Graham
R-South Carolina
Richard J. Durbin
D-Illinois
John Cornyn
R-Texas
Benjamin L. Cardin
D-Maryland
Sam Brownback
R-Kansas
Sheldon Whitehouse
D-Rhode Island
Tom Coburn
R-Oklahoma