Senate Plans to Abdicate its Confirmation Duties

[rambone]

Under the guise of "streamlining", the U.S. Senate plans to remove congressional oversight of Presidential appointees, as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution. Several notable Republicans are on board, including Indiana's own Dick Lugar.

Senate Plans to Abdicate its Confirmation Duties

Today, Chuck Schumer, with the help of Mitch McConnell and Lamar Alexander, plans to vitiate one of the Senate’s few remaining constitutional duties; advising and consenting to presidential appointees. The Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act (S.679), which was never reported out of a committee, would eliminate the confirmation requirement for 200 presidential appointees. This bill would completely abrogate the safeguards against tyranny that were established in the “Appointments Clause” of the constitution. [The Heritage Foundation has a useful primer on the bill.]

The bill has seven Republican co-sponsors: Lamar Alexander, Scott Brown, Susan Collins, Mike Johanns, Jon Kyl, Richard Lugar, and Mitch McConnell.

 

[RockofStrength]

Surely they're not that stupid.

 

[88GT]

I was so hoping this was another Onion link.

Ah, Scott Brown's liberal roots rise to the surface again.

 

[Pyroponce]

Abdicate? How's this abdication of duty when the Senate can't even confirm everyone already? The Senate currently must confirm over 1200 executive appointees, these positions that would be removed from the confirmation process are second and third tier assistant cabinet secretaries. No one's proposing doing away with the confirmation process for the cabinet heads, or judicial appointees. This bill is a good idea.

 

[88GT]

Abdicate? How's this abdication of duty when the Senate can't even confirm everyone already? The Senate currently must confirm over 1200 executive appointees, these positions that would be removed from the confirmation process are second and third tier assistant cabinet secretaries. No one's proposing doing away with the confirmation process for the cabinet heads, or judicial appointees. This bill is a good idea.

Yet.

 

[rambone]

Abdicate? How's this abdication of duty when the Senate can't even confirm everyone already? The Senate currently must confirm over 1200 executive appointees, these positions that would be removed from the confirmation process are second and third tier assistant cabinet secretaries. No one's proposing doing away with the confirmation process for the cabinet heads, or judicial appointees. This bill is a good idea.

I think the Senate should research and confirm every last one of them. Maybe they will have less time to write laws to oppress the American people that way.

 

[jbombelli]

Good. This will give them more time to vote on bills they haven't read.

 

[Pyroponce]

Yet.

No disrespect, but I'll believe it when I see it.

I think the Senate should research and confirm every last one of them. Maybe they will have less time to write laws to oppress the American people that way.

If the Senate had already voted up or down on the bulk of Obama's nominees, that would be progress; the government would be closer to fully staffed. As it is, government's probably too big for our own good and we would benefit from eliminating positions.

 

[Pyroponce]

Good. This will give them more time to vote on bills they haven't read.

As an aside, I wonder how many members of Congress still haven't read the Patriot Act?

 

[NYFelon]

441

 

[88GT]

No disrespect, but I'll believe it when I see it.

.

Some of would prefer not to wait until it gets to that point, as by then, it will be too late.

History clearly illustrates that the steps towards tyranny were just as often taken through seemingly innocent/legal channels as through an overt and immediate coup d'etat.

Edit: Well speak of the devil. http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/apres-chavez-la-deluge/

 

[Pyroponce]

Some of would prefer not to wait until it gets to that point, as by then, it will be too late.

History clearly illustrates that the steps towards tyranny were just as often taken through seemingly innocent/legal channels as through an overt and immediate coup d'etat.

This is true, but I fail to see how tyranny starts with a gentlemen's agreement on clearing out a backlog of nominations for low-profile executive appointments.

Government can't function when jobs don't get filled, and jobs can't get filled if people aren't willing to put their lives on hold and wait for a vote that doesn't come while senators from both parties refuse to do their jobs. Removing the lowest rung of appointments from this process is good for government and for us as taxpayers.

Besides, once this is out of the way, Congress can turn its full attention to Gunwalker-undoubtedly a ploy to create an excuse to infringe on our freedoms.

 

[rambone]

Gunwalker-undoubtedly a ploy to create an excuse to infringe on our freedoms.

Infringe on our freedom? I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[88GT]

This is true, but I fail to see how tyranny starts with a gentlemen's agreement on clearing out a backlog of nominations for low-profile executive appointments.

You may see it as clearing a backlog. I see it as removing one fiber in the rope that keeps the Executive Branch in check. What happens to a rope that repeatedly has its fibers compromised?

Government can't function when jobs don't get filled, and jobs can't get filled if people aren't willing to put their lives on hold and wait for a vote that doesn't come while senators from both parties refuse to do their jobs. Removing the lowest rung of appointments from this process is good for government and for us as taxpayers.

I'd rather remove the lowest rung of government bureaucrats rather than the lowest rung of bureaucratic procedure. And I fail to see how granting the Executive carte blanche is good.

Besides, once this is out of the way, Congress can turn its full attention to Gunwalker-undoubtedly a ploy to create an excuse to infringe on our freedoms.

Said in jest, perhaps, but it highlights my very point. When the procedural and logistical hurdles are removed, government is free to pursue avenues that do IT the most good, not the people.

I'm not arguing this is going to happen overnight. But it took less than 10 years for a democratic Germany to turn into a totalitarian monster. Only a fool would ignore history and say "that won't happen."

 

[Pyroponce]

You may see it as clearing a backlog. I see it as removing one fiber in the rope that keeps the Executive Branch in check. What happens to a rope that repeatedly has its fibers compromised?

Excellent point. On the same note, Congress isn't strengthening its oversight powers by letting so many vacancies go unfilled. You could say it's abdicating its duty...

I'd rather remove the lowest rung of government bureaucrats rather than the lowest rung of bureaucratic procedure. And I fail to see how granting the Executive carte blanche is good.

Cutting government is one solution, yes. And I would go so far to say that a smaller government that does what it's tasked to do well is far better than an larger, undermanned government that can't do what it says it'll do. Unfortunately, cutting government waste is a different topic entirely. And I never suggested this is carte blanche...in fact, I've been saying that rambone overstated the effect of this bill, as expediting the filling of one-sixth of presidential executive appointments hardly qualifies as carte blanche.

Said in jest, perhaps, but it highlights my very point. When the procedural and logistical hurdles are removed, government is free to pursue avenues that do IT the most good, not the people.

I'm not arguing this is going to happen overnight. But it took less than 10 years for a democratic Germany to turn into a totalitarian monster. Only a fool would ignore history and say "that won't happen."

In jest...you got me

Interesting point though...ATF head Kenneth Melson was never confirmed by the Senate; he's only an acting director. Would he be in charge there if his nomination had been submitted and the Senate voted him down? We'll never know. But it's hard for the Senate to use it's confirmation power to hold the Executive to confirm or deny outright appointees when it's more interested in filibustering them to make political points.

As for Germany, well, maybe it's not too late for us if we do our part...all of us.

 

[miguel]

I think the Senate should research and confirm every last one of them. Maybe they will have less time to write laws to oppress the American people that way.

Damn right!

The more time these people spend doing their actual, Constitutionally-assigned jobs, the less time they have for mischief.

 

[mrjarrell]

I think the Senate should research and confirm every last one of them. Maybe they will have less time to write laws to oppress the American people that way.

Damn right!

The more time these people spend doing their actual, Constitutionally-assigned jobs, the less time they have for mischief.

Exactly. What they want to do is ignore their actual work and concentrate only on what they want to do. This is part of the job and now they want to get rid of a part of it that takes up too much of their oh so valuable time. If you did that at your job you'd be fired.

 

[level.eleven]

Exactly. What they want to do is ignore their actual work and concentrate only on what they want to do. This is part of the job and now they want to get rid of a part of it that takes up too much of their oh so valuable time. If you did that at your job you'd be fired.

Heh, leaving after lunch on Thursday and not coming back until lunch on Tuesday makes scheduling difficult. Jaime Dupree was ranting the other day on Boortz about this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY6sawtIVCE

 

[2A_Tom]

I just wrote Lugar and Coats and i ask all of you to do the same.

That video is very informative.

 

[CarmelHP]

Ah, Scott Brown's liberal roots rise to the surface again.

Let's not complain about Massachusetts (really? What did you expect?) when we haven't booted our own Judas, Dick Lugar, out of office yet.