Obama's recess appointments

[Scheavo]

https://news.yahoo.com/stymied-congress-obama-boldly-seat-nominees-004836547.html

A defiant President Barack Obama on Wednesday took his boldest action yet to show voters he will confront Republicans, announcing he will bypass Congress and install nominees into politically sensitive jobs overseeing consumer lending and the labor force.

Obama will make recess appointments placing Richard Cordray in charge of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and to fill three vacancies on the National Labor Relations Board.

I for one am mostly pleased with this. It's not a very good precedent to have to set, but I think the blame falls upon Republicans who just simply aren't allowing Obama to nominate anyone to his cabinet; politics games which simply mean a less effective government. I think it mostly shows what seems to be the recent trend, where Obama is getting more confident and more confrontation with the unified / corrupt Republicans in the Senate, and Congress.

[El Barto]

That's hysterical.  You've got the Republicans in the house screaming that he did an end run around their obstructing.  You've got the democrats in Congress saying he had every right to do so, despite the fact that they used the same obstruction tactic to block Dumbass's recess appointments.  Best of all you've got Obama antagonizing the do nothing Congress into doing even less, to help his campaign,  as the conventional wisdom is that the GOP will retaliate in Congress by obstructing even more.

Could things really get any more dysfunctional?

[Scheavo]

I think we're going to find out the answer to your question... I mean, nothing was really getting done anyways, but I'd rather this happens than him doing nothing. At least it'll raise the issue, and maybe we can actually do something about fucking Congress.

I'm not sure how you could obstruct more, not without offending their purse strings.

[kirksnosehair]

You've got the democrats in Congress saying he had every right to do so, despite the fact that they used the same obstruction tactic to block Dumbass's recess appointments. 

The difference, though, is the Democrats didn't block anywhere near as many of Bush's nominees as the Republicans are blocking with Obama.

[El Barto]

Doesn't matter.  They're both obstructing the process, and the degree doesn't really mean much to me.  Beyond that,  though,  my point was that the democrats defended the use of pro forma sessions as a valid tactic to prevent recess appointments. 

[kirksnosehair]

I respectfully disagree, El Barto.  I think it does matter.   It's one thing to block appointments on an actual, tangible issue or principles (I'm not saying every blocked judicial appointment by Democrats was a principled legislative move and none of the Republican blocks are principled) but it's another thing entirely to just put a blanket block on everything based on nothing more than the fact that you are doing anything and everything to sabotage the president in the name of partisan politics. 

There IS a difference and it may not matter to you, but it matters to me and I know for a fact that I'm not alone.  Plenty of the members of a few of the political sites I post on have been talking about this very issue recently and the consensus is basically this:  What the Republicans are doing now is a cheap, ugly bastardization of a process that was put in place as a "check and balance" system.  It was never really intended to be used this way and in fact HASN'T ever been used this way before, at least not in modern history. 

[rumborak]

Well, the GOP managed to "educate" their base to the level where they have the impression they are actively under attack in their country. So, they're digging in their heels and oppose everything they can, with whatever means necessary.

rumborak

[bosk1]

Anti-Democrat here to chime in and say I fully agree with KNH's post.  That is all.

[El Barto]

I respectfully disagree, El Barto.  I think it does matter.   It's one thing to block appointments on an actual, tangible issue or principles (I'm not saying every blocked judicial appointment by Democrats was a principled legislative move and none of the Republican blocks are principled) but it's another thing entirely to just put a blanket block on everything based on nothing more than the fact that you are doing anything and everything to sabotage the president in the name of partisan politics. 

There IS a difference and it may not matter to you, but it matters to me and I know for a fact that I'm not alone.  Plenty of the members of a few of the political sites I post on have been talking about this very issue recently and the consensus is basically this:  What the Republicans are doing now is a cheap, ugly bastardization of a process that was put in place as a "check and balance" system.  It was never really intended to be used this way and in fact HASN'T ever been used this way before, at least not in modern history.

I get what you're saying,  and Reid made the same statement.  In this instance,  the Republicans are blocking the appointments for bullshit reasons,  because they don't like the office created,  rather than the person suggested.  However,  the fact remains that they're both using every cheap, procedural trick they can come up with to obstruct the other,  and that's a big part of the problem we see today.  And just as annoying,  they both blast the other for doing the exact same things. 

And I want to point out that I'm not dumping this on the democrats.  I'm just pointing out that they aren't any better than the republicans they're blasting,  even if I tend to agree with their cause a bit more.  Simply put,  the lesser of two evils is still fucking evil. 

[kirksnosehair]

Yeah, I agree that there's no question that they're all very hypocritical about it.  Absolutely. 

[Scheavo]

I'm just pointing out that they aren't any better than the republicans they're blasting,  even if I tend to agree with their cause a bit more.  Simply put,  the lesser of two evils is still fucking evil.

So, they aren't any better, but they're less evil. I get and agree with your point, but you're not really making it very well.

Gonna be an easy target for the Daily Show, I'll give you that.

[Super Dude]

Yeah, I agree that there's no question that they're all very hypocritical about it.  Absolutely.

Being an "ends over means" kinda guy, I have to be honest, I trust Democrats a lot more when they're being obstructionist. I'm sure most left *leaning* posters will agree that they would hate to see what sorta morons and lowlives Dumbass could've put in various offices had Democrats not been there to block everything. I realize I probably sound a lot like my conservative counterparts for saying so, but I stand by my statements.