Richard Shelby Republican Obstruction

Re:  Report: Shelby Blocks All Obama Nominations In The Senate Over AL Earmarks | TPMDC, Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 4, 2010, 9:19PM

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has put an extraordinary “blanket hold” on at least 70 nominations President Obama has sent to the Senate, according to multiple reports this evening. The hold means no nominations can move forward unless Senate Democrats can secure a 60-member cloture vote to break it, or until Shelby lifts the hold.

Why?

According to the report, Shelby is holding Obama’s nominees hostage until a pair of lucrative programs that would send billions in taxpayer dollars to his home state get back on track. The two programs Shelby wants to move forward or else:

- A $40 billion contract to build air-to-air refueling tankers. From CongressDaily: “Northrop/EADS team would build the planes in Mobile, Ala., but has threatened to pull out of the competition unless the Air Force makes changes to a draft request for proposals.” Federal Times offers more details on the tanker deal, and also confirms its connection to the hold.

- An improvised explosive device testing lab for the FBI. From CongressDaily: “[Shelby] is frustrated that the Obama administration won’t build” the center, which Shelby earmarked $45 million for in 2008. The center is due to be based “at the Army’s Redstone Arsenal.”

GIVE ME MY FEDERAL DOLLARS OR I’LL HOLD MY BREATH UNTIL MY FACE TURNS BLUE! But, Obama’s spending is out of control, we don’t want the stinking stimulus, government is too big, the budget is full of earmarks, blah,blah,blah…abusing the filibuster to hold the government hostage until he gets his earmarks.

This from Dylan Loewe, Speechwriter, Author, Posted: February 5, 2010 01:19 AM

This is unconscionably outrageous. If it were occurring anywhere else but the Senate chamber it would be extortion. A felony. It is an egregious misuse of minority power, easily the most flagrant example in years.

Democrats now have an easy opportunity to pick a national fight with the Republican party. It may be tough to engage the American public in a conversation about filibuster reform, but it should take little effort to build a national consensus around the basic proposition that a single senator should not hold the federal government hostage in exchange for an earmark. That the national interest should not be jeopardized for the benefit of a single state.

Is that it? Do people not understand what the filibuster does? We all need to do our part to spread the word. I am. The abuse of the filibuster should be criminal, meaning there should be some penalties in place for abuse of the rule. The Senate can fix this.

Tell your Senators to consider the “Nuclear Option” that will override a filibuster. Tell them to stop a minority of one from holding the Senate hostage.

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