Obama Plays The Politics He Accuses Republicans Of And Says Screw YOU to the Senate

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Despite intense Republican objections, President Obama on Saturday used recess appointments to fill 15 administration posts without Senate confirmation, including Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board.

By filling the jobs while Congress is in recess, Obama gets around Senate confirmation. Obama justified the move by charging Republicans with playing politics with his administration nominees.

"The United States Senate has the responsibility to approve or disapprove of my nominees. But if, in the interest of scoring political points, Republicans in the Senate refuse to exercise that responsibility, I must act in the interest of the American people and exercise my authority to fill these positions on an interim basis," he said in a written statement.

All 41 Senate Republicans wrote Obama this week urging him not to use a recess appointment for Becker, a former top lawyer with Service Employees International Union and the AFL-CIO, whose nomination was rejected by the Senate last month, 52-43.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also wrote Obama on behalf of 20 business groups that opposed Becker's nomination and decried the recess appointment.

"This recess appointment disregards the Senate's bipartisan rejection of Craig Becker's nomination to the NLRB," Chamber Vice President Randel Johnson said in a written statement.

"Overriding the will of the Senate and providing this special interest payback contradicts the president's claim to change the tone in Washington," he said. "The business community should be on red alert for radical changes that could significantly impair the ability of America's job creators to compete."

But White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki cast the opposition of Becker's nomination as part of an "unprecedented level of obstruction in the Senate" that had left "key economic positions unfilled, especially at time when our country is recovering from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

Psaki said the five-member labor board had been trying to operate with only two members.

"The roadblocks we've seen in the Senate have left some government agencies like the National Labor Relations Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission impaired in fulfilling their mission," she said in a statement. "These agencies can now get back to working for the American people."

But Republicans say Becker isn't working for all Americans.

"Craig Becker stands far outside the mainstream of NLRB nominees," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in a written statement Thursday. "Given the bipartisan opposition to his nomination, the administration would be wise to not circumvent the will of the Senate by recess appointing him to the NLRB.

"There is no place on this powerful board for someone who believes that card check legislation -- getting rid of the secret union ballot -- can be enacted surreptitiously through regulation."

Sen. John McCain said the Senate has already delivered its verdict on Becker's ability to serve impartially on the labor board.

"If this administration chooses to recess appoint Mr. Becker, it would be just another example of putting the will of one special interest group over the will of the American people," he said.

Republicans wanted Obama to scrap Becker's nomination and appoint one Democrat, Mark Pearce, and one Republican, Brian Lewis, to the other vacant seats. Pearce was one of the 15 nominees appointed Saturday.

Democratic groups, such as the AFL-CIO, have said Becker's an experienced advocate for worker rights and have decried GOP "obstructionism."

But Obama didn't specifically address the controversy over Becker in his statement Saturday. Instead, he focused on the nominees still awaiting a vote in the Senate.

"At a time of economic emergency, two top appointees to the Department of Treasury have been held up for nearly six months," he said. "I simply cannot allow partisan politics to stand in the way of the basic functioning of government."

Obama noted that former President George W. Bush made 15 recess appointments by this point in his presidency, "but he was not facing the same level of obstruction."

According to the White House, Bush had five nominees pending on the Senate floor by the same point in his first term compared with Obama's 77 nominees.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/27/obama-makes-recess-appointments-vacant-administration-posts/

[luckytxn 2,264]

Hey he got what he wanted. Good to be King.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

The only thing that bugs me and is the dirty part about it all, is the Senate voted against that one guy already and he came back and said "** YOU" to them.... It's kind of messed up really.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Recess appointments:

Ronald Reagan: 243

Bill Clinton: 140

George W Bush: 167 in his first six years

But sure...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

[Dan T 8]

Recess appointments:

Ronald Reagan: 243

Bill Clinton: 140

George W Bush: 167 in his first six years

But sure...

I think the point is is that obama was sold as a post partisan candidate and making a move like this is quite hypocritical of him. Have we had hypocrits in the office of the president before? will we again? absolutely. I think this thread was merely an effort to knock more shine off the massiahs armor. Quite a sucessful one at that. Do I have a problem with this guy who is being appointed? youre darn right. Do I think Obama should have exercised better judgement? ditto. Does Obama have the right to make a recess appointment? 100% yes, no different than John Bolton. did obama use recess appointments by gw as a cheap capaign jab and claim to be above the practice? you betcha

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I think the point is is that obama was sold as a post partisan candidate and making a move like this is quite hypocritical of him. Have we had hypocrits in the office of the president before? will we again? absolutely. I think this thread was merely an effort to knock more shine off the massiahs armor. Quite a sucessful one at that. Do I have a problem with this guy who is being appointed? youre darn right. Do I think Obama should have exercised better judgement? ditto. Does Obama have the right to make a recess appointment? 100% yes, no different than John Bolton. did obama use recess appointments by gw as a cheap capaign jab and claim to be above the practice? you betcha

No argument there. The reality is that the President, any President, has few options if the Senate isn't working. Presidents prior to and post Obama will deal with this issue.

[Dan T 8]

No argument there. The reality is that the President, any President, has few options if the Senate isn't working. Presidents prior to and post Obama will deal with this issue.

admitedly this may stem from my ignorance of how the confirmation process works but would obama even need a single repub to go along with this confirmation?

[Dan T 8]

No argument there. The reality is that the President, any President, has few options if the Senate isn't working. Presidents prior to and post Obama will deal with this issue.

additionally do we know for a fact that all 59 dems voted to confirm? After all it was primarily disagreements among dems that held up the health care bill. I just don't see why people jump to bho's defense, in the manner of "listen to how well spoken and articulate he is, and look at how cool he is, he couldn't possibly be lying to us" when people scream out that he's lying to us. I have no doubt at all that this will not be the last time we have stark evidence staring right at us of an obama lie, it certainly isnt the first.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

admitedly this may stem from my ignorance of how the confirmation process works but would obama even need a single repub to go along with this confirmation?

Yes, it's called the filibuster. The Senate ought to get rid of the filibuster for nominations. That's the nuclear option the GOP considered back in 2005. They should've just done it. Would make a lot of things a lot easier.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

additionally do we know for a fact that all 59 dems voted to confirm? After all it was primarily disagreements among dems that held up the health care bill. I just don't see why people jump to bho's defense, in the manner of "listen to how well spoken and articulate he is, and look at how cool he is, he couldn't possibly be lying to us" when people scream out that he's lying to us. I have no doubt at all that this will not be the last time we have stark evidence staring right at us of an obama lie, it certainly isn't the first.

Who knows? The nominations aren't voted on because the minority filibusters the nominees. It's been done no matter who holds the majority in the Senate and what party the President belongs to. As the GOP said in 2005, nominees deserve and up-or-down vote in the Senate. I wish they'd remember that - it wasn't that long ago that they demanded it. You know, since we're talking about hypocrisy on Obama's part here. It's not like the Republicans aren't hypocrites.

Edited March 28, 2010 by Mr. Big Dog

[Dan T 8]

Who knows? The nominations aren't voted on because the minority filibusters the nominees. It's been done no matter who holds the majority in the Senate and what party the President belongs to. As the GOP said in 2005, nominees deserve and up-or-down vote in the Senate. I wish they'd remember that - it wasn't that long ago that they demanded it. You know, since we're talking about hypocrisy on Obama's part here. It's not like the Republicans aren't hypocrites.

true dat. I wonder if there is a count of how many appointments by presidents in history have been fillibustered. Prior to gw I cant find any, but I dont have a long enough attention span required to do that research. Nominations do indeed deserve an up or down vote, but turnabout is fair play.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

No argument there. The reality is that the President, any President, has few options if the Senate isn't working. Presidents prior to and post Obama will deal with this issue.

Its hard for me to argue that Obama hasn't tried to be bipartisan even on healthcare. I think the point has been made time and time again that the major elements of this healthcare bill are republican. This isn't really "Obamacare" its GOPcare....the alternative to "Clintoncare". I guess you might say that the republican's of today don't see eye to eye with those a decade ago...but...we all know the Senate is full of career politicians so they are still one and the same.

My conclusion as a moderate? The republicans only care about damaging Obama at the moment and don't really care about healthcare or allowing the government to function. I don't vote party lines typically...in fact my voting record has always leaned republican, but I will be voting democrat this year. Screw the GOP.

Edited March 28, 2010 by Sousuke

[Pooky 3,782]

Who knows? The nominations aren't voted on because the minority filibusters the nominees. It's been done no matter who holds the majority in the Senate and what party the President belongs to. As the GOP said in 2005, nominees deserve and up-or-down vote in the Senate. I wish they'd remember that - it wasn't that long ago that they demanded it. You know, since we're talking about hypocrisy on Obama's part here. It's not like the Republicans aren't hypocrites.

Per the OP article, this one was voted on and 2 Democrats voted against the appointment, with 15 members of the Senate not bothering to turn up and vote, because they knew it didn't have enough votes to pass. Lacklustre lot, our Senators, aren't they?

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I think the point is is that obama was sold as a post partisan candidate and making a move like this is quite hypocritical of him. Have we had hypocrits in the office of the president before? will we again? absolutely. I think this thread was merely an effort to knock more shine off the massiahs armor. Quite a sucessful one at that. Do I have a problem with this guy who is being appointed? youre darn right. Do I think Obama should have exercised better judgement? ditto. Does Obama have the right to make a recess appointment? 100% yes, no different than John Bolton. did obama use recess appointments by gw as a cheap capaign jab and claim to be above the practice? you betcha

His attempts to become a post partisan candidate were met with a collective "No" from the Republican Party. Stalling tactics became "Look how infective Obama is!" Time to get things done despite the intransigence of the Republican Party, and their official propaganda wing Faux News.