Given today’s partisan reality, Jack Lew breezed through his confirmation. Comparisons to confirmations past are irrelevant. Any Obama nomination that is even allowe a vote without a filibuster or at least protracted delay has to be considered a breeze; any nomination that gets more than three Republican votes has to be considered a landslide (and a sure sign that the nominee in question is a corporate tool). Apparently many Democrats (including, one would hope, Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy) held their noses while doing so, but I have not come to condemn those who disgraced themselves in that fashion. The article to which I’ve linked does that well.
No, I’m writing to note how widespread massive hypocrisy is among our politicians, and how little noted it is, perhaps for that very reason.
Here’s Orrin Hatch, his eye no doubt on Wall Street donors, justifying his vote on Lew:
Hatch complained that the committee only had 12 days to vet Lew’s nomination. He also has expressed concerned about Lew having received compensation from Citigroup, saying that Lew’s appointment might look like the administration is catering to special interests. But Hatch said he believes the president has the right to select his cabinet, which is why he would vote for Lew’s confirmation.
“I am bending over backwards to show deference to the president’s nomination and I hope that doesn’t go unnoticed,” Hatch said.
(via The Hill)
Well, that amount of bending is very impressive. Now, care to guess whether this latter day Gumby bended on Hagel, about whom there were no legitimate questions? If you really can’t guess, you can find the unsurprising answer here.
Post a Comment