Quote:

---

It’s no secret that Republicans have done everything in their power to throw up road blocks for President Obama at every turn. And nowhere is their power to block the president greater than it is in the Senate, where Republicans have effectively imposed a blockade on the president’s nominees for dozens of seats on the federal judiciary.

It is clear from recent cases that no matter the issue—health care, immigration, environment, marriage equality, consumer protections, ethics—the judiciary will continue to make decisions that affect the lives of hardworking Americans.

Of the 22 judicial nominees currently awaiting an up-or-down vote in the Senate thanks to unprecedented Republican obstructionism:

•10 were approved unanimously by both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee

•6 received just one “no” vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee

•13 are from states with a Republican Senator who supports their nomination

•11 would fill “emergency” vacancies, where the lack of a sufficient number of judges to hear cases is preventing courts from handling their caseloads — delaying or effectively denying the public access to the justice system.

•9 are women

•9 are minorities

Senate Republicans have imposed record wait times on President Obama’s nominees — delays more than FOUR TIMES longer than judicial nominees experienced under President George W. Bush. More at

---

Quote:

---

Last January, President Obama nominated federal Magistrate Judge Robert Bacharach to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Since then, Bacharach’s done little more than generate bipartisan support for his nomination. Even Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), an ultra-conservative who believes that Medicare is unconstitutional, called Bacharach “a stellar candidate” who “ought to get through,” and the Senate Judiciary Committee voted nearly unanimously to approve Bacharach. Only Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), the Tea Party senator who votes against every single one of Obama’s nominees, voted against Bacharach in committee.

So Bacharach enjoys widespread bipartisan support, including support from the Senate’s most ideological wing. He should be a shoo-in for confirmation — except, of course, for the fact that the Senate is run by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY):

Quote:

---

Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is forcing a vote Monday afternoon on Robert Bacharach, of Oklahoma, for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, a nominee considered to be highly qualified and noncontroversial. The move is a direct challenge to Republicans who have leaked plans that they will block all circuit court judges for the rest of the presidential election year.

Republicans cite a loosely defined Senate tradition of backing off from filling circuit court seats in the waning months of a president’s term, dubbed “The Thurmond Rule.”

---

The “Thurmond Rule” — which doesn’t actually do what McConnell says it does — is named for the late Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC). Thurmond is best known for delivering the longest filibuster speech in American history in order to block a civil rights bill. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/07/30/606711/senate-republicans-
filibuster-judge-they-dont-even-oppose/]
Yeah, I know, ThinkProgress. The stories are also reported elsewhere, I'm just not going to search for other cites; the quote from McConnell is accurate and says all that really needs saying.

Then let's look at nominees other than judges:

Quote:

---

Senate Republicans are blocking a wide range of presidential nominees as a means of reshaping and restraining the Obama administration’s economic policies on prominent issues like housing, finance, foreign trade and offshore drilling.

The list of vacancies in senior economic and regulatory positions has lengthened to roughly a dozen since last November, when Republicans won enough Senate seats to prevent confirmations. Some of the people it has named have been stuck in legislative limbo, while others have given up, including the Nobel laureate Peter A. Diamond, who withdrew his nomination for a seat on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.

Republicans say the blockade reflects their frustration with the White House and the last Congress for passing broad policies without winning broad support. Republicans are consigned to defensive tactics because they lack the votes to pursue their own agenda.

A group of 44 Republican senators say they will not confirm a commerce secretary, or any other trade official, until the conclusion of free trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. They have also vowed to block any nominee to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, instead demanding that Democrats agree to eliminate the position and curtail the agency’s powers.

Senator David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, blocked a vote on President Obama’s nominee to lead the Fish and Wildlife Service until the government granted 15 permits for deepwater drilling. Those conditions were satisfied last month. A separate demand by Senator Mike Lee of Utah that the Interior Department release certain documents was met last week. Now the nomination is being blocked by Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, who wants a review of the protected status of wolves.

“This isn’t about any particular appointee — Ben Franklin could come back to life and they would oppose him,” said Mr. Engelhard, a former Republican aide on the House Financial Services Committee.

Democratic lawmakers, regulators and even some industry groups say they are increasingly concerned that the vacancies are impeding efforts to improve regulation and spur growth.

“It’s important for agencies to have leadership that has been appointed and confirmed by elected officials,” said Joseph A. Smith Jr., whose nomination to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency was blocked by Senator Richard C. Shelby, Republican of Alabama.

Almost a year has passed since Mr. Shelby and Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, a Democrat who led the banking committee until he retired last year, sent a letter to the White House urging Mr. Obama to appoint a leader “as soon as possible” for the housing agency, which supervises the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

“We also urge you to make timely appointments to fill the positions at other federal financial regulators.” the letter said. “A full contingent of federal financial regulators is crucial to maintaining adequate federal prudential regulation and consumer protections.”

Mr. Obama’s nomination in November of Mr. Smith, the commissioner of banking in North Carolina, was cheered by banking and consumer groups. His confirmation began with warm praise from both North Carolina senators, one a Democrat and one a Republican.

Five days later, Mr. Shelby issued a statement describing Mr. Smith as ill suited for the job, saying he lacked experience and had not demonstrated independence from the administration.

Professor Diamond, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was one of three people nominated to the Fed by Mr. Obama in April 2010. The others, Sarah Bloom Raskin and Janet L. Yellen, were confirmed in September, but Mr. Shelby demanded a new hearing on Professor Diamond, citing a range of concerns about his background and ideas.

Two weeks later, Professor Diamond was awarded a Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on labor markets, a central focus of Fed research and policy. He said he had asked the prize committee for the value of gold in the medal to include it in his taxable income.

Democrats are most infuriated by Republican opposition to any nominee to lead the new consumer bureau — and indeed, to the existence of the position itself. “A wall of opposition to any nominee is different than what has happened in the past,” said Representative Brad Miller, Democrat of North Carolina. More at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/us/politics/20nominate.html?pagewant
ed=all&_r=0#h]
The cutest one is the ATF, which Republicans, bowing to their lord and masters the NRA, have kept from having a Director for EIGHT YEARS:

Quote:

---

Republicans refuse to confirm leader for ATF

Republican leaders, responding to complaints from gun-rights lobbyists, have refused to confirm a director for the bureau since it was split from the Treasury Department eight years ago. Excerpt from http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/06/nation/la-na-atf-director-2011
0907

---

They've done a real number on the ATF for ages, but this is already too long, so I'll do that in another thread.