Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
DeVos Confirmed
The party whips were correct and the final vote on Betsy DeVos’ nomination to head the Department of Education was 50-50.
Vice President Mike Pence, in his Constitutional role as President of the Senate cast the deciding vote. In what can only be seen as a historic piece of strategy on the part of Democrats, by delaying Jeff Session’s elevation to the cabinet they allowed him to remain in the Senate and vote for DeVos.
And, of course, this:
Well, I was going on this news story: http://nypost.com/2017/02/05/the-war-on-betsy-devos-is-all-about-the-teachers-unions/
Note:
Not helping.No no no, McConnell is a traitorous moronic …
Good info, thanks.
Want me to photoshop that? $20 to do it, $50 not to…
Note:
Also not helping.[redacted]
Bet a lot of kids face a crabby teacher today if they haven’t already. None of them cared much when my business was hurt by cash for clunkers (and it was a net loss and didn’t save the planet), or when my insurance tripled to where I don’t have it. If nothing else, if the education of children does not improve, I hope the educators get an education. There sure is a lot of them squawking like she’s going to eliminate children.
Maybe I should go back and edit that phrase…
I’m with you on being sick of the constant run down of the Establishment Republicans, but this sort of thing really doesn’t help.
Now this would put a big leagues smile on my face! The biggest ever. Really big. Really, really big. It would be huge.
Here in Massachusetts, people decided that Gabe Gomez wasn’t conservative enough, so we have Ed Markey; they also decided that Scott Brown wasn’t conservative enough to defend for reelection, so we have Elizabeth Warren.
The other downside, less obvious to those who aren’t really into the boring parts of politics or don’t live in deep blue states, is that doing such things makes it really, really hard to later recruit people to run for office. The message it sends to potential candidates is that you will put them between a rock (the basic demographics and leanings of the state) and a hard place (a conservative purity test).
Is nobody impressed by the party discipline of the Bolsheviki? Not one defection. Not a single “reasonable” Democrat. They play for keeps.
I think much of the rancor around here can be ascribed to those that live in blue states and those that live in red states having different understandings of what is possible.
Agreed, but it’s also people who don’t understand the difference between taking out Eric Cantor (when the victor of the primary was almost certain to win the general) and taking out Kelly Ayotte or Scott Brown (when the other option is a raving progressive lunatic).
I’m a bit to the right of Antonin Scalia politically, but I also worry about doing what the Democrats have done: so insist on party purity that you become a regional party at both the national and state level, while the other party scoops up the vast majority of independent voters. There can be a value to Susan Collins voting against DeVos, and that’s simply that people will see Republicans as having a variety of ideas on how to run things.
Getting back to the OP topic, how could anyone argue that education is a federal issue, but immigration is a state and local issue? I don’t want the Sec Ed to know the difference between progress and growth (gotcha question). I want her to know the difference between the federal responsibility and state/local responsibility.
No. Please do not say that. They could quite easily become Arlen Specters and we lose control.
We need them to keep thwarting the will of their voters and when they come up for re-election, they both lose in the primaries.
Do you see someone more conservative than Collins getting elected in Maine?
not one stinking democrat
Paul LePage.
Vive les Québécois!
Oh, no way. But someone that votes with their Party more often? Yes way.
Given the nature of these hearings, the lack of a filibuster, and the likelihood of all nominees being confirmed, a lack of Democrat defections again I attribute more to political theater.
Well they will be taken to said woodshed by the very man who did everything in his power to see them elected: Mitch “The Bungler” McConnell. Particularly the Alaska Senator, Murkowski or Mulkowski whatever the hell it is, owes her seat to the fact that Mitch and the gang did not back the GOP nominee for that seat in 2010 and encouraged her write-in campaign. (Now we sit back and watch the NT’ers to tell me he did no such thing.)
You sure you are a neo-con? Usually you guys are all about nationalism and imperialist fantasies.
I’m no big fan of “the Turtle” but he has outmaneuvered Schumer six ways from Sunday. Finally, he backed Trump in the face of ALL the “oddsmakers” saying Hillary was a shoo-in. Mitch has earned my grudging respect. Give it where it’s due; he’s been a key ally for Trump so far. I’ll bet Mike Pence has him on speed dial. We have hundreds of appts. and judges to go. We need a good Majority Leader.
He’s it.