(Jeff Danziger’s website)
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While we’re waiting on SCOTUS’s pleasure, a reminder that when it comes to public displays of venal idiocy, the Repubs are multi-taskers. Dave Weigel digs up sour memories of “the Last Time the House Held a Contempt Vote… “
February 14, 2008 — a date which will live in almost nobody’s memory — brought the first contempt vote on an executive branch official since the 1980s. Democrats had spent the better part of a year investigating the dismissal of seven U.S. attorneys, who (it’s pretty well agreed now) had refused to jump high enough when asked to pursue voter fraud claims. White House Counsel Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff Josh Bolten refused to appear before committee, citing executive privilege on the in-demand information. So Democrats brought their vote….
And Dana Milbank updates us on the Weeper-in-Chief:
… Tying up this administration is Job One for the opposition party, and never more so than this week. Republicans have been awaiting with giddy anticipation a Supreme Court decision Thursday that they expect will overturn Obamacare, the signal achievement of Obama’s presidency. “If the court does not strike down the entire law, the House will move to repeal what’s left of it,” Boehner vowed.
At the same time, Republicans decided to dedicate Thursday to a spectacle on the House floor: voting to hold Holder, the attorney general, in contempt of Congress for declining to hand over certain documents related to the Operation “Fast and Furious” guns program on the Mexican border.
Fox News Channel’s Chad Pergram asked Boehner (R-Ohio) whether he thinks “the American public is buying the narrative that you’re here to talk about jobs, when in the next 24 hours . . . everything emanating from the House floor is about contempt of Eric Holder?”
“We’re going to continue to focus on jobs,” Boehner repeated.
Seems fair to assume that no matter what may happen, on the floor, there will be tears.
Apart from rightwing intransigence, what’s on the agenda this morning?
Raven
Pretty good opening for Joe, “We are now going to talk about something we know nothing about”!
SiubhanDuinne
Anybody remember “My Three Sons”? RIP Don Grady.
I’ll be in (yet another) staff meeting when the SCOTUS decision is expected to come down, so by the time I read about it I imagine there will be multiple BJ threads, hundreds upon hundreds of comments, and scores of troll sightings. Will try to catch up tonight.
SiubhanDuinne
@Raven:
I thought that was pretty much every day for Joe.
Raven
@SiubhanDuinne: Me too but I’ll have the laptop on!
Baud
@SiubhanDuinne:
Stupid work. I’d much rather be here for the decision.
Villago Delenda Est
Shorter John Boner: “I am cretinous dogshit.”
Valdivia
@SiubhanDuinne:
I am leaning towards skipping the hubbub and checking in later. But I know I won’t be able to keep away. So nervous.
SiubhanDuinne
@Baud:
Me too, but we’re going through office closings and position cuts. Those of us lucky enough to survive the cuts have heavier/different workloads and a bunch of new stuff to learn. So being there and paying attention is advisable:-)
SiubhanDuinne
@Valdivia:
@Raven:
I’ll have my iPad with me, will hope for a break midway through meeting to check the news.
Linda Featheringill
Good morning.
I got up early and plan to start work early so I can take a couple of hours off at 10:00 and observe all the hoopla.
At this point, I have no predictions.
Ben Cisco
Nothin, just working.
Valdivia
@SiubhanDuinne:
have a good meeting! :)
SiubhanDuinne
@Valdivia: Thanks!
ken
Couldn’t sleep all night waiting on this damn court decision. I work with raging, Breitbart-level wingnuts. Should probably take the day off.
PurpleGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: Sorry to hear about your company’s (organization’s?) staffing woes. I hope you are one of the survivors.
PurpleGirl
Mid-day finds me at the dentist. I’m trying to ignore politics this morning.
PurpleGirl
Mid-day finds me at the dentist. I’m trying to ignore politics this morning.
PurpleGirl
Okay, I swear I did not hit submit twice. FYWP
JPL
The President is expected to make a statement after the ruling.
JPL
@PurpleGirl: That has happened to me several times recently but I blame it on the new computer.
SiubhanDuinne
@PurpleGirl: I am, thank you. In Derek Jacobi’s felicitous phrase, I’ve been dogged by good luck all my life.
Ben Cisco
Chuckit just released Marist polls for MI/NC/NH:
Ash Can
Hey, Boehner never said whose jobs.
Tenzil Kem
Hi, folks —
I haven’t posted here much since the passthedamnbill.com days, but I just wanted to thank everyone, posters and commenters alike, for everything we did back then. This was a rare place, after the Massachusetts special election, where people came together to try to make something happen instead of just giving up. Whatever happens today, it was an honor and a privilege.
Mark B
The contempt proceedings against Holder have nothing to to with Fast and Furious. They’re trying to delegitimize Holder’s authority so he won’t be able to oppose Republican vote suppression efforts which are going to be in full force by the fall.
Bullsmith
Do the Democrats like losing? Do the like the fact that the Republicans use and abuse power to investigate, impeach and hold them in contempt, while they resolutely “look forward.” Do they like that in return for covering up massive fraud by Wall Street, Wall Street stopped giving them money and are working hard to get Republicans back in?
Not saying there’s no difference or that votes don’t matter. Just saying the Democrats do not act like a party interested in holding power. Some of them are going to cross the floor to help give bipartisan cover to the first time in U.S. history that a sitting member of cabinet has been held in contempt. Over a completely fictional charge, based on the paranoid fantasies of the NRA. Will they face backlash from the party for stabbing Obama in the back and pissing on Holder? Not likely.
Nutella
@Mark B:
That’s why I hope that Holder fights back and fights dirty. Every time a question is asked about the ATF he should begin by saying he would refer it to the head of the ATF but since Congress has failed in its duty to confirm anyone to be the head of the ATF for six years there is no head of the ATF. Next he should point out that buying semiautomatic weapons is perfectly legal under Arizona law so they’re prevented from seizing lawfully owned property. Then he can answer any question Issa asked.