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I’ve heard talk about a deal to seat a large number of Obama-appointed judges a few times in the past, but here’s another version of that rumor:
As the Senate prepares to vote this week on the Supreme Court confirmation of Elena Kagan, there is also reportedly a deal in the works to finally confirm dozens of the executive branch and judicial nominees who have been waiting—many of them for months—for votes on the Senate floor.
CQ reports:
After seeing only two nominees confirmed during July, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are discussing terms for advancing at least some of the 84 nominations awaiting floor votes, aides said Monday. “We have a number of nominations that we’re looking at,” said Reid.
But some of the more controversial nominees are unlikely to be confirmed before the Senate returns in mid-September, if then. That may tempt Obama to use recess appointments to fill those vacancies at least temporarily — unless the White House agrees to pass up the opportunity to make recess appointments in exchange for Senate action on some nominees this week.
Most of these non-controversial nominations passed the Judiciary Committee with unanimous consent or a voice vote. Republicans know they can slow down the confirmation process, and by extension slow down the business of the Senate, because it would take several weeks, working all day around the clock, to clear all these nominees. So there’s not a lot of incentive to pass through these judges, except public pressure (which is scant) and internal pressure from circuit courts and district courts in the regions of Republicans. I suspect that’s what is driving this, along with the Obama Administration’s recess appointment threat.
The Obama Administration has been able to get a smaller percentage of judges confirmed in the first term than any Administration in modern history.
I’m working on more confirmation of this deal.
UPDATE: This will probably be a topic of discussion at today’s meeting between Obama and Mitch McConnell, one on one, in the White House. The Administration seems to be orchestrating this deal more than the Senate leadership.
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I have read criticism of Obama for not making selections for hundreds of positions that are vacant right now.
My argument is “Why Bother?” If it is going to take two years to get them confirmed, if at all, why bother going through all the vetting process, reviews, have the candidates sitting on pins and needles, etc. He can’t get the ones confirmed he has already selected why add to the list.
There is something to be said for him doing a bit more arm-twisting in the Senate – use their own words against them
And I think he should recess appoint everyone on the list right now – including Elizabeth Warren, Dawn Johnson, anybody for TSA, and every judge he can. The Rethugs have been stacking the courts for years with hard-right conservatives. It’s our turn now.
Oh right…not gonna happen :(
Maybe it will happen.
Obama sees political capital in trading on the dissatisfaction that most people (excluding the hard right) feel when they look at the posturing, deal making, hyper-ventilating members of the Senate.
If Obama is as smart as pol as he is campaigner, he will quickly realize that a recess appointment of Warren will ease some progressive dissonance about his policies in other areas. As well, it’s a win with every middle class credit consumer which he definitely needs for the mid-terms.
If it guarantees a donnybrook down the road, so what? If the right takes the House, it will neuter whoever is in charge of the consumer agency.