Coop's Corner
February 5, 2010 4:56 PM

Given a Gift, Dems Try Not to Blow the Shelby Affair

By
Charles Cooper
Topics
In The News
(AP)
I haven't seen Democrats or their amen corner in the press get this giddy since George Bush made way for Barack Obama's on Inauguration Day.

But for once, the Democrats have been granted a gift from the gods - or more prosaically, from Senator Richard Shelby, the politically tone-deaf Republican from Alabama whose stones must be the size of his state's Cheaha Mountain.

As has been recounted in detail elsewhere, Shelby put a "blanket hold" on at least 70 of the president's nominations, a procedural move in his bid to get the government to send billions of dollars back to Alabama to fund a couple of local programs.(CongressDaily first reported the news.) Pork barrel politics at its best, or worst -depending upon your view. It's a rotten practice but one as Josh Marshall notes, it's part of a long American tradition.

"In this case, we're not dealing with a stand on partisanship or ideology or simple political shiv play which I guess can each be respected in their own place. This is more like just a stick up. Gimme my money and I'll give you your Senate back! Worse than a squeegee man and not much better than a bank robber, Shelby is shutting down the president's ability to appoint anyone to anything until he gets his way. In a sense Shelby's gambit is little different from what countless other senators of both parties have done in the past, using the senate rules to get the White House's attention to pry some money free from the federal government. But the scale is unheard and the moment is different. The only mystery about this one is which is more outrageous -- Shelby's hold or the fact that the rest of the senators of both parties allow it."

For the moment, at least, the Democrats will claim the moral high ground. The show must go on and so if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has half a brain, he'll stage-manage the scene by keeping Louisiana's Mary Landrieu out of sight during this latest media scrum. (Her presence would, um, not be a good right now. After forcing the Democrats to buy off her vote, Landrieu won't stay out of the limelight. She recently took to the Senate floor to explain "the real story" behind the $300 million Louisiana Medicaid provision in the Senate health care reform bill and then issued a press release to make sure nobody missed her appearance.)

That's why the Democrats ought to be sending Shelby a magnum of Dom Perignon. Here's Michigan Democrat Carl Levin bemoaning his "frustration and dismay" at the roadblocks in the way of expediting the confirmation of five nominees at the Department of Defense.



It's good theatre and the Democrats hope enough people will be watching. At the very least, they hope that striking a pose of high dudgeon can help wash away some of the less savory leftovers from the health care reform battle. It won't be long before unnamed Washington sources remind reporters how Shelby talks up his opposition to Congressional earmarks (for regions outside of his home state.) Also, aren't there any Bush-era YouTube clips floating around with Shelby lecturing Democrats during that presidential nominees deserved "up and down" votes.

Obviously, though, that was then and this is now.




  • Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.

Add a Comment See all 20 Comments
by Ferrell-2 February 7, 2010 5:21 PM EST
This won't get any further than it already has. The Republican party's damage control unit will see to that. They can't force Shelby to backtrack but they can be mighty persuasive and he will cede to their wishes.
Reply to this comment
by RobAla February 7, 2010 5:11 PM EST
Senator Shelby isn't doing anything any differently than the same type pf hardball tactics the Democrats used in holding up President Bush's nominees. It's just politics as usual. If President Obama's nominees are as off the mainstream as his recent Supreme Court appointed justice, it would be fine for me if they never got appointed. There is a lot more to this than meets the eye. Washington has played political games with defense contracts, and this also come into the mix. I don't see any moral high ground with either the Republicans or Democrats; they both play political hardball.
Reply to this comment
by ToolMangler1 February 7, 2010 5:46 PM EST
"I don't see any moral high ground with either the Republicans or Democrats; they both play political hardball."


If the Tea party nuts wish to be considered relevant, they will dump Palin and demand a reform of this piece of legislative BS that allows a single Person to hold the country 'hostage'.
by luthershad February 6, 2010 5:05 PM EST
President Obama mentioned a web site where we can check on PORK added to present legislation. I would like to know where this website is and how can I get to it.
Reply to this comment
by musstag February 6, 2010 11:08 PM EST
The "pork site", he only suggested it. Doesn't exist. OB said pork is only 1% of the bugdet, same for foreign Aid.
by RobAla February 7, 2010 10:16 PM EST
This article is not about pork. However, if the President is saying that only 1% of the budget is pork, what happened to $500 billion in Medicare waste he said we had? Remember? He wanted to cut Medicare by $500 billion because there was supposed to be that much waste. I think there is a disconnect in what he is saying.
by musstag February 6, 2010 12:36 PM EST
The News People DO NOT give you the complete story. They said Shelby did it for some non funded earmarks. Come on, it was the $35 Billion Air Force refueling aircaft tanker LOW BID won by an ALABAMA Company... (the money is in last yrs budget, AIrForce was happy with the low bid) then a Senator from boeing and chicagos' clan got it canned. It offers 40,000 jobs.
Reply to this comment
by starving1968-3 February 6, 2010 9:56 AM EST
by OrionCA February 6, 2010 9:11 AM EST
***yawn***

If this is the best you got, you're desperate. First, Shelby didn't invent this tactic: It's in the Senate manual and how Senators get anything done for their home states when they're in the minority. Secondly it has all the drama and intensity of paint drying on the wall. An obscure Senate procedure that affects obscure government officials to get money for obscure government programs...give me a break. Obama just proposed a $1.6 TRILLION dollar deficit for next year. Political pundits used to go all High Dudgeon when the total Federal Debt was less than this, now we're running up $200 Billion dollars a month *plus* on the card. How many Richard Shelby's would $1.6 Trillion dollars pay for? Talk about "The Beam in Thine own Eye..." The Democrats have unmitigated gall to point the finger over pork *thimble* spending.






Instead of saying "Obama spent $1.6 TRILLION", why don't you educate yourself on WHERE that money is being spent.

It's being spent on REPUBLICANS / CONSERVATIVES programs and policies, that THEY created from 2001 - 2007.

It's highly disingenuous to blame Obama for the spending on the Iraq War, when clearly that was Bush's CHOICE to go into Iraq, and Obama must now clean up the mess.

It's highly disingenuous to blame Obama for the spending on the Medicare Part D big pharma giveaway, when the REPUBLICANS created the program, and Obama is now OBLIGATED to budget for it.

It's highly disingenuous to blame Obama for the borrowing to make up for the Bush tax cuts, OR to blame Obama for having to pay the massive interest from the BORROWING that occurred to pay for those tax cuts from 2001 - 2009.

Place the blame for the massive deficit and spending where it belongs - on the GOP.
Reply to this comment
by starving1968-3 February 6, 2010 9:32 AM EST
by Mortar_29 February 5, 2010 5:41 PM EST
Shelby should be run out of the GOP.







He IS a conservative.

He IS the poster boy for conservatism.

He IS the kind of politician that people like YOU elect and re-elect time and time again.

He should have been jailed for his role in the mortgage meltdown, but instead they blame his successor, Chris Dodd, for all of the problems that Shelby created.
Reply to this comment
by OrionCA February 6, 2010 9:11 AM EST
***yawn***

If this is the best you got, you're desperate. First, Shelby didn't invent this tactic: It's in the Senate manual and how Senators get anything done for their home states when they're in the minority. Secondly it has all the drama and intensity of paint drying on the wall. An obscure Senate procedure that affects obscure government officials to get money for obscure government programs...give me a break. Obama just proposed a $1.6 TRILLION dollar deficit for next year. Political pundits used to go all High Dudgeon when the total Federal Debt was less than this, now we're running up $200 Billion dollars a month *plus* on the card. How many Richard Shelby's would $1.6 Trillion dollars pay for? Talk about "The Beam in Thine own Eye..." The Democrats have unmitigated gall to point the finger over pork *thimble* spending.
Reply to this comment
by ToolMangler1 February 7, 2010 5:17 PM EST
Democrat or Republican, this ploy is "Absolute pure extortion". The welfare of the American people is being held hostage until the ransom is paid...
by rjstolba February 6, 2010 8:42 AM EST
THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY THERE SHOULD BE TERM LIMITS AND WHY CONGRESS NEEDS TO UPDATE HOW IT OPERATES. ONE PERSON SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HOLD UP ANYTHING THAT GOES ON IN THE CONGRESS. SHELBY HAS ALWAYS BEE AN A_______. THIS JUST PROOVES IT!!
Reply to this comment
by gthog February 6, 2010 8:19 AM EST
Anything to screw with the dems and slow the torrent ofkook lefty appointments is a good thing. It doesn't really atter why he is doing it.
Reply to this comment
by starving1968-3 February 6, 2010 9:48 AM EST
gthog = typical anti-American / hate America type of conservative:

"Who cares why or how he's hurting America - let's support him in doing it!!"
by Former_Marine_Sgt February 6, 2010 12:13 AM EST
It's amazing how the Repubs demonize the dems for doing the exact thing that a Repub is doing. AND the Repub leadership doesn't appear to be doing anything about it.

Is this a case of 'do as I say and not as I do'?

Let's wait and see if the Repub leadership kicks this guy in the brass to remove a blatant target for the dems or if they just sit back and help him blackmail the dems.
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