Tom Shannon
Tom Shannon is a career foreign service officer. He’s also US Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. Has been since 2005. Was appointed to the job by George W Bush. Five months ago, Barack Obama appointed him to be Ambassador to Brazil. He’s obviously well-qualified. He sailed through committee. And then because Jim DeMint is a bad human being, he was subjected to a months-long hold. Then DeMint relented. So now it’s Senator George LeMieux of Florida’s turn to screw things up with a hold.
Neither DeMint nor LeMieux invented the abuse of the hold procedure, but the Republican Party of the 111th congress has taken this to such new heights that it’s about time the Senate take some responsibility and start organizing itself like a legislative body of an important country and not like a country club. The ability for one senator to delay confirmation of key executive branch personnel indefinitely for no real reason has never been a good idea. At times, this power has been abused to advance policy goals I believe in. Oftentimes it’s used to advance bad policy goals. More recently, it just seems to be being used as a matter of principle—maximum feasible obstruction. It needs to be changed.
18 Responses to “Tom Shannon”
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November 11th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
“Maximum feasible obstruction”
Ladies and gentlemen, your Republican party. And they are bipartisan, they use the most liberal definition of “feasible” possible.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Who the hell is Senator George LeMieux? Is he the guy who took what’s his name’s seat? The Bush Secretary?
November 11th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
These Senate traditions are based on an assumption of mutual collegiality and honor that is simply no longer valid, at least as far as the people putting forward the holds are confirmed.
They are exploiting a sense of courtesy and respect that they clearly have no intention of returning – their constant abuse of the hold and cloture procedures demonstrate that – so they should not be accommodated.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
The GOP wants to turn the federal legislative branch into the same model as California, where a minority can destroy the ability of the majority to actually govern. The Repub Senators tripled the use of the filibuster threat in the last session, and then yelled that the Dems couldn’t get anything done. As you’ve pointed out, they’ve blocked nominees ad nauseum. Take a look at this video for the childish behavior of House Republicans during healthcare “debate”. If the Senate rules didn’t allow as much abuse as they do, things could actually get done.
Politically, the GOP has no interest in having problems successfully handled right now. And it’s obvious that they care more about party than country.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
This particular situation has been part of a strategy for hard right Florida Republicans to get their way on the administration’s Honduran policy, and they’re largely succeeding, so why not do it?
November 11th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
If it’s so damn important, why didn’t he schedule a meeting with the guy a few months ago?
November 11th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
…it’s about time the Senate take some responsibility and start organizing itself like a legislative body of an important country and not like a country club…
It is difficult to see them doing that. sadly — the quaint, preposterous 19th century stuff really makes the body look incompetent.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
The GOP wants to turn the federal legislative branch into the same model as California, where a minority can destroy the ability of the majority to actually govern.
Nicely put
November 11th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I think we have to not consider the structure of the senate as the problem so much as Republicans are the problem. As we saw from the continual attempt by Republicans to shout down women in the house coming up to debate on the floor, and shown by the inane and dishonest comments from Al and Jim-Bob, republicans are facing an infestation of people with morand and behavioral problems. If one changes the social incentives within the republican party, then the party will select for better, more well-behaved human beings. At the moment the party attracts and is dominated by the sort of deficient filth you see from ill-raised schoolchildren desperate for attention and bent on vandalism.
Stop the party from encouraging the cultivation of socially maladjusted little limbaughs and hannity mini-mes and thing will improve. But it starts with putting an end to “humoring” these moral midgets in the name of “comity” and starting to punish them for their behavioral outbursts.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
But it starts with putting an end to “humoring” these moral midgets in the name of “comity” and starting to punish them for their behavioral outbursts.
Here, here! Tell them that if they don’t start behaving like adults, they’ll be removed from the chamber. Could they be charged with contempt of Congress for blocking the legally protected right of another House member to speak?
November 11th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
” At times, this power has been abused to advance policy goals I believe in. ”
I would be interested in specifics. And in knowing if the people who did so in these cases are “bad human beings.”
November 11th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
I agree on the substantive point: the individual Senator’s hold on nominations is a terrible anachronism, and probably a bad idea even in its own time.
However, Tom Shannon is an interesting example to use for this argument. My impression is that he has been (a peripheral) part of the ugliest attempt in years to back a military coup. Now, that may mostly reflect policy set by the Obama administration (bad! bad Rahm! or whomever) but I would be a lot more friendly to his ambassadorship if he had resigned in protest. I’ll answer Sam M and say yes, whatever side it comes from, the use of this stalling tactic reflects a serious lack in the soul department. That said, in this case DeMint’s stupidity seems to have given us a chance to learn about questionable judgment on the part of the nominee. At the very least he now has some substantial questions to answer if he ever gets his hearing.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
“I think we have to not consider the structure of the senate as the problem so much as Republicans are the problem.”
Well, re the Democrats, as Pete Townshend once said, “If you let them do it to you, then you’ve got yourself to blame.”
November 11th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
How about the basic rule that you don’t get to dick about in the Senate until someone other than the governor of your state knows who the fuck you are?
November 11th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
This particular situation has been part of a strategy for hard right Florida Republicans to get their way on the administration’s Honduran policy, and they’re largely succeeding, so why not do it?
Shannon is pro-coup. That’s why this is so farcical: Shannon is on the GOP side, supporting constitutional government.
November 12th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
[...] Matt Yglesias weighs in: Neither DeMint nor LeMieux invented the abuse of the hold procedure, but the Republican Party of the 111th congress has taken this to such new heights that it’s about time the Senate take some responsibility and start organizing itself like a legislative body of an important country and not like a country club. The ability for one senator to delay confirmation of key executive branch personnel indefinitely for no real reason has never been a good idea. At times, this power has been abused to advance policy goals I believe in. Oftentimes it’s used to advance bad policy goals. More recently, it just seems to be being used as a matter of principle–maximum feasible obstruction. It needs to be changed. [...]
November 12th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
[...] Matt Yglesias weighs in: Neither DeMint nor LeMieux invented the abuse of the hold procedure, but the Republican Party of the 111th congress has taken this to such new heights that it’s about time the Senate take some responsibility and start organizing itself like a legislative body of an important country and not like a country club. The ability for one senator to delay confirmation of key executive branch personnel indefinitely for no real reason has never been a good idea. At times, this power has been abused to advance policy goals I believe in. Oftentimes it’s used to advance bad policy goals. More recently, it just seems to be being used as a matter of principle–maximum feasible obstruction. It needs to be changed. [...]
November 12th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
There is more to this Tom Shannon story, and it has to do with his role in Honduras and what he did or how he has approached things in his career. Lately, he is known for his maneuvering in Honduras. You can read more about it here:
http://latinopoliticsblog.com/2009/11/07/seneca-on-obama-administrations-latin-foreign-policy-woes/