Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Delays Confirmation Vote So He Can Go To A Basketball Game

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/04/08/1837151/senate-gop-leader-delays-confirmation-vote-so-he-can-go-to-a-basketball-game/

Senate GOP Leader Delays Confirmation Vote So He Can Go To A Basketball Game

By Ian Millhiser on Apr 8, 2013 at 5:02 pm


Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) does not much like it when the Senate is getting things done. Indeed, the frequency of filibusters more than doubled after McConnell became his party’s leader in the Senate. But, as Bloomberg reports, the Minority Leader has now outdone his own ability to come up with reasons for the Senate to avoid doing its job:

The Senate was supposed to vote this afternoon on the nomination of Patty Shwartz as a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That vote has been postponed until tomorrow because Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has other plans: Kentucky’s senior senator will be in the sea of red at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta as his University of Louisville Cardinals take on the University of Michigan Wolverines for the men’s NCAA basketball championship. . . .

Why the schedule foul-up? On March 31, Louisville knocked off Duke University to qualify for the Final Four, setting up a potential conflict for McConnell between the Senate vote and the championship game. He has been a frequent face in the crowd at the team’s NCAA tournament games this year.

A senior Democratic aide said the schedule was adjusted in the expectation that if Louisville made it to the final round, McConnell would want to go to the game. McConnell spokesman Don Stewart pointed out that the schedule change was made before Louisville won its Final Four game against Wichita State University on Saturday and the finals match-up was known.

For the record, it takes 51 votes to confirm a judge, and only 60 to break the filibusters that are now ubiquitous under McConnell’s leadership — and the Senate contains 99 other senators who don’t think that attending a basketball game is more important than their day job. Even excusing McConnell’s decision to place his personal needs ahead of the country, there is no good reason why the Senate cannot simply confirm Shwartz in McConnell’s absence.

[SoCalDem]

1. Hold the damned vote without him

bastard

[Mz Pip]

8. Why can't they do that?

Doesn't that often happen?

[Tx4obama]

2. She was originally nominated in Oct 2011. Republicans have blocked the vote for over a year...

Reid delaying the final vote for about 20 hours is no biggie.
The vote will take place tomorrow and all will be good.

The Senate has reached an agreement to postpone until 11:30am tomorrow, Tuesday, April 9, the execution of the previous order with respect to consideration of the nomination of Patty Shwartz, of New Jersey, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit. At 11:30am tomorrow, there will be up to 30 minutes for debate prior to a vote on confirmation of the Shwartz nomination. There will be no roll call votes today. The next vote will occur at approximately 12:00 noon tomorrow.
http://democrats.senate.gov/2013/04/08/no-votes-today-next-vote-noon-tomorrow-shwartz-nomination-reid-moved-to-proceed-to-gun-safety-bill/

[babylonsister]

4. It doesn't matter. They've been on Easter

break for how many weeks, today is their first day back, and he takes off? Bullshit!

[Tx4obama]

6. Actually I read the OP wrong. For some reason I thought it said REID that was going to the game.

[Rex]

3. The 'Haves' love to run the country

only when it is convenient to their schedule. The rest of us work 60 hours a week to pay bills. Strange how that works.

[Segami]

5. I never knew the NBA allowed turtles into the arenas.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

7. It's college basketball. And apparently college sports lets anyone or anything in...

The coaching positions, anyway.

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. Yeah, that's a story that's going to raise hackles among readers of Think Progress

But is not likely to rile up anyone else. It's not exactly any old basketball game: it's the NCAA championship, and his alma mater is playing in it. I wouldn't bet against the people who have maybe missed a little work following the tourney.

[KansDem]

10. Priorities, priorities...

Gotta prioritize! Just ask the 47%.