Obama Wins Again: GOP Is Powerless To Stop The Confirmation Of Eric Holder’s Replacement
Thursday, September, 25th, 2014, 5:54 pm
Senate Republicans are already complaining, but the
truth is that they are completely powerless to stop President Obama from
appointing and Democrats from confirming Eric Holder’s replacement as
attorney general.
President Obama wants to appoint a new attorney general, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants a quick confirmation vote.
The Hill reported
that Senate Republicans are powerless to stop the Democrats from using
the lame duck session of Congress to confirm a new attorney general,
“But even if, as many predict, Republicans reclaim control of the Senate
in the approaching midterm elections, they would be largely powerless
to block Democrats from using their current majority to confirm an
attorney general before the new Congress is gaveled into session in
January.”
Due to Harry Reid going nuclear, a confirmation vote
will only require a simple majority for passage, which the Democrats
will definitely have during the lame duck session
The timing of Holder’s resignation wasn’t an
accident. If Attorney General Holder didn’t step down now, he might have
been forced to finish out President Obama’s second term. If Democrats
keep control of the Senate, Holder could leave at any time, but the
president would face an intense confirmation battle if Republicans
controlled the Senate.
Eric Holder resigned now, so that the White House could avoid that confirmation battle.
Senate Republicans like Ted Cruz (R-TX) are already
complaining, “To ensure that justice is served and that the Attorney
General is not simply replaced with another extreme partisan who will
likewise disregard the law, the Senate should wait until the new
Congress is sworn in before confirming the next Attorney General.
Allowing Democratic senators, many of whom will likely have just been
defeated at the polls, to confirm Holder’s successor would be an abuse
of power that should not be countenanced.”
Once again, Sen. Cruz is having some issues with
reality. Confirming the new attorney general during the lame duck
session makes sense in light of the increased terrorism threats that the
nation is facing. Republicans may not like it. They are free to view
confirming a new attorney general in this manner as a violation of
Senate etiquette, but it is definitely not an abuse of power.
Republicans can throw as many tantrums as they
please, but there is nothing that they can do to stop the nation for
having a new attorney general by the end of the year.
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