Ann Althouse, a retired law professor, captured Hatch's new attitude with this headline:
"I don't care what they want at this point," said Orrin Hatch.This is a new and refreshing attitude for Republicans, well in keeping with President Trump's demeanor.
"They" = Senate Democrats.
Democrats have been throwing post-election tantrums for three months now.
It is time to ignore their belligerence and incivility.
Hatch heads the finance committee which needed to vote on Steve Mnuchin before the Senate can vote to confirm him as Secretary of Treasury, and on Tom Price as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Cheered on by a complacently liberal media, Democrats boycotted the meeting, in an effort to avoid confirmation. Committee rules require at least one Democrat be present before a vote occurs.
Hatch had his committee waive the rule.
"This is all approved by the Parliamentarian," Hatch said. "I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been."
He could have sent the Senate's sergeant at arms to force Democrats to attend the hearing. He did not.
From CNN:
Hatch chuckled when confronted by questions from reporters about the little notice that the public received about Wednesday s meeting. "You were scrambling? Well, you know, that's neither here nor there," he said.
The chairman also said that he had not yet spoken with the committee's top Democrat, Sen. Ron Wyden, Wednesday morning. "I don't feel a bit sorry for them," Hatch said.This is a refreshing new attitude, long overdue.
For decades, Democrats have gotten away with strong-arm tactics with complaint from the scribes.
Well, that changed on 20 January, did it not?
CNN huffed about this:
Democrats asked that Price offer clarify on "inaccurate and misleading answer to questions about privileged and discounted access to stocks," and wanted Mnuchin to address "inaccurate and misleading answer to questions about the potentially illegal process known as robo-signing," among other things.
But with the two nominations already having been sent to the full Senate, Republicans are unlikely to cooperate.
"I don't care what they want at this point," Hatch said.Ha ha ha.
But what about comity?
What about the long-term implications?
What about straining relations between the parties?
Don't care. Democrats have never cared. Why should Republicans?
Democrats tried this crap in Wisconsin in February 2011. Remember the shouting mobs Democrats sent to the Capitol in Madison? Meanwhile, Democrats left the state to try to stop the vote in the legislature.
But Republican Governor Scott Walker did not bend, and he became the first governor in our nation's history to survive a recall election.
And in November, Wisconsin flipped red in the presidential race for the first time since 1984.
@@@
Please read "Trump the Press," in which I skewer media experts who wrongly predicted Trump would lose the Republican nomination. "Trump the Press" is available as a paperback, and on Kindle.
It covers the nomination process only. The general election is covered in a sequel, "Trump the Establishment," which will be published in paperback on Tuesday.
For autographed copies of either book, email me at DonSurber@GMail.com
Be deplorable. Follow me on Twitter.
"For decades, Democrats have gotten away with strong-arm tactics with complaint from the scribes."
ReplyDeletePlease change "with" on line 2 to "without".
One is rather reminded of a smug Spock being suddenly checkmated by illogical ol' Kirk at tri-dimensional chess.
ReplyDeleteOr Indiana Jones shooting the swordsman.
DeleteOr Indiana Jones shooting the swordsman.
DeleteMark S.
Hatch has always appeared to be a conciliatory guy who revered the arcane rules of The Club and tried hard to find a middle ground on which to compromise. If the Ds have lost Hatch, they have no one across the aisle who will extend them an open hand, and it's all their fault for the way they've treated their R colleagues the last 8 years. The Ds turned the gentile Senate into a bare knuckle fight club and surprisingly with Trump's victory the Rs seem to have found the courage to fight back. Good for them. They have two years to take full control of the nation's agenda before the mid-term election possibly turns the House or Senate over to the Ds. They should not waste this rare opportunity.
ReplyDeleteHatch should have learned this "new trick" 25 years ago during the Clarence Thomas auto-de-fe'.
DeleteMark S.
I just noticed a funny Freudian (?) slip in my comment. I think I typed "genteel" but it somehow came out "gentile", which is certainly as true of the US Senate as what I intended to convey, but definitely not the correct spelling.
DeleteThe slip was funny.
DeleteThere are 9 Jews in the senate. They are about 2.6 percent of the population. So they are well enough represented.
Iapetus Not to worry; in 2018 Senate Dems have FAR more seats to defend than the GOP, many in red states, so it is quite likely they will seriously LOSE seats to the GOP then, though unfortunately the GOP is notorious for snatching defeat from the jaws of certain victory; maybe Trump has helped change that, who knows.
DeleteCruz, in an interview on Fox, stated that Hatch's "idiot" statement about the Dimm's stompyfeet was "like Bobby Knight throwing a chair out on the court."
ReplyDeleteGlorious stuff.
Growin-a-cet.
Cruz can now have fun with us, and we can have fun with Cruz.
ca. 3:35 in the video. Put in on a continuous loop.
https://youtu.be/rI6EyPoUojU
"He could have sent the Senate's sergeant at arms to force Democrats to attend the hearing. He did not."
ReplyDeleteThat's a tell. Play time is over. If the Democrats want to engage in failure theater to appease their wildest mobs that's their problem.
"Democrats tried this crap in Wisconsin in February 2011. Remember the shouting mobs Democrats sent to the Capitol in Madison?"
Ann Althouse does; she recorded and reported a lot of it.
-Mikey NTH
Better late than never, Senator. We're kicking ass and not bothering to take names. So welcome on board The Train. We will let you back on board any time you want, as long as you DO YOUR JOB.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see Orrin Hatch finally care about the consequences of the Democrat actions. BJ54
DeleteElections and erections have consequences...
ReplyDeleteGood. Don't show up to work and be crushed. Good lesson for liberals. Wish their voters would learn it. With time, all learn well enough.
ReplyDeleteA big portion of their voters don't show up for work - they just wait for their handout check to get direct deposited
DeleteLinked by Instapundit at 11:40PM, Don!
ReplyDeleteInteresting pair of comments over there that Hatch finally summoned up enough courage to leave his abusive relationship with the Dems (who always played him for a sucker). That's a different take than I had about Hatch, but it has the ring of truth to it.
DeleteBack when D's were pulling this in WI, and later in IN, I kept suggesting R's do precisely what Hatch just did.
ReplyDeleteQuorum rules are there so that one Party can't ambush the other with a hastily called meeting that their opponents either can't attend or don't find out about, to pass things that otherwise would fail.
But, there's zero need for quorum rules to be anything other than "simple majority" for regularly scheduled meetings.
If you want to do something outside of regular order, then quorum requirements should be higher - to ensure the other side has adequate representation before public business can be conducted.
And, as Hatch just demonstrated, the rules for this are set by simple majority vote. Harry Reid made that point crystal clear when he wanted to stack the DC Circuit Court of Appeals with radicals and knew he couldn't get 60 votes for cloture.
In 2003 Democrat legislators left the state in Texas in a huff rather than vote on legislation they opposed and the Texas voters have made them regret that little hissy fit for going on 15 years.
ReplyDeleteD's can wear their pussyhats to work and show their true colors - after their absurd actions since the election and inaugeration they can all GFTS
ReplyDeleteIf you don't show up and vote against something you are implying that you are for it. (See: U.S. Abstention from vote on UN Resolution 2334.) - Elric
ReplyDeleteInteresting point. But do we really want to abide by the UN rules and procedures? Sauce, goose, gander, y'know. BJ54
DeleteThe point was that by abstaining from the UN vote the Obama administration signaled that it agreed with the resolution. Personally, I would remove the U.S. from the U.N. and the U.N. from the U.S. - Elric
DeleteWell, our betters in the "Dem/lib/prog/commie/satanist [sorry for the redundacy]®" crowd have spent my entire life (56 years) carping about wanting a "level playing field". This is what a level playing field looks like.
ReplyDelete