Republicans… ah, those Republicans

So far, the Republicans seem to be living down to expectations.

Right now, Joe Biden has a bit less than two months left in office, as does his majority in Congress. What can they do in 8 weeks?

Think back to Trump’s term – one of the things he accomplished was appointing a bunch of conservative judges who read the law as it is, not as they want it to be. Arguably, doing this at all levels up to the Supreme Court is probably the best legacy he left behind him, right? Probably would be stupid for Republicans to allow Democrats to do that as well, huh?

Senate Republicans faced criticism over several vote absences this week that allowed Democrats to confirm judges or agree to end debate on nominees that otherwise could have been blocked if each of the missing GOP lawmakers were there.

One particularly crucial vote was on Monday for a lifetime appointment to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court, a coveted appeals court slot to which Democrats did not have the votes to confirm President Biden’s nominee, since outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., voted against.

However, since Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., did not vote, the nominee was confirmed by 49 votes to 45 votes.

Mike Davis, the former chief counsel for nominations to former Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital, “A senator’s only job is to show up and vote.”

A senior Senate source confirmed to Fox News Digital that there was irritation among the Republican conference about their colleagues’ absences. The most vocal about it was Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., they said.

Weather delays in travel, sure. I can understand, and sympathize. But:

Braun, Hagerty, Vance, Rubio and Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas were absent for a vote on a district court nominee on Tuesday that was ultimately confirmed, despite Manchin opposing and Democrats not otherwise having enough votes.

Cruz was in Texas on the day of the vote with Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for the launch of a SpaceX rocket. The senator is the soon-to-be chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and told reporters this week that space legislation “will be a significantly higher priority of the full committee.”  Fox News

Hey, Ted, that launch button is not coded for your fingerprint. To paraphrase, Senator, get back there and Senator! Biden has already appointed as many judges as Trump did and has more radical leftists waiting in the wings.

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I have hopes that, even with the relatively narrow margins, the Republican majority can actually get something done (unlike during Trump’s first two years.) I hate to see a repeat of the Obamacare debacle, when after whining about replacing it for years, when the time came when they could rplace it,  the Republicans didn’t even have a plan to put forward.

And, tangentially related – I have seen folks crowing that Trump’s ‘failed’ nomination of Gaetz was a brilliant legal maneuver, by which Gaetz got out from under investigation and Trump exposed the weaker-willed Republican RINOSs.

On Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis set the FL-01 special election primary for Jan. 28 and the general election for April 1. That means Gaetz’s seat will be unfilled for at least 12 weeks in the 119th Congress.

Such a vacancy would cut into the narrow majority House Republicans are projected to have in the next Congress, which will only continue to shrink if GOP Reps. Elise Stefanik and Michael Waltz are confirmed to be in Trump’s Cabinet.ABC News

We might remember that as of when I am writing this the final election count is 219-213. Despite being from “safe” districts, this is three possibly key votes which could be empty for months. Does anyone look at that?

Category: Politics