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Reid Offers Deal on FEC Deadlock
From Roll Call (sub. req.):
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) shipped to the White House on Tuesday a compromise plan on Federal Election Commission nominees, a deal that is likely dead on arrival because it does not meet GOP demands on Hans von Spakovsky."You are aware that Mr. von Spakovsky does not have majority support to win confirmation," Reid wrote Tuesday in a letter to White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten. "It is my understanding that you have two additional Republican FEC candidates cleared for nomination.
"One would fill Mr. von Spakovsky's seat should he be defeated or withdrawn, and the other would fill the vacant Republican seat," Reid continued. "You already have the non-controversial re-nomination of sitting commissioner David Mason pending."
You can read Reid's letter to White House chief of staff Josh Bolten here. But as Roll Call says, Republicans have thus far refused to budge on any deal that doesn't include Spakovsky getting packaged in a vote with the other less controversial nominees. And so the FEC remains officially dormant and the complaints against allegedly outlaw campaign activity continue to pile up.
Josh
Zachary
Is it just Republican bloody-mindedness or does Herr von Spakovsky have something on them that pushes them into this all-or-nothing deal? Because I can't see that he carries that much value for them, especially now that he'll only have a matter of, what, eight months to serve.
However, if it's because they want to keep the FEC hobbled and impotent until McCain's (and their) election comes up, then I'd like to know if there is something in Congressional rules that requires the demurrers to go on record as to why they are unwilling to compromise with eminently reasonable proposals. Can some sort of polling be done in session, giving each member 30 seconds to make an argument for or against von Spakovsky, and let a committee decide on their merits?
Their constituents might like to know the base excuses the Republicans (probably) have for keeping an agency essential to Americans' voting rights incapacitated.
April 29, 2008 10:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, MoveOn.org or somebody could put pressure on certain senators by running ads in their states asking these questions, but most of these people are so deeply entrenched in the reddest of the red states. I doubt it will do much good.
April 30, 2008 9:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bingo.
The GOP never wanted von Spakovsky seated, they just wanted an impotent FEC.
April 30, 2008 9:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
If the Republicans refuse to approve any FEC appointments which do not include the little pig and Democrats refuse to approve him, then the FEC lacks a quorum and cannot use many of its meager powers to enforce a legal election. Cui bono?
April 30, 2008 12:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Repubs don't give a crap about Von Spakovsky. He is just the wedge they use to say "See it is the democrats that are hamstringing the FEC."
The whole reason the democrats haven't done anything up to this point was because they were concerned Hillary would be nominated. They did not want the FEC poking around into Hillary's donors, dubious 5 mil loan and Bill's shady dealings with foreign governments. ie donations to his library, Columbian and Saudi trade brokering. Talk about conflict of interest.
Which of course was fine with the Republicans. This inaction prevents McCain from being investigated for the public financing thing.
If Hillary, by some stretch of the imagination gets nominated, you can be assured that the FEC will be effectively neutered this election cycle.
April 30, 2008 9:41 AM | Reply | Permalink