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Breaking: Spakovsky Withdraws as FEC Nominee
After a five-month standoff, Hans von Spakovsky has withdrawn his name as a nominee to the FEC. The move likely clears the way for the deadlock over the FEC to be resolved.
You can read his resignation here.
"It is with regret that I write to request that you withdraw my nomination," Spakovsky wrote in a letter to the President today. In his letter, Spakovsky explains that Democrats' opposition to his nomination has caused a battle that has been "extremely hard on my family and quite frankly, we do not have the financial resources to continue to wait until this matter is resolved."
Democrats have opposed Spakovsky's nomination ever since last year, but it was the opposition of Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), who refused to allow any vote on the nominees together, that ultimately led to his withdrawal. Republicans, on the other hand, refused to allow Spakovsky to be voted on separately.
To remind you of some of the lowlights of Spakovsky's career at the Justice Department: his attempt to disenfranchise thousands of voters in Arizona singlehandedly (and then his false testimony to Congress about that), his petty attempts to retaliate against Department employees who did not agree with his legal philosophy (and his contested testimony about that), and his advisory letters that led to restrictive voter roll policies in a number of states.
Update: Rick Hasen on where things go from here.
Later Update: Reid's response:
"I welcome the President's decision to withdraw the controversial nomination of Mr. von Spakovsky. It is an action I have repeatedly urged the President to take for more than six months. Democrats stood united in their opposition to von Spakovsky because of his long and well-documented history of working to suppress the rights of minorities and the elderly to vote. He was not qualified to hold any position of trust in our government."His withdrawal today is a victory for our electoral process. With Mr. von Spakovsky now removed, I anticipate that we will be able to swiftly put a functioning FEC in place. That too is what the American people deserve."
Josh
Zachary
About damned time. Funny how this stuff always happens on a Friday afternoon...
May 16, 2008 5:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS FOR JOHN McCAIN!
:)
May 16, 2008 5:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
There will be no good news for John McCain, the Flip-Flopper in chief. He was against some things before he was for them and for some things before he was against them. Unfortunately, McCain (whose name I wrote in on the last two elections for president) has sold his soul to the far right wing of the Republican Party. No matter what he does, he has no chance of winning. No matter which Democrat runs, McCain still ahs NO chance of winning. You know why? Because moderate Republicans like me are totally disenchanted with the Republican Party in general and with him in particular. Our hope is dashed since he has sold his soul to the Devil to suck up to the far right, for whom he has absolutely NO USE as he has demonstrated over and over for years.
May 17, 2008 2:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is indeed good news, but Bush always seems to have just as bad if not a worse replacement waiting in the wings.
May 16, 2008 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right. And, he's removed Morse, the one who stated that McSame's withdrawal from public funds didn't smell right.
By the way, are you from Tulsa?
May 16, 2008 6:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mason. I meant Mason, not Morse.
May 16, 2008 6:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
What a cryin' shame that the poor guy and his family could not hang on for another six months...by then, everything is moot.
May 16, 2008 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm a bit surprised. Doesn't this raise the specter that the FEC will actually develop a quorum and have to look into McCain's public financing dance?
May 16, 2008 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep.
May 16, 2008 6:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
"have to" way overstates the matter. "could if and when hell froze over," might be more accurate.
May 17, 2008 9:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Now I have to wonder why Bush wants a functioning FEC going into the election? Just what will a new chairman do to aid McCain's campaign?
May 16, 2008 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
God bless you, Russ Feingold! While I am from IL, my neighbor to the north is one of the best Senators ever.
Now we get to wonder what bushlicker will be nominated next...if any. There is no way Bush would ever let someone in there that didn't just carry the water but drink and piss it out over and over.
LiveFrankly
May 16, 2008 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice story to end your tenure on - good luck Paul!
May 16, 2008 5:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
The GOP couldn't find him a job at a thinktank while he was waiting to be confirmed?
They're in that much trouble this year already?
Good luck in your new place!
May 16, 2008 5:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
A M F !
May 16, 2008 5:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe he should have thought about how hard the consequences would be on his family before he set out to disenfranchise thousands of other people's families.
Good riddance.
May 16, 2008 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
So long, Paul! Thanks for all you've given us.
May you fare well in the new endeavor!
May 16, 2008 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is Mason still on the FEC board? Will he continue his McCain investigation on public financing
May 16, 2008 5:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't want to claim that I can judge a persons character just by looking at them. But this guy just looks like a Douche Bag.
I also added him to my list of republicans I will fight anywhere, anytime.
He might have to wait a bit as it is a long list.
May 16, 2008 5:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Every time I see that pic of Hans, I want to punch him in the stomach and take his lunch money.
May 16, 2008 5:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I want to punch him in the stomach and take his caging lists!
Best of luck to Paul! Your final TPM article is front page news at barackobama.com!
May 16, 2008 7:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
The country has lost one of its great comb-overs.
May 16, 2008 7:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Score one for voting rights!
May 16, 2008 7:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
As in fist fight? Sword canes at dawn? Flintlocks?
May 16, 2008 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, yeah, and I want to second David Sloane's congratulatory bye-bye to Paul Keil. I'll miss his commentaries and stories.
May 16, 2008 10:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't bother to mention the fact that the Supreme Court, led by that Lion of the Left John Paul Stevens, vindicated Spakovsky's position on Voter ID laws.
May 16, 2008 10:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
horseshit. you obviously have not read the decision. just because you don't like the result in the decision doesn't mean the decision in any way "vindicates spakovsky's position on voter ID laws." the scalia concurrence joined by alito and thomas comes close to spakovsky's position. but the stevens opinion joined by roberts and kennedy does not.
May 17, 2008 10:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm waiting for his withdrawal from humanity and life. Vote Nazi.
May 16, 2008 11:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wasn't there a deal of sorta cut where the Dems accused Bush of helping out his buddy McCain regarding this issue sometime last week? So Bush will basically name another who will not agree with the sentiment that McCain broke any CF laws and he'll skate on it?
May 16, 2008 11:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent. Now we can finally get down to the important business of throwing John McCain in jail for violating campaign finance laws.
May 17, 2008 12:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
And little Hans himself deserves some investigation. Atleast by his bar (GA, and one other state), for moral turpitude, for, if I remember correctly, falsely signing a colleague's name after the colleague had left the DoJ and something about a specious law review article. It's here in TPM archives somewhere.
Shld be on the list of DOJ prosecutables? What do you think?
May 17, 2008 3:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent and in related news Missouri fails to pass their voter suppression bill.
http://mofairelections.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html#8891791086739492203
May 17, 2008 9:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, vrk. JUst got back from MO. (Sikeston) Heard nothing about this issue. It's hard to get news about almost anything in Sikeston. My Aunt isn't sure whether Obama is Muslim or lead by Rev. Wright. Ah, bigotry. Hope all those people vote.
May 17, 2008 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
To clarify, I hope all those unbigoted folks vote.
May 17, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Did you convince your aunt he wasn't those things?
May 17, 2008 7:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hans is still making mischief. Mark my words, we've not seen the last of him.
May 17, 2008 11:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Goodbye Paul. I'll be checking out your commentary at your new "home." As for Hans, good riddance to a lowlife POS, but I greatly fear that we haven't heard the last of this scum-sucking worm. And surely, the Bush Abomination has one of his clones lurking in some dark hole somewhere. They'll trot him/her out to fill the gap so no light will come in.
May 18, 2008 4:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Next oh Han's list:
At long last find a decent barber!
May 18, 2008 9:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
He looks like a perv to me.
May 18, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink