More of Trump’s nominees are confirmed by the Senate
Hegseth for Secretary of Defense was the one that was touch-and-go, but although the threesome of Collins, Murkowski, and Mitch McConnell voted “no,” Vance cast the tiebreaker vote and Hegseth is in.
Isn’t it good that McConnell isn’t leader of the Senate GOP anymore?
Kristi Noem is in for head of Homeland Security, all Republicans on board plus seven Democrats. Marco Rubio was already confirmed unanimously, and John Ratcliffe will be in charge of the CIA with a 74-25 vote for confirmation.
It helps to control the Senate as well as the presidency.
Hard to believe Alaskans put up with Murkowski. Voted with Obama’s position 72.3% of the time & about 79% of the time with Biden. Ditto on Hard to believe Alaskans put up with Murkowski.
Also hard to believe that Republicans haven’t been able to get rid of her … since 2002!?!
Karmi:
They certainly tried to get rid of her. Remember the write-in vote?
McConnell is ending his career with revenge votes against Trump, as did McCain.
Kate:
Many of the old guard — including Obama — are going out looking shabby and small.
@Kate:revenge votes against Trump
I’m sure the motive is financial. I don’t know about you, but there’s no one in my circle of acquaintances who could do something that would cost me or my family hundreds of thousands of dollars; McConnell can do that to people, and it can be done to him. The stakes in Washington DC are very high and I’m pretty sure that interpersonal drama is something the legacy media puts out there to fool the rubes in flyover country into thinking this game is different from what it really is.
@ neo – barely remember something about write-in votes. Am not up on politics as much as most here, but do remember McConnell having some super PAC back Murkowski.
Collins is Collins – hard for me to hate her, and she did help to get SCJ Kavanaugh on the big bench. That may have been the start of me becoming more active politically…active for a hermit anyway.
Am done w/ McConnell tho – he did an excellent job at holding off DEMs when whatshername died, and another excellent job at getting Trump’s 3 SCJ’s confirmed during incredibly difficult times.
Can’t believe that Alaskans keep picking Murkowski tho…
I’m confident that Trump is closely monitoring the “Blue State Gang of Ten” (i.e., the ten Democrat senators from states that Trump carried in November (two each from AZ, GA, MI, and NV and one each from Wisconsin and Pennsylvania). Nine of the 10 voted for the Laken Riley Act, but all 10 voted against Hegspeth. Half of them voted against Noem (2 from AZ, 2 from NV, and Baldwin (WI)). The rest voted for Noem (Fetterman, the two from MI, Ossify (GA)) or ducked the vote (Warnock (GA)).
The four from AZ and NV were probably pandering to the illegal vote. And the ones who voted for Noem are setting up a “moderate” voting record that they can run on–by casting meaningless votes with the Republicans. This game has been going on for decades. Shame on us if we let them get away with it. Any vote cast by a Democrat that changes the outcome can count as bi-partisan (in fairness, the Republicans needed seven Democrat votes on the Laken Riley Act to defeat the filibuster–but the last five cast meaningless votes). I’ll believe a vote is bi-partisan when the likes of Fetterman votes for someone like Hegspeth.
I hope Trump spends lots of time in NV (he’s there today pandering to service workers by promising tax-free tips), AZ, GA, and MI. As long as he’s in GA, he might as well stop by NC to make sure that their senators support his agenda.
Trump is like the Everready rabbit–his energy level is spectacular. The contrast with Biden is amazing. I don’t agree with everything he says or does, but he’s busily moving the Overton window and forcing the debate onto conservative turf.
I can’t figure Alaskans.
One might expect them to be the last of the OG American frontier stock.
But they seem more to be part of the Left Coast only further north.
Alaskans managed to get a Republican House member this time. Murkowski skates on name recognition.
‘We are American warriors’: Pete Hegseth gives troops their mission hours after being confirmed as Defense Secretary
Great military leaders are easy to spot…America has got lucky with this one!
Murkowski and Collins smirk. They are Democrats who use the Republican label to their advantage. They vote Democrat, but the GOP can’t disown them because they count as Republicans when control of the Senate is determined. I just hope that the flimflam pair get their just rewards some day.
McConnell may think that he is now invulnerable, and can be as petty as he wants; but he better be careful that his Chinese wife’s skirts are clean–and pun intended.
All of that said, Trump does pay a price for his gratuitous insults. I hope that the country does not share the cost in any way.
BTW, it is disgusting that Pam Bondi is being jerked about by people with small minds and shriveled souls. I suggest that she may be the best qualified of all of the nominees.
(Something went awry with the user name. For the record I am Oldflyer, not A)
A:
I don’t fault Collins. She’s from Maine. She helps even if she sometimes votes with Democrats, because when she retires she’ll be replaced by a real Democrat.
Karmi:
The Murkowski write-in campaign. .
Thanks for that info – neo! Yeah, first time I ever voted was mid-terms 2002 – 911 was reason for me to start. Had mainly kept up with Presidents and then voted for whatever REP was running.
Geez…she even beat the “Tea Party upstart” – supported by a favorite of mine, Gov Palin (After GWB, Palin was my 2nd fav REP back then…MSM was going thru garbage cans and septic tanks to stop Palin 2008…people loved her and she had to be destroyed) – as a “write-in”!?!?!?! 15 years later the Alaskans are still keeping her in office…
Karmi:
Not only was Murkowski a write-in, but her campaign was worried that people might misspell her name and that those ballots might not be counted. So they did a lot of ads that focused on her to spell her name.
Well, Neo I am not so charitable toward Collins. There are ample opportunities to assuage the Left leaning voters in her relatively tiny constituency; but Hegseth’s confirmation was hanging in the balance. I believe that she is a committed anti-Trumper and will oppose him as long as she feeds at the Senate trough–regardless of the stakes.
If I recall correctly, Murkowski is the daughter of a long time Alaskan power broker/king maker, and rode into office on the backs of his operatives. That does not explain why Alaskans still elect her; although I have worked with and known quite a few Alaskans, and nothing surprises me. They may send her to the Senate our of simple contrariness.
Red State columnist Ward Clark lives in Alaska.
He is not a fan of Murkowski.
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2024/03/03/alaska-senator-lisa-murkowski-i-could-not-vote-for-trump-n2170865
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2024/03/24/lisa-murkowski-cant-rule-out-leaving-republican-party-because-of-trump-n2171853
That Addison Mitchell McConnell was the Senate Republican leader for 18 years should tell you that the Senate Republican caucus is populated with crooks and clots.
I have heard, been unable to confirm, that Alaskans all get a chunk of change from the state as oil royalties or some such construction. Anybody know?
If so, or if something similar is in play, one would expect a few more voters to vote as if they vote for a living. Plaid shirts and shotguns notwithstanding.
@ Richard Aubrey
ChatGPT – Do Alaskans all get a chunk of change from the state as oil royalties?:
Related, sort of:
Now that Vivek has exited, stage Ohio, might one wonder, hypothetically, if David Stockman can work with Elon Musk?
“Stockman: America’s Fiscal Doomsday Machine Must Be Stopped”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/stockman-americas-fiscal-doomsday-machine-must-be-stopped
I am feeling charitable. All three of the no votes on Hegseth can count votes so no harm no foul. Other Republican squishes like Tillis and Cassidy voted to confirm.
The next close vote will probably be Kash. Will be interested to see how these three vote.
Karmi.
Thanks. Kind of what I remembered hearing.
So you get paid for living there…. Not like, say, Daniel Boone.