3 ms·

The looming senate fight to confirm a replacement is going to be absolutely massive.

by fooey 9y ago

acdha 9y ago
That depends on how well the GOP sticks together: they only need a simple majority vote to confirm.
- anigbrowl 9y ago
  The more hurriedly they rush it through, the more political capital they're putting at risk. This (as in the whole ball of wax) is already shaping up to be a larger political upset than anything in most Americans' living memory.
  - acdha 9y ago
    The interesting part is the “hang together or hang separately” aspect: the longer the Republicans in the Congress vocally support Trump's actions the harder it is for them to break with him without penalties. I don't think it's a long-term success strategy but I'm betting it'll delay whoever is thinking about making the first move.
- nameless912 9y ago
  There are already a few cracks showing in their ranks. A few senators might defect, it really depends on whether they believe that the short-term toxicity will wear off before 2018 rolls around. And considering how well the Democrats have been doing with these fights over the last couple of months, it's very possible that a few of them will care more about their 2018 plans than about getting on Trump's good side. Especially if there's writing on the wall we don't know about.
  - CalChris 9y ago
    Shamelessly plagiarizing an earlier comment, McCain would vote to confirm, but he'd feel super bad about it.
Animats 9y ago
Historically, FBI heads have had near-unanimous approval. Comey was confirmed on a 93-1 vote. His predecessor, Muller, was originally appointed by Bush and confirmed by a 100-0 vote. 10 years later, he got another term under Obama and was confirmed by a 98-0 vote. All their predecessors were confirmed unanimously. It's not supposed to be a political job. [1] http://www.businessinsider.com/why-can-president-trump-can-fire-fbi-director-james-comey http://www.businessinsider.com/why-can-president-trump-can-f...
- memmcgee 9y ago
  Well Trump just made it one.

The looming senate fight to confirm a replacement is going to be absolutely massive.

by fooey 9y ago

The looming senate fight to confirm a replacement is going to be absolutely massive.

acdha 9y ago

That depends on how well the GOP sticks together: they only need a simple majority vote to confirm.

anigbrowl 9y ago
The more hurriedly they rush it through, the more political capital they're putting at risk. This (as in the whole ball of wax) is already shaping up to be a larger political upset than anything in most Americans' living memory.
- acdha 9y ago
  The interesting part is the “hang together or hang separately” aspect: the longer the Republicans in the Congress vocally support Trump's actions the harder it is for them to break with him without penalties. I don't think it's a long-term success strategy but I'm betting it'll delay whoever is thinking about making the first move.
nameless912 9y ago
There are already a few cracks showing in their ranks. A few senators might defect, it really depends on whether they believe that the short-term toxicity will wear off before 2018 rolls around. And considering how well the Democrats have been doing with these fights over the last couple of months, it's very possible that a few of them will care more about their 2018 plans than about getting on Trump's good side. Especially if there's writing on the wall we don't know about.
- CalChris 9y ago
  Shamelessly plagiarizing an earlier comment, McCain would vote to confirm, but he'd feel super bad about it.

Animats 9y ago

Historically, FBI heads have had near-unanimous approval. Comey was confirmed on a 93-1 vote. His predecessor, Muller, was originally appointed by Bush and confirmed by a 100-0 vote. 10 years later, he got another term under Obama and was confirmed by a 98-0 vote. All their predecessors were confirmed unanimously. It's not supposed to be a political job. [1] http://www.businessinsider.com/why-can-president-trump-can-fire-fbi-director-james-comey http://www.businessinsider.com/why-can-president-trump-can-f...

memmcgee 9y ago
Well Trump just made it one.