Booman Tribune

How the GOP Behaves

by BooMan
Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 11:50:26 AM EST

If the Republicans on the Foreign Relations Committee wanted to make trouble for Hillary Clinton, they could unearth any number of skeletons (or just use today's Associated Press reporting). But the GOP isn't doing that. Ranking Member Richard Lugar opened the hearing with praise and his questions were all substantive and related to his areas of policy interest. I can imagine that Republican partisans, who are familiar with every potentially damaging bullet point in Hillary's long life (dating back to her time as an undergrad at Wellesley), are pulling their hair out and asking why the Republicans are so obsequious and spineless. I think we all know how they feel. After all, we sat through confirmation hearings for Condi Rice at State, Alberto Gonzales at Justice, and Sam Alito for the Supreme Court. We know what it's like to see our senators lie down and act like doormats.

As I have long argued, the behavior of politicians is driven far more by the dynamics of power structures than by ideology. The Democrats were not uniquely spineless during the Bush years. They behaved the way they did largely because their cost/benefit analysis led them to limit their fire in battles they knew they could not win. This isn't an apology for the Democrats, it's just an observation about human nature. If the Republicans had the votes to kill Hillary Clinton's appointment, they might very well go after her with everything from today's AP piece to the 'murder' of Vince Foster. But, without the votes, it's all about how great she is, how smart she is, and how fantastic it will be to work with her.

This is just a small example of a larger point. The sheer numbers of Democrats on the Hill creates a power dynamic that it is impossible for the old GOP to navigate using their old tactics. They cannot maintain unity and discipline while in the minority, nor can they bully through the terms of the debate. For the foreseeable future they will be weak and ineffective.



Display:
They cannot maintain unity and discipline while in the minority, nor can they bully through the terms of the debate. For the foreseeable future they will be weak and ineffective.

I wouldn't count on the GOP remaining weak and undisciplined. In the minority, they've demonstrated more discipline than Dems.

Take a look at McClatchy's piece -

'Who's in charge' question looms over Clinton hearing

..[.] If Obama, Clinton and their teams see eye to eye, they could aggressively remake U.S. relations: repairing frayed ties with European allies, channeling tensions that have built up with Russia, and opening a more cordial relationship with the Islamic world.

But if the lines of authority are not clear, the result could be internecine conflict between the White House and the State Department of the sort that plagued both Democratic and Republican administrations of the past, according to current and former U.S. officials.

The question, "who's in charge," will be in the background when the former New York senator appears Tuesday for what's expected to be a friendly reception from her colleagues and a rapid confirmation in the new post. But it will be central to her success or failure as secretary of state.

"This is a really formidable team," said David Rothkopf, a senior Commerce Department official under President Bill Clinton and author of a history of the National Security Council, speaking of Obama's overall appointments.

"The challenge is providing strong leadership for a strong team," Rothkopf said. On the other hand, he added, "What do you want -- a weak team . . . so there are no rivalries?"

Rothkopf said the key will be for Obama, who takes office saddled with an array of urgent foreign policy challenges, to exert strong control over foreign policy, and over his team.

If he does that, "then all these appointments look good," he said. If not, "it could . . . create ego gridlock in the highest reaches of the U.S. policy apparatus."

we'll see how long Clinton will parrot Obama's speaking style and vocabulary .."this defining moment in history"

Ego gridlock ahead.

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

by idredit on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:05:30 PM EST
Example A: Michelle Malkin:

Commenter Flyoverman wonders if feckless Republicans will be hands-off with John McCain's good friend: "My fear is no Republican is going to call her out on these kinds of things at the confirmation hearings. Republicans `do the dance' when confronted with these issues. Conversely, Democrats have no problem `Borking' conservative nominees whenever they can. It makes blood shoot out of my eyes Republicans are such wimps. The truth is the truth and it should not be swept under a rug in the name of bipartisanship."
by BooMan on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:11:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Is that a pen or a knife at the top of her page?

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-
by boran2 (blogistan@yahoo.com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 01:01:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
They cannot maintain unity and discipline while in the minority, nor can they bully through the terms of the debate.

Agreed.

For the foreseeable future they will be weak and ineffective.

Disagree.  They will figure out pretty quickly that bullying, whining, and strict party unity aren't going to work in the new Congress.  I give them 6 months tops (Senators will probably figure it out faster than Reps because of "institutional memory" and the general structure of the Senate).

At that point the game shifts to maneuvers that will peel off conservative Dems from cloture votes in the Senate in order to embarrass the President or the Congressional leadership (or both, if possible).  The House GOPers will also be trying to peel off conservative Dem votes, but it sheer numbers will make it more of an uphill battle for them and, frankly, Pelosi is better at this sort of rear-guard defense than Reid is.

They'll also be working to find ways to slip poison pills into legislation that they know the Progressive elements of the Democratic Party won't want to vote for.  Again, getting conservative Dems to side with them will be the main tactic for this (and they will probably be able to be more successful in the House at this than with trying to kill legislation outright).

My hope is that the last couple of decades of hyper-partisan Republican action has galvanized enough of the members of the House to make these tactics ineffective, and that sheer numbers in the House will prove to be enough to foil Republicans at this game.  I have no hope for the Senate, except that maybe the Republicans will overstep with their obstruction and manage to lose even more seats in two years.

by nonynony on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:13:30 PM EST
The first thing Pelosi did was take away the ability of the GOP to use the Motion to Recommit process to place poison pills in bills and kill them off.  In the House, the Rules Committee (led by progressive Louis Slaughter) controls how many amendments the GOP can introduce, and they can streamroll anything they want now.

In the Senate, the rules allow for amendments (the number of which are negotiated between the Majority and Minority Leader) and it is far easier for Republicans to create poison pill situations.  However, the Dems stand one vote short of passing cloture on bills, and that's important when it comes to preventing a senator from using his failure to 'consent' to force bad amendments into the process.  For the Republicans to be effective, they need to peel off Democrats on a case by case basis.  And they can do this.

On reproductive choice, they can go after Ben Nelson and Bob Casey.  On coal-fired plants, they can go after Rockefeller and Byrd and other coal-staters.  On national security they can look to Lieberman and some others on certain issues.  Whenever there is some provincial issue, the GOP can take advantage.

But the Dems can do the same in reverse.  Since the Dems only need a few votes (often as few as one) to achieve cloture, it's relatively easy to cherry-pick.  There are a variety of ways to do this.  Allowing a Republican to have some input in committee, inviting them to co-sponsor bills that will help their state, throwing them a little pork, taking care of a pet project, etc.  

The real weakness for the Senate GOP is that they cannot do anything for their constituents unless they are a part of passing bills.  Republicans are not going to go to committee meetings and sit on their collective hands, refusing to participate, and maintaining a determination to oppose whatever product emerges as a bill.  It will not happen.  And no amount of huffing and puffing by Sean Hannity et al is going to change that.

by BooMan on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:26:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Why would Republicans want to kill her nomination?  

Over the last few years she has adopted many Republican positions and has reached out to ingratiate herself to the right wing.  Look how she goes out of her way to show how tough she is and how she makes it a point to emphasize the U.S. will still quickly resort to military force (Just today saw Hillary threaten nuclear war against Iran).

Hillary has became a right-winger in many respects.  Or at least she is more friendly with them than she is with the "left wing".  

So of course Republicans are going to be less hostile.  

Republicans have won.  They have moved everyone to the right. Including you.  Including her.

by SFHawkguy on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:21:48 PM EST
Well, you have a point.  But it won't be different for any of the other nominees, with the possible exception of Eric Holder.  
by BooMan on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:31:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
And don't forget that Republicans will love having Obama's main rival front and center in his administration.  They will quickly jump on any perceived difference between Obama and Clinton to exploit it.

They will love it if Obama takes a dovish approach to an issue and Hillary leaks (or it is widely assumed) that she wants a more hawkish approach.  Hillary might not be able to stop herself from taking political advantage and further buttressing her hawkish bona fides.  

by SFHawkguy on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:37:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
She will.  Hillary is Israel's go-to girl in the Obama Administration.  The reason the GOP aren't specifically going after Hillary is because she assures Obama's policy on Israel will be Bush's policy on Israel.

More at Zandar vs. The Stupid.
by Zandar1 on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 01:14:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"Hillary is Israel's go-to girl in the Obama Administration."

don't expect any change.  Look at the O Team's makeup:

With AIPAC's co-founder on board Obama's team, the entire Clinton III administration has the AIPAC brand stamped on their asses - a reminder to toe the line.  On Sunday, Obama regurgitated that "Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons." Guess he has not read the NIE debunking that lie.

Any wonder John Bolton and wingnuts are pleased.

Robert Dreyfuss

On foreign affairs, Obama trusts no one as much as, perhaps, Lippert. According to those who've worked closely with him, Lippert is a conservative, cautious centrist who often pulled Obama to the right on Iran, Iraq and the Middle East, and who has been a consistent advocate for increased defense spending.

"Even before Obama announced for the presidency, Lippert wanted Obama to be seen as tough on Iran," says a lobbyist who has worked the Iran issue on Capitol Hill. "He's clearly more hawkish than [Obama]."

During the campaign, after Obama declared his readiness to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Lippert was among several Obama advisers who urged the Illinois senator to backpedal, sources say. "He wanted Obama to pull back, but it was Obama himself who said no," says one insider, an Iran specialist.

In the Arab world, Obama's appointment of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), former Clinton chief of staff, as his White House chief of staff caused a degree of consternation.

Emanuel, an unflinching partisan for Israel, is the son of a former fighter in the anti-British terrorist group, the Irgun Zvai Leumi. Emanuel's father, who emigrated from Israel and now lives in a Chicago suburb, caused a stir when he commented on his son's appointment.

"Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel," he told a reporter. "Why wouldn't he be? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House." (Afterward, Emanuel was forced to apologize to an Arab-American organization for his father's racist comments.)

Most worrying to Obama-watchers is adviser Dennis Ross. In the '80s, Ross helped found the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the hawkish, pro-Israel lobbying group. In the '90s, he served as Clinton's special envoy to the Middle East. Since then, Ross has been at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a neoconservative research group closely tied to the Israeli right.

I'll give a dozen donuts, we'll surge into a wider Middle East war; just in time to pull us out of this depression.

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

by idredit on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 01:54:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
For the lady has 'smart power' on her side! She just couldn't resist using her 'smart power' to cast the Gaza war in stone.
by Quentin on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 03:52:53 PM EST
I guess you can't cast something in stone. So it must be dumb power.
by Quentin on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 03:53:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]


Display:
Go to: [ Booman Tribune Homepage : Top of page : Top of comments ]
Menu
Login
. Make a new account
. Reset password





Find textbooks at Alibris!

NOTE: Overstock bests Amazon's prices and is "blue."

THE BOOKS WITH "BUZZ":
______________

Learn the real story behind the CIA's War on Terror:

The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals
by Jane Mayer

Read Barack Obama's vision for America:

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama

DaveW recommends:

I Am a Strange Loop
by Douglas Hofstadter

Need some laughs?

I Am America (and So Can You!)
by Stephen Colbert

rae recommends:

Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire
by Morris Berman.

On BooMan’s shelf:

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This looks interesting:

Adventure Divas
by Holly Morris

Here’s a good one from
Elizabeth Gilbert:

Eat Pray Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert

"Crash" * Best Motion Picture, Academy Awards * Only $11.79 at Overstock * 2006 SAG Winner, Best Ensemble

Check out
Powell's new section:
NEW FAVORITES

Selected new arrivals at 30% off

Recommended by Indianadem and ejmw:
The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Wellstone

From northcountry’s bookshelf:

The New Golden Age:
The Coming Revolution Against
Political Corruption and Economic Chaos
by Ravi Batra

A novel about contractors in Iraq from the woman that runs The Spy That Billed Me:

Outsourced: A Novel
from RJ Hillhouse.


SOTW-120x90
Download Sleeper Cell on iTunes (Better than "24") Download Weeds on iTunes (Hilarious 1/2-hour adult comedy starring Mary-Louise Parker) Download Late Nite with Conan O'Brien on iTunes
John Belushi - SNL
Download South Park on iTunes
Verve Vault

James Hunter - People Gonna Talk:
James Hunter - People Gonna Talk
icon


Great Deals
----- * ^ * -----

Find mystery novels by Nancy Pickard ("Kansas")



Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power by Phyllis Bennis (interviewed on DN!)


Featured by Keith Olbermann, New (Powell's Sale): Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower by William Blum (whose other books merit serious consideration)


"Explosive" State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration
by James Risen


The book the CIA doesn't want you to read: Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander
Larry Johnson's review


BT's all-time best seller:

PERMACULTURE:
A Designers' Manual

$79.95 * Sale: $59.95


Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History (Third Edition)


The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor And Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!


The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by Timothy Egan


Green Press Initiative
----- * ^ * -----


Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists by Eleanor Mills * NYT review


Bury Me Standing: the Gypsies & Their Journey


1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus



Brokeback Mountain
by Annie Proulx
----- * ^ * -----
Check out Powell's
"At The Movies"


Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World by Noam Chomsky (Power & Terror: Post 9-11 Talks)


The Price of Privilege:

How Parental Pressure and
Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of
Disconnected and Unhappy Kids

by Madeline Levine


Save 35-70% on
name brand clothing,
footwear, and outdoor gear
at SierraTradingPost.com

:





We listened to PEN American Center's "State of Emergency" and found 1940s books by Curzio Malaparte only at Alibris. (Selection (MP3) excerpted from "The Skin.")

Alibris - Books You Thought You'd Never Find
Banned Books * Are you a fan of Film Noir, Art House, Documentaries or Hong Kong Action? * Searching for a long-lost children's book or a first printing of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue on vinyl? Find it at Alibris!

:
:
www.Patagonia.com


Listed on BlogShares

© 2009 Booman Tribune