Senator Robert Menendez has blocked the nomination of Patty Shwartz to the US Court of Appeals. The reason? Well, no apparent reason, but her S.O. was in charge of the corruption unit that investigated the Senator.
So, just in case Obama doesn’t have his hands full with obstruction from the other side of the aisle, here comes a Senator from his own side. Senator, you’re slime and you’re doing yourself and your party no favors with this revenge crap.
He can go join Governor Asshole in the scmuck department:
Corzine was dreadful. Torricelli was forced step down. McGreevey was so afraid to tell voters he was gay he allowed himself to be blackmailed over it. Christie is crude and incompetent. What the hell is with the pols of this state? Is it just too much to ask to ask that our elected reps look less corrupt than Tammany Hall or less crude than Snooki and the Kardashians?
One of my favorite political quotes was from former NJ governor Brendan Byrne, “When I die I want to be buried in Hudson County so I can remain active in politics.” Senator Menendez is a prime example of Hudson County politics. Whatever he does will never surprise me.
I remember when Menendez was running, and it was a few years after the Menendez brothers were on trial for killing their parents. That was an unfortunate name, thought I. They’d probably let the nominee through, though.
Fun fact: The Menendez brothers are from Princeton, NJ! I just love my adopted state.
Setting aside the very important issue of legal or illegal corruption…
This isn’t at all the same sort of obstructionism. For years it was understood that the Senator from state X had enhanced powers to review nominees from state X. Judge Patty Shwartz hails from New Jersey. I say this because Republicans really pushed the envelope on obstructionism, blocking nominees far outside their individually traditional purviews, without proposing or nudging forward alternatives. I’m sure Menendez wouldn’t have a problem with a judge that he didn’t have a personal vendetta on.
You can pit the business-as-usual corruption though. I don’t have a problem with that. Also Menendez needs to get a better excuse than, “Doubts about her knowledge of constitutional law”. The Bar Association gave her highest marks.
He’s putting a personal vendetta against the nominees partner, not even the nominee herself, ahead of country and party.
This vendetta really does raise issues of corruption
I just don’t like the guy
And, this senate rule is terrible.
I know every state has corruption problems, but NJ has to be among the worst. A couple of years ago, there was a statewide sweep where they busted politicians from all over the place. And, our senators seem to be completely powerless. Gah!
My understanding is that it is done as a “courtesy,” but I don’t see that it benefits the public at all. The president should get to nominate whom he wants to the federal bench, without giving special deference to particular senators. The Senate needs to end the right of individual senators to put holds on things (especially anonymously).
