GOP Obstructs Vote on FEC Nominations; ‘Vote Fraud’ Zealot Von Spakovsky Likely History

Republicans in the Senate are refusing to allow an up-or-down vote on nominations to the FEC, which means that at the end of the year when the terms of four current appointees end — including previously recess-appointed GOP “vote fraud” zealot Hans von Spakovsy — there will not be enough commissioners to even hold a vote. An interesting, if troubling, notion for a Presidential Election year.

But, as the GOP would not allow votes on the three other nominees (two Democrats and one Republican) after a block had been put on von Spakovsky by Senators Obama (D-IL) and Feingold (D-WI), and as Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) plans to hold pro forma Senate sessions to keep Bush from making another inappropriate recess appointment to the committee, and as Bush also refuses to send up a replacement nominee for von Spakovsky…it looks like that’s where we’re headed.

TPM Muck has the story, and Reid’s statement on the floor today.

So it looks like another GOP vote fraudster goes down for now, now that Democrats have chosen to stand up a bit, for a change. But like all of these guys — and like any good Bond villain — they may not stay “dead” for long.

RELATED: Speaking of which, our DoJ Voting Rights section sources tell us John “Minorities Die First” Tanner has still not left the office, as we originally reported in a late-night posting on Tuesday! That, despite having supposedly “resigned immediately” as of last Friday! What’s going on here? Is he deleting files on his computer? Was his whole resignation, and supposed reassignment to another job in the Civil Rights Division, just a hoax to get Congress off the DoJ’s back? We’re trying to figure it out.

Writes one of our sources to The BRAD BLOG this evening: “Tanner is obviously having problems letting go. He’s in the office every day. Since his office is in a corner of the building, nobody can be exactly sure what’s going on.”

Another Voting Section source also writes to say, “Tanner is still there.” And adds, “Its awkward. His co-conspirators dine with him.”

PSSST… Could someone on the House Judiciary Committee please call the DoJ Office of Legal Affairs and find out what the hell he’s still doing in his office?! What is he waiting for, Christmas (of 2008?)

More when, and if, we can learn anything…

UPDATE 12/21/07: He was still in the office today, Friday, a full week after resigning last Friday “effective immediately”. A staffer in the voting section, when we called to check, said she expected that he’d be back next Wednesday, after the long holiday weekend.

8 Responses

  1. It’s a committee you morons…3 Donkeys / 3 Elephants…and each side gets to choose their three. All go in or none go in. You don’t get to vote on who the other side nominates …Jesus. It only makes your side look worse when don’t follow the rules…if that is possible at this stage.

    -Don
    (Brother of Former SD-ROV Mikel Haas)

  2. Uh, Don, have a feeling you didn’t read Reid’s statement (linked at TPM in the post above).

    Not sure who you’re referring to with “your side”, but you do understand that it was the GOP who refused to all anybody to get an up or down vote here, right?

    As to “all go in or none go in”, that’s not been the case in the past, as former wingnut GOP FEC Chair Brad Smith received a roll call vote on his own, and prior to that, Reagan (unilaterally) refused to put forward one of the Democratic nominations to the FEC.

    You might want to read Reid’s statement and/or get some facts under your belt before spouting off.

    But it’d not be the first time you ignored my advice, or felt like it was okay to fudge facts to meet your agenda, or, more disturbingly, play fast and loose when it comes to rules surrounding voting. YOu remember that, dontcha Don?