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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFranken: No Dems will vote to confirm DeVos for secretary of Education
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/316541-franken-no-dems-will-vote-to-confirm-devos-for-secretary-of-educationFranken: No Dems will vote to confirm DeVos for secretary of Education
By Paulina Firozi - 01/27/17 01:53 PM EST
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) says President Trumps pick for secretary of Education will get no votes from Democrats.
In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Thursday, Franken said Democrats were looking to convince Republicans to oppose Betsy DeVos's confirmation as well.
"She is an ideologue who knows next to nothing about education policy as ... she demonstrated really in her confirmation hearing," Franken said. "Theres going to be a lot of these nominees who we're going to do everything we can to defeat."
snip//
Liberal groups have jammed senators' phone lines with thousands of calls urging them to vote against her.
Democrats had hoped to hold a second hearing on DeVos and asked Republicans for the chance to further scrutinize DeVos's qualifications and any potential conflicts of interest.
"We feel very strongly there ought to be another hearing, and this will affect how the rest of the nominees will go forward because we need time on them," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at the hearing last week.
But the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions rejected the request for a second hearing, even after after Senate Democrats sent a letter to chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.).
The panel will hold an executive session to vote on DeVos's nomination on Jan. 31.
The GOP has a 52-seat majority in the Senate. DeVos needs 50 votes to be confirmed. So Democrats would need to get three Republican senators to vote against DeVos to stop her confirmation.
JDC
(10,152 posts)tenorly
(2,037 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)nt
elmac
(4,642 posts)gratuitous
(82,849 posts)And if DeVos isn't confirmed, and Trump nominates someone even worse, vote against that person, too!
elmac
(4,642 posts)it would be extremely hard to find anyone worse then her.
Raster
(20,998 posts)...She's nothing more than an uber-reich-wing moneybag and name.
dalton99a
(81,708 posts)Squinch
(51,090 posts)Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)FBaggins
(26,793 posts)That's the question.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)underpants
(183,043 posts)Kick
pangaia
(24,324 posts)I don't get it.
I mean, what is there to discuss???
will need to build a wall around the orange fascist.
dchill
(38,626 posts)Perhaps around Mar a Lago.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)and having him in the Whitehouse, keeps him away from challenging Jon Tester next year.
Mattis will keep sanity on many matters.
frazzled
(18,402 posts)from DeVos or her family should be permitted to vote for her either. They must RECUSE themselves.
(Five members of the Committee itself are big recipients of DeVos money, and many more in the Senate.)
Without these Republican votes, the nomination is sunk.
CousinIT
(9,275 posts)Golden Raisin
(4,619 posts)Democrats should be just as collegial, cooperative and respectful as Republicans were about the Merrick Garland nomination and every other bit of outrageous Republican obstructionism during the Obama years (and before). Republicans only understand being smacked in the head with a baseball bat. "Taking the high road" and "playing by the rules" has given us Trump and will just give us more lost elections.
uponit7771
(90,371 posts)vi5
(13,305 posts)...but I hope he is presenting this as informational and not some sort of crowing about how great it is of Dems to do this.
They shouldn't be voting for ANY of Trumps nominees. I agree DeVos is probably the worst of the bunch but Sessions, Tillerson and others are not that far behind.
Hekate
(91,042 posts)...who will be acceptable enough to get some D votes, and he explained clearly why that is.
I think of Franken as a wise man. I think we should listen when he talks.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)He is a righteous Senator!
malaise
(269,328 posts)Rec
SHRED
(28,136 posts)mvd
(65,187 posts)That would send the right signal.
old guy
(3,284 posts)Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)Turtle"man" is delaying the vote. Some Repubs may be wavering.