Republicans Make Case for Confirming Hilda Solis

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/state_of_change/395273/republicans_make_case_for_confirming_hilda_solis

posted by John Nichols on 01/09/2009 @ 09:21am

California Congresswoman Hilda Solis goes before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today for the confirmation hearing on her nomination to serve as President-elect Barack Obama's Secretary of Labor.

Solis, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus with a record of standing up for the rights of workers and immigrants, is arguably the favorite Cabinet contender among progressives. And she is unlikely to face a particularly difficult confirmation process.

That has not stopped Republicans from mounting what they apparently think is an "attack" on Solis.

The Republican National Committee on Friday morning circulated an "RNC Research Briefing" on the nominee that revealed, shock of shocks that she has a strong pro-labor voting record.

snip: The Republicans researchers are concerned that Solis once stood on the floor of the House and said: "As the daughter of union family -- my father was a Teamster and my mother worked tirelessly for twenty five years -- I know that my seven siblings and I would not be where we are today without the wages, health coverage and retirement benefits my parents received."

Perhaps over at the RNC headquarters, that is a disqualifier.

But for working Americans -- and presumably rational senators -- that sounds like exactly what should be said by the Secretary of Labor.

FULL story at link.

[Turbineguy]

1. Yes to repubs, her coming from a Union background

would be a disqualifier. If she said: "I fucking hate fucking Unions!" she would be qualified.

[Brucie Kibbutz]

2. A Secretary of Labor that

is actually concerned with... laborers? We can't have that!

Republicons still can't get over the fact that waving the flag, saluting the troops, and praising Jesus isn't earning them the free pass that voters and the media gave them for six years straight and they have no idea what to do about it.

Once again, they've shit all over everything and then presume to tell yet another Democratic president who's been put in charge of cleaning it up how to go about doing it.

They need to just go sit in the corner, read their Ayn Rand novels, and shut the fuck up. We'll take it from here.