The US Senate refused to invoke cloture May 13 and allow a vote on David Hayes's nomination to be deputy US Interior secretary. Two Republican senators, Robert B. Bennett (Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (Alas.), had placed holds on Hayes's nomination to protest US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's cancellation of 77 leases in a Dec. 18, 2008, Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease sale in Utah.
Utah? Who gives two shits about Utah? Murkowski is ALASKA'S Senator, and she is pissing off the Department of the Interior to impress some guy in fucking Utah? Has she lost her damn mind?
The 57-39 vote sent a message to the Obama administration that it needs to answer congressional Republicans' legitimate questions, Bennett said afterward. "Indeed, I want to do everything I can to confirm Mr. Hayes expeditiously, but it does not mean that I should give up my rights to get clear answers to my questions," he said.Good for you Senator Bennett I agree you should stand in the way of the Obama administration getting their confirmation through in a timely manner so that when you are up for re-election you can be voted out by the pissed off citizens of your state. Lisa get the hell away from this idiot!
"The real obstruction is coming from DOI and its unwillingness, despite commitments made, to answer direct questions from Republicans. There is a clear path forward, and it is my hope that the secretary will follow through on the promises made by the department so we can confirm his nominee," Bennett said.
The cloture motion balloting was 3 votes less than the 60 that were needed. All but two Senate Republicans voted against the measure.
Straight answers Murkowski said the issue moved beyond the cancelled Utah leases to a basic question of whether Republicans can get straight answers after Bennett asked DOI 2 months ago to review the lease cancellation decision because it was based on justifications that were not factual. DOI responded that it would once Hayes was confirmed, Murkowski said.
She said she has other concerns about the direction DOI has headed on energy issues, adding that neither she nor Bennett have asked the department to adopt or repeal any specific policy, or take or repeal any specific legislative action. DOI responded with a May 12 letter, which Murkowski said only provided vague and incomplete answers to her questions.
"This issue could be easily resolved if the administration would provide honest and specific answers to a few of my most important concerns about its plans for Alaska and the nation's energy policy," she declared.
Okay Senator let me remind you that the Republicans are no longer in control of the White House, the Senate, or the Congress. If you want to have any hope whatsoever of helping Alaska in any way, shape, or form, you sure as hell better start learning which asses need to be kissed and pucker the hell up!
Alaskans certainly do not want to find that the things they want to accomplish are being held up by the DOI simply because one of their two Senators decided she had a crush on the Senator from Utah and threw her support behind him instead of making the smart choice for her constituency.
Salazar called the result "a tired vote of bitter obstructionism." He said, "It may be uncomfortable for some to watch us have to clean up mess after mess, from corruption to lawbreaking, that is the previous administration's legacy at [DOI], but to cast a vote against such a qualified and fine person is the height of cynicism."
Salazar added, "We have answered every question and worked to find common ground on difficult issues, but the American people rightfully want change from the Obama administration and from [DOI]. The American people will know, once again, that [DOI] is wisely managing their treasured landscapes and their natural resources on their behalf."
Well great, now see what you did? Now the DOI is mad at us! Do you have any idea how much we depend on the support of the DOI (in Alaska we call it the BLM) up here? If you Republicans ever held out any hope of opening ANWR you just saw that dream fly right out of the window.
Want to get the DOI to sign off on allowing the gas pipeline to run through federally protected land? Good luck with that.
You know Senator I was actually pretty impressed with your response to the problems in the Yukon Delta, and I was beginning to think you did not totally suck, even with some information to the contrary. But you are making a critical mistake here.
Alaska NEEDS to have friends in the Obama administration. We are too small and too damn dependant on the Federal government to start pissing them off now.
But hey Lisa, if it is too much to ask you to put the needs of Alaskans first then perhaps it is time to start working on finding your replacement before 2010. Get the message?
I hate to say this, but Lisa looks scarier than GINO in that picture. Very disappointed in her.
ReplyDeleteThis is totally off subject, but you have to read the article on C4P!! They say that Hurricane Sarah and Perfect Trig are the reason that an article was released saying there are more Pro-life Americans!! OMG!
ReplyDeleteGryphen- I've read your thoughts regularly for a long time. It seems like the last month or so you've hit the skids on anger and gutter language. The "pucker up" comment findished me as one of your readers. I'm sorry, I did like your blog but I can't support this abusive language directed at a woman.
ReplyDeleteKateinCanada
She not only speaks for the oil and gas industry but also stands by her banks:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00191
She looks like a "deer in the headlights" in that picture. Too funny, also.
ReplyDeleteGryphen- lately your posts have been high on anger and low on civility. The "pucker up" paragraph is abusive and addressed to a woman. Please take another look at what you wrote, because you crossed several lines there.
ReplyDeleteI liked reading your blog, but won't be back.
And there I was, thinking that Lisa was more intelligent and on the ball than Sarah. Oh darn!
ReplyDelete"Utah? Who gives two shits about Utah? Murkowski is ALASKA'S Senator, and she is pissing off the Department of the Interior to impress some guy in fucking Utah?"
ReplyDeleteAltho, like yourself, I believe Murkowski has done the wrong thing -- but I am disappointed in your above statements about "UTAH" --
I for one do 'Give a §hit (or 2) about Utah', as this is where I live, and have lived here my entire life. Even tho it is the reddest state in the country (boooo, and thanks to the many brain-washed mormons) Utah is still a pretty great place to live. Bob Bennett is just another OLD, white, Mormon, GOP Senator -- certainly no one for getting a 'crush' on.
Just my 2¢ worth here -- I really do enjoy your blogs, and pity you your GINO!!! (and now your Senator Murkowski.)
Have a good one --
does she always look so scary!!!
ReplyDeleteShe is on the AIPAC payroll: Israel first, We The People last.
ReplyDeleteOkay let me clear up a few misconceptions.
ReplyDeleteFirst my "pucker up" comment was not to be taken in a sexual way. It was more of a tongue and cheek reference to the fact that now with the Dems in charge Murkowski needs to play nice with the people in power and not ally herself with those who cannot help us in order to make a political point that could end up causing some blowback for Alaskans in the near future. Believe me I have made much more graphic comments about male politicians in the past.
And yes my post is fairly angry mostly because I had sort of resigned myself to the fact that we may very well have Lisa as our Senator for many years to come, which may not be too bad if she decides to stay moderate and not start getting caught up in making ridiculous partisan decisions ala Sarah Palin.
I feel very much betrayed by Senator Murkowski, and I allowed my feelings to dictate the language in my post. If that offended anybody well than all I can say is hopefully my next post will be more to your liking.
I am well aware that my style does not please everybody, but then I guess I would not me the Immoral "Minority" if it did.
In what way is this getting back at Salazar? He didn't nominate Hayes. In fact, this doesn't accomplish anything but to give people yet another reason to be pissed off at the Republican party and their obstructionist behavior.
ReplyDeleteThere are no questions to answer. The Bush administration is no more. Obama won. You lost. Suck it up.
Personally, I can't stand Salazar and wish he was gone. But I agree with revoking the 77 leases.
Oh Kate will be back. I don't think what you said was so bad. I do not think of Lisa Murkowski as moderate at all!!! I think what she did was crappy but it doesn't surprise me. She has done lots of very Republican icky things. She might be popular in Alaska but she is not a lot of other places.
ReplyDeleteBy the way if you don't like the way Gryphen writes, don't come here! This is HIS blog, HIS place to express how he feels. I think Kat or anyone else, it's not your place to judge, sorry.
Hey Gryphen
ReplyDeleteDon,t worry about KateinCanada, apparently she doesn,t know the difference between tongue
in cheek and abuse.
I,m sure that most people knew exactly what you meant.I really like your blog and have
read it for a long now.Just keep on keeping on and doing your own thing.
i think we all understood what you were talking about and the tone that you used, Gryphen. if some people want to be pissy about it, there are thousands of other blogs out there. keep the tone, andger or whatever going. it makes for good reading. dont ever let some annon. internet person dictate how you write or feel.
ReplyDeleteExactly. KateinCanada is feeling powerful, like Rush Limbaugh. Give her an inch, and she'll take a mile. Before you know it, it'll be HER blog.
ReplyDeleteDon't let her do it! Fight back!
/tongue-in-cheek puckering