Loretta Lynch’s nomination: A class in Republican foolishness
By Roger Caldwell
There is gridlock in the Senate, and by May 1, 2015, it would have taken six months to confirm President Obama’s nomination, Loretta Lynch, as the United States Attorney General. This is longer than it has taken seven Attorney Generals combined to be ratified for the job. Republicans will make every excuse in the book to justify why there has been no vote, but no one will tell the truth, and call it racism.
The fundamental cause of racism is ignorance and foolishness, but in 2015, it is not politically correct to use the word. Instead of calling the delay a racist act, the Democrats are looking for an honest effort to find a solution. When Senators are being controlled by racism, their thinking is not rational or reasonable.
As the Republicans in the Senate work to obstruct Loretta Lynch’s nomination, the GOP presidential candidates have begun to make nonsenseable statements that are not based on facts. Ted Cruz declared that “no Senator who takes his or her oath of office seriously should vote to confirm such a nominee.” Marco Rubio argued that her support for President Obama’s effort to assist Dreamers “should disqualify her from being the next attorney general.” Ron Paul has responded to Loretta Lynch’s nomination by saying, “Oh, she’s going down.”
When ignorance and foolishness prevails in a situation, fairness and intelligence is thrown out the window. It does not matter that Lynch was confirmed by voice vote in the Senate in 2010, as a U.S. attorney, and her work has been impeccable. As a U.S. attorney, she oversees cases in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Long Island, including many terrorist cases that have given her experience in dealing with matters of national security.
At the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings in 2014, Lynch was extremely articulate, steady under pressure, and answered questions with the full command of the facts. Her record and experience is extremely impressive and nothing has come up in the hearings or in her record that can be considered controversial. But when racism raises its ugly head, progress is stalled, and nothing makes sense.
Last week President Obama spoke on Lynch’s nomination by saying, “Enough. Enough. It’s embarrassing- a process like this. That’s an indication of the degree to which partisanship has crossed all boundaries. That’s a problem. It needs to stop.”
But the Republicans do not respect the president, and the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky has decided to defy and fight him at every turn. The Republicans know that they have the power and majority in both Houses, so they will frustrate the president every chance they get.
“We have to finish the human-trafficking bill,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. said on CNN’s State of the Union. “The Loretta Lynch nomination comes next.” It sounds like you are threatening to hold up Loretta Lynch, who has been in limbo for months and months,” CNN host Dana Bash said. “It’s not a threat,” McConnell said. “We need to finish this human-trafficking bill that came out of the Judiciary Committee unanimously.”
The Republicans have the Democrats and President over a barrel, and no one knows when Senator McConnell will call for a vote. It may be two days, two weeks, or maybe two more months, but Loretta Lynch is being held hostage.
When you have the majority, you have control and power until some of the members break with the leadership, and make decisions that move America forward. It is time to confirm the President’s nomination, and stop blocking his credible nominations.
