The Unseen Republican No

by Stuart Shapiro

Ian Millhiser at Center for American Progress points out a disturbing trend which hasn’t gotten much press (h/t Joan M):

Judicial confirmations slowed to a trickle on the day President Barack Obama took office. Filibusters, anonymous holds, and other obstructionary tactics have become the rule. Uncontroversial nominees wait months for a floor vote, and even district court nominees—low-ranking judges whose confirmations have never been controversial in the past—are routinely filibustered into oblivion. Nominations grind to a halt in many cases even after the Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously endorsed a nominee.

The overall trend is not as bad as the chart above indicates (approval rates rise as the president’s term progresses), but Obama’s approval rate is still shockingly low.  And as the Republicans will surely pick up seats in November, it is not likely to improve considerably.  The Party of No has found new ways of saying ‘no’.  It’s the only thing they are good at and it is even further evidence for the need for Democrats to make the Republicans filibuster rather than get away with simply voting against cloture.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.