Kyl Threatens GOP Boycott of Sotomayor Hearing

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/12/kyl-sotomayor-hearing/

Kyl Threatens GOP Boycott of Sotomayor Hearing


Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) told Roll Call yesterday that he and his Republican colleagues on the Judiciary Committee may boycott Judge Sotomayor’s hearings if Judiciary Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) does not cave to right-wing demands to delay the hearings:

“As the hearing time approaches we will evaluate whether we can make that deadline,” Kyl said, explaining that if Republicans do not feel they can adequately question Sotomayor they will try to meet with Leahy to make a plea for more time.

However, Kyl, who serves on the Judiciary Committee, did not explicitly rule out the use of delay tactics, including a Republican boycott of the confirmation hearings, if an accommodation cannot be made.

But Kyl is not entitled to any more accommodations than what he has already received. Far from expediting Sotomayor’s confirmation process, Leahy set a schedule which is virtually identical to that enjoyed by Bush appointee John Roberts, even though Chief Justice Roberts’ record was more difficult to investigate because it was necessary to track down thousands of pages of documents Roberts produced while he worked in the Reagan and Bush I Administrations, and even though thousands of new documents relating to Roberts were uncovered just two weeks before his hearings began.

Kyl’s threat to take his ball and go home if he doesn’t get his way is unfortunate, but it is hardly surprising. Earlier this week, all seven GOP members of the Judiciary Committee signed a letter demanding that Sotomayor complete a series of irrelevant or even impossible tasks before her nomination may be considered.

[chelsea0011]

1. How many friggin'n weeks do they need for their aids to feed them the questions?

[MO_Dem]

7. Yeah, if they weren't so stupid and incompetent

they might be able to actually fulfill their official duties.

:evilgrin:

[Hippo_Tron]

9. Seriously, I could get those questions done faster than the commitee's minority side staff is

And I don't even have a fucking law degree.

[havocmom]

12. Seems more likely they need more time to raise campaign $$

Nothing quite like pretending there is a big threat looming just over the rainbow to get the kool aid drinkers sending checks.

OMG OMG! We HAVE to stop her! This is series!!1!!! Send money NOW!!! Oh, yeah, I can just about here the GOP chanting.

[KamaAina]

2. Can't he at least leave that ugly rug behind in the hearing room?

What little intelligence he possesses is, I'm convinced, housed within the rug. :P

[phantom power]

3. OFFS. Call their bluff and let them boycott.

Just like "fillibusters." Ooooo.... scary. Let them make themselves look like a bunch of fucking infants in the national spotlight.

[DCKit]

8. Really. No freakin' idea how pissed-off everyone outside the beltway bubble is.

They're clueless and it's going to cost them seats in 2010 and 2012. Even the densest morans have got to be offended at this degree of Hubris - Grandstanding over the first decent pick for the USSC while people are losing their jobs, homes and retirement.

The longer they keep it up, the better our chances of getting a Congressional majority that's big enough to over-rule even the corporate sponsored DLC and Blue Dogs.

[dmr]

4. Good-bye n/t

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. Kyl needs to grow up

[havocmom]

13. Kyl needs supervision

[ladjf]

6. "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, Senator" nt

[Union Yes]

10. Good riddance.

[SoCalDem]

11. Fine, let them boycott. The hearings will go quicker that way

:rofl: