As of today (March 23rd), we stand at around 136 days and counting since President Obama nominated Loretta Lynch to be the Attorney General for the United States, to replace Eric Holder (this is the longest delay of any AG nominee). Ms. Lynch is the first African-American woman to be nominated to hold the position as the country's chief law enforcer. While I don't agree with Ms. Lynch's position on every issue (for example, she supports capital punishment, while I do not), her background and professional experience indicates that she is supremely qualified for the position as AG.
Senate Republicans have offered random, nonsensical justifications for the delay in even granting Ms. Lynch a confirmation hearing before the full Senate - not that any of this would matter as everyone knows that the delay is an attempt to attack President Obama via proxy. I should also note that former Senate Leader Reid should shoulder some of the blame as he could have brought Ms. Lynch's nomination to the Senate floor during the lame duck session, yet he chose not to, so that the Democrats could pursue the elusive unicorn of passing a bill to force the President's hand on the Keystone Pipeline (a cynical effort and futile effort to save Mary Ladrieu's seat during her tight runoff battle).
Nonetheless, here we are....As far as I can tell, this issue (the delay in bringing Ms. Lynch's nomination to a full Senate confirmation vote) is being largely ignored by the MSM (surprise!). Rachel Maddow has been doing an excellent job of covering this issue and Melissa Harris Perry had a good segment on her show yesterday. But, otherwise, I haven't (personally) seen or heard enough.
I called Harry Reid's office back in December to complain about his misguided strategy. Recently, I have called Mitch McConnell's office (202/224-2541) and John Cornyn's office (202/224-2934) to register my disgust. Additionally, I today I reached out to Emily's List, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (the oldest Greek letter sorority founded by black women) and OFA (Organizing for America - Obama's alleged grassroots organizing effort) to suggest that these organizations undertake a more aggressive approach in support of Ms. Lynch's nomination (bring it to the floor and vote to confirm). I have encouraged friends and family to do the same (I think the focus should be on Senate Leadership, the Judiciary Committee and Senators that are members of the GOP). The effort may or may not result in anything happening, but the ongoing obstruction of President of Obama is beyond the point of causing real damage to the country. Imagine where we (as a country) could be if Congress actually did their job instead of trying to take down the President? Perhaps, then Progressives could spend our energy forcing the President's hand on issues that matter to the 99% as opposed to the 1%. As it stands, an inordinate amount of time has been spent fretting over shutdowns, worthless votes to repeal Obamacare, complaining about serious breaches in diplomatic protocols, etc. What a waste of time - for people whose salaries and we benefits WE pay.
At any rate, I believe that, absent some major disqualifying factor, the President (whether its Obama or someone else) should have substantial leeway and discretion to select his (and, eventually, her) advisors. The nomination and confirmation process is not the place for unrelated proxy battles simply because one party is still smarting about (justified) electoral defeats.
if you agree, please take a moment to reach out to McConnell, Cornyn and to spread the word. My fear is that the GOP is using the delay to galvanize opposition and to peel away support. We cannot let this happen.