30-second sessions to scuttle Bush’s mischief

November 21, 2007

Just to put a period on a story we were following last week, Senate Dems really are going to have pro-forma sessions over the next couple of weeks in order to prevent the president from making any recess appointments.

The pro forma sessions, which will continue through a week from Thanksgiving, will require several Senate Democrats to work through the Holiday break.

Those Senators, the Huffington Post has learned, are Sen. Jim Webb, D-VA – who stood session this past Tuesday — Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-ND – who will work this coming Friday – and Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI – who will be on the clock both Tuesday, November 27 and Thursday the 29th.

“My hope is that this will prompt the President to see that it is our mutual interests for the nominations process to get back on track,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, said of the parliamentary move. “While an election year looms, significant progress can still be made on nominations. I am committed to making that progress if the President will meet me half way. But that progress can’t be made if the President seeks controversial recess appointments and fails to make Democratic appointments to important commissions.”

Kudos to Sens. Webb, Dorgan, and Reed. Gold stars, all around, especially to Dorgan, who’s going to go to Capitol Hill the day after Thanksgiving.

I mention this for a couple of reasons. First, because those three deserve a round of applause. Second, because Dems will frequently talk about doing something like this, but then fall back in line when the time comes. It’s encouraging to see that this won’t be the case this week and next.

As for the pro-forma sessions themselves, Webb, Dorgan, and Reed will show up for 30 seconds, and then go home. It may seem ridiculous, but then again, so is Bush’s presidency.

I need to send my senator (Dorgan) a thank you card!

  • Why do the Democrats always shoot themselves in the foot in the way they present themselves? For example, they come right out and call these things “pro forma sessions” when they really are not, which makes them seem like some cheap, political trick. They’re not pro forma, because those Senators holding session, and any others who choose to come, are available to receive any nominations, and begin to process them, that the President wishes to make. This is an important function. Because they are there, moreover, there is no need at all for the President to make a “recess appointment.” The Senate is at his command to begin giving “advice and consent” on his nominees at any time.

    Calling them “pro forma” makes them seem like something illegitimate when they’re not, at least not any more than a recess appointment is.

  • It’s not ridiculous at all. It’s finally showing the boneheads in the White House that they can’t have it their own way all the time from now on. I just wish it hadn’t taken the Dems so long to figure out that it’s ok to fight back against our rogue administration.

  • From the C-SPAN Congressional Glossary:
    Pro Forma Session
    A daily meeting of the House or Senate during which no votes are held and no legislative business is conducted. The session “in form only” is held for purposes of meeting the 3-day rule in the Constitution. It requires each House to gain the permission of the other for recesses longer than 3 days. When the permission is not forthcoming, or not requested in time, the affected chamber convenes briefly with hardly anyone in attendance [the opening prayer, routine announcements, and sometimes short non-legislative speeches are conducted], and then adjourns.

    US Constitution, Article I Section 5:
    Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner, and under such penalties as each House may provide.

    Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.

    Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the members of either House on any question shall, at the desire of one fifth of those present, be entered on the journal.

    Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

  • Sometimes I just shake my head at how far this administration has fallen in dignity and honor. Instead of working with Congress to employ the best America has to offer, Bush sneakily makes appointments during Congressional recesses. Jesus Christ, it’s like a five-year-old sneaking a forbidden cookie out of the cookie jar. George Bush is NOT presidential material.

  • Is there any way that the GOP Senators can use these pro-forma sessions to pull some dirty tricks?

    I’m guessing no – I’m hoping that Reid and the others would have made sure of that somehow – but the GOPers breathe dirty tricks these days so I wouldn’t put anything past them. They’d need some Dem support to even get a quorum, so I hope Reid has put the thumbscrews to the Bush Dogs to keep them in line.

  • I’m insanely jealous that Cardin and Mikulski of Maryland aren’t dropping in to put Maryland’s thumb in Shrubya’s eye.

    Props, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Virginia.

  • David in NY said:

    “Why do the Democrats always shoot themselves in the foot in the way they present themselves?”

    “They’re not pro forma, because those Senators holding session, and any others who choose to come, are available to receive any nominations, and begin to process them, that the President wishes to make. This is an important function.”

    Damn straight it’s an important function and providing this buffer means that Shrubwit will have to work within the system and actually make a nomination if he wants one of his destructobots to move, or not, through the system. Let him nominate all he wants. Nobody is telling him he can’t do that. What he is being told is that he can’t pull one of his degenerate zombodroids out of a hat while everyone’s on vacation and then say “suck on this”.

    Whatever they call it, if it stops Dear S**thead from being his arrogant, out of control self, I’m for it. Major props to Webb, Dorgan and Reed.

    Ha-Ha. Honey, I’m going down to have a little senate session. I’ll be back in a jiffy, you want me to pick up some more ice?

  • I’ve written “my” Jim Webb a thank you (only fair, after “combing his hair with a stool” after some of his recent votes) for a job well done but…

    Those pro-forma sessions may stop Bush’s recess appointments but what’s going to stop his “acting” ones? Appointments of “acting this, that, or t’other” *are* a little better than the recess ones; the appointee can be tossed out after 120 days, if the Senate objects to the appointment and then doesn’t confirm, while a recess appointment would last through the 110th Congress’ remainder of the term (unless, of course, the appointee needed to spend more time with his/her lawyers).

    But… Does anyone here believe that the Senate will even notice the “acting” appointments, much less object to them strenuously enough to toss the appointee out and/or hold confirmation hearings?

  • This is likely a good initiative, but I would have liked to see them think of it in time to stop recess appointments that have already severely damaged America’s reputation abroad – such as John “The Boil On Everyone’s Ass” Bolton and his charmingly egocentric worldview. It’s a shame that Bush’s power to stamp his foot and say, “Mind me, now!!” and send the Democrats quivering into a corner – like those frogs that share the same glass box as a big snake at the zoo – lasted so late into his degenerate presidency.

    Historians will doubtless puzzle over the Bush mystique, and how a dull-witted lazy underachiever was able to amass such power. He was always just a figurehead, who was able to follow through because he believed the hype himself. There’s something to be said for having an idiot as leader – it just depends on what you pump into his empty head.

  • As noted, to avoid being considered in recess, the Senate is now meeting on every day following three consecutive days off. Tuesday’s session was for no more than 30 seconds.

    I have proposed to my boss that, during my 3-week vacation, I come in for a short time every fourth day so that the 3 weeks will not be counted as a vacation.

    homer http://www.altara.blogspot.com

  • The provision allowing recess appointments needs to be rewritten or eliminated altogether. It was originally written at a time when Congressmen had to take slow moving ground transport to their home districts and would sometimes be gone from Washington for months at a time. Both Democratic and Republican presidents have used the loophole to sidestep Congress in appointing their people to posts in the government. The abuse of this loophole by George Bush has been appalling. It’s time to close it and make everybody play by the rules.

  • A disappointed Conservative, I was pleased with the Democrats’ takeover of Congress and their mandate. A year later they’ve done nothing of consequence – raised the minimum wage so teenagers make more flipping burgers and now stand as proud obstructionists convening meaningless congressional sessions solely to stop recess appointments.

    Great job, Dems. How impressive is your impotence.

  • It is time to treat the WH as a teen who whenever possible will try to get over on their parents. Actually that is just what is happening as Bush hasn’t matured more than my teenage nieces. Reid and Pelosi have to change their thinking and find more ways to disrupt Bush’s plans….if there is a way Bush will find it!

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