re: We have a Surgeon General now

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He has an MD from Yale School of Medicine and a MBA in Health Care Management from the Yale School of Business, is the Co Founder of Doctors for America (a healtcare reform think tank of over 15000 members), was an instructor at Harvard Medicine, is the Co founder of TrialNetworks (a cloud based network devoted to helping people find pharmaceutical trials), created the Visions program for AIDS education in the US and India

but like I said

dont let easily researched facts get in the way.

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Hog, trust me, I was keenly aware of details surrounding this guy before he was a blip on your Radar screen. You left off Alpha Omega Alpha and Magna Cum Laude. You also left off leadership and EXPERIENCE. Do you have ANY IDEA how many doctors have CV's that would blow this new grad's credentials out of the water? ANY IDEA at all?

Let's put it another way.
A newbie to medical practice with barely enough experience to have made partner in a private practice group, and with ZERO impact on the medical industry, is not qualified to be Surgeon General of the US.

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Here was the claim.
Senate Dems were supposedly so distraught with 2014 and Reid's leadership that they just wanted to pack up and go home.
There may have even been a soft agreement with the GOP to that effect.

McConnell encouraged all to go quietly into the night.
Cruz did not listen.

McConnell does not like Cruz. McConnell is a Paul ally. McConnell will set Cruz up when he can, and this was one perfect occasion. I would bet big money that is what happened here. It is a shot across Cruz's bow. Cruz is very bright, but McConnell is too. Difference is McConnell really knows the ropes.

When Reid announced Dems were ready to move forward with a litany of nominations, "anonymous" word went out from "GOP sources" it was Cruz's fault. Cruz's obstenence had taunted them into staying in town. For Dems, Cruz provides both convenient excuse and distraction accounting for their atrocious appointments. So they are more than happy to pile on, agreeing with the meme.

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I'll explain it another way.

Both sides had agreed to recess Friday night and come back on Monday morning for a vote on the CRomnibus bill. Many nominations had not yet passed through mandatory procedural motions for each of the 23 remaining nominees (executive and judicial). Cruz objected saying he wanted a vote on funding the immigration executive action. He was ignored as a procedural action which is common in such situations. Lee is the one who then forced the issue, insisting that the Senate not wait until Monday to hold the vote and that they come back into session on Saturday to do so. Reid, at first looking perturbed, then huddled with a couple of his cohorts and basically said sure, okay, we'll come back tomorrow and move forward with the Senate's business. He was smiling like he just had his sausage sucked. I was watching live and figured something was up.

Watched the entire Senate session on Saturday. Beginning a few minutes past noontime, the Senate held 25 votes of at least 15 minutes each, 13 of them in executive session to clear the way for the nominations to be voted on later, and 12 of them votes to move from executive session back to legislative session, since only one nominee could be voted on per executive session. Back and forth, back and forth, an exercise in absurdity, but one that Reid was clearly enjoying. The Senators were in effect held captive on the Senate floor, a rare sight, two of them struggling to move around on canes. It was interesting watching who huddled up with who during those many hours.

At the end of the 25 roll call votes, Reid called for a 26th vote to invoke cloture on the CRomnibus Bill, which passed 77-19 at 9:10 PM Saturday night.

The 27th vote on Saturday was a point-of-order vote ("Is the Point of Order Well Taken Re: Cruz Constitutional Point of Order" ) on Cruz' request for a vote on funding the immigration executive action. That vote went as expected at 74-22. Such a vote results in a determination of "Point of Order Not Well Taken", as opposed to "Agreed To" or "Rejected". Though it was point-of-order vote, Cruz asked that it be treated as a vote on the constitutionality of Obama's executive immigration action, trying to salvage some trace of dignity from his failed maneuver. He told the Senate that an "Aye" vote would be a vote for the constitution and they should vote accordingly. Many Republicans ignored that convoluted and symbolic-only strategy. That vote was taken at 9:34 PM Saturday night.

The 28th and final vote of the Saturday session that was requested by Lee was on a motion to pass the CRomnibus Bill, which was passed 56-40 at 9:50 PM. (Note: 9:50 - 9:34, as soon as the Cruz point-of-order was not well taken, Reid called for the final vote without taking a breath, still visually in a state of nirvana.)

The entire process of clearing those 23 nominees, several who were extremely controversial, took place in a marathon voting session on Saturday that would not have otherwise begun until sometime on Monday, where the GOP could have used other time extenders to delay some of the votes on the nominees at least until the end of the week. A few Senators had already skipped town Friday night, and most of the others, including crucial Dems, were ready to go early on Monday, fully expecting most of the held-up nominations would be held over until January 6th.

Instead, on Monday there were just 4 votes in the Senate - 3 to invoke cloture on nominees Murthy (Surgeon General), Rose (Asst. Secretary of State) and Santos (membership on the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board). The 4th vote is the key vote that Lee/Cruz are taking the heat for - the vote to confirm Murthy. It only passed 51-43, the only confirmation that just cleared the 50 vote requirement. At least 3 Dem senators that voted for it had been against it which is why Reid himself had not planned to bring it forward in this session. But the Cruz/Lee "stunt" was like picking at a scab and the Dems voted for the guy as a giant Eff You to Cruz.

Yesterday, cloture votes were taken on Sarah Saldana to be Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Antony Blinken to be Deputy Secretary of State, Colette Honorable to be a member of FERC and Stephen Bough to be a U.S District Judge. Saldana, Blinken and Bough were approved on roll call votes and Honorable on a voice vote. There was one other vote in the Senate yesterday before they adjourned late last night sine die (forever, as the 113th Congress), and that was to approve several tax extenders.

On Saturday and Monday , there were also several other lesser nominees (19 I believe) that had been held up that were approved by voice vote, with no Republican calling for the Ayes and Nays.

Had there been no marathon Saturday session, the Senate would likely still be voting on some of those appointments on Friday or later, or Reid would have just held them over, as was his original intent.

McConnell didn't give this a wink at all. The Dems got everything they wanted and the Republicans didn't gain one damn thing from the stunt. Not one thing. Nothing. nada.

Zilch.

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Of course, if there is some sort of 'rule' that Cruz broke, or didn't know about, then the blame is on him. I will doubt that until someone explains it better.

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I think I just "explained it better' in the post preceding this one.

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McConnell didn't give this a wink at all. The Dems got everything they wanted and the Republicans didn't gain one damn thing from the stunt. Not one thing. Nothing. nada.

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Did you bookmark my post from a few weeks ago? No? Well let me say it again and bookmark this one.

Very shortly the shite will hit the fan in the GOP. History shows us they're a great opposition party because the raison d'etre is to say no. It's what they are, what they have been and what they will be. The party of no. That's what basically the word "conservative" means. No.

Put them in charge and all hell breaks loose. They turn on one another. It's like the average night in my living room with my new dog I rescued with my old dog.... lots of territorial snarking, growling and outright fighting. They just don't get a long. But when a thunderstorm hits, they cuddle with one another under the blankets.

Get your popcorn folks! :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: You're about to witness a two year shitstorm!

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Yeah, someone like me is going to bookmark a post by someone like you .

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If you want to learn anything. I've been right about everything I've said on this board for years. Never lost a prediction for any election and hit the 2008 electoral vote right on the head. No one in the press, not even Nate did that.

And I've been right on all your faux scandals... they're just that. Faux.

The day you are right and I am wrong is the day I selfban.

Thanks for playing. I enjoy beating the crap out of retirees.