Nomination Hearing Follies
2/24/21
It seems like the nomination of Neera Tandem as the next Office of Budget and Management (OMB) director may be dead in the water due to Joe Manchin’s stated intention to withhold his support and the expectation that all Republicans will do the same, in concert. Expected, but nonetheless disappointing. Republicans would be better served to pick their battles more selectively.
I’m not really crying crocodile tears for Republicans as they continue to trash their brand, but I’m amazed that they seem to be so unaware that they are doing so. Their obstructionism is transparently on display for all to see. Over time, I expect this posture to backfire on them as America’s tolerance for legislative gridlock wears thinner and thinner. Without Republicans rethinking their approach to governing, a growing sentiment will evolve to the Republicans’ detriment.
The Republican definition of “unity” appears to have a special meaning: Republicans must line up in solidarity against any Democratic initiative, while Democrats have to compromise on their policies and principles to accommodate to Republican sensibilities with no guarantee that any concession will ever lead to a compromise. The entreaties for bipartisanship are a sham with Republicans showing no tolerance for anyone in the party acting independently. (We’ve all seen what happens when select Republicans vote their consciences and buck the party line. Those who do that can only be saved by secret balloting.)
The hearing for Neera Tanden’s cabinet post nomination is a case in point. By way of background, Ms. Tanden hasn’t come to this juncture without controversy. Although she has an impressive educational background, relevant work experience, and an extensive list of professional accomplishments, she’s also been a key player in the intra-party feud between Sanders and Clinton, back in the 2016 election; and that rivalry has some lasting scars. Still Bernie Sanders, who heads the Budget Committee and thus plays a critical role in the nomination process has engaged with Tanden on content, with Sanders expressing concerns about cozy relationships Tanden has had in the past with large corporate benefactors. It seems, however, that her cataloguing of positions taken in opposition to many of those special interests as well as assurances that those past relationships won’t play a role in her performance at the OMB have likely put that issue to rest.
Not surprisingly, the Republicans expressed little or no concerns about those corporate connections. Rather, their objection to Tanden rests on the fact that she’s publicly insulted a number of politicians on Twitter — mostly, but not exclusively, Republicans; and all reporting to date seems to suggest that the Republicans will justify the vote to reject without exception based on this collection of tweets.
I’ve tried to research Tanden’s past comments, with little success. Reportedly, more than 1,000 twitter posts have been deleted, and only limited reports about their content are available. It appears, however, that assigning the appellation “Moscow Mitch” to Mitch McConnell is a big deal. From what I can gather, that’s the level of her “personal attacks” that have served to disqualify her despite her apologies and a stated commitment to work cooperatively with members of Congress from both parties.
As the lone Democratic critic of Tanden, Manchin clearly hopes to be seen as a “reasonable” senator who is able to transcend the party dictates and work cooperatively with the minority. He’s dreaming. His vote will simply enable the Republicans to extend their record of obstruction. I’d feel differently if the Republicans’ criticism of Tanden had even the slimmest reasonable justification, but for them to base their objections on her tweets gives a lie to their expressed desire to move ahead in a bipartisan way. No surprise — just further validation.
Having watched the hearings, I was most impressed by the questioning by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA). Unlike virtually all of the other senators who used their time to solicit a willingness on the part of Tanden to collaborate with them to shepherd through their various pet projects, Kaine’s questions focused on the most relevant concerns (paraphrasing):
1. If senators from either party request information from OMB, will you commit to responding in a timely manner?
2. If a government accountability office reaches out on a matter of congressional oversight of the executive branch, will you respond in a timely manner?
3. Will you respect the Empowerment Control Act, which governs how the executive branch spends congressionally appropriated funds?
4. Would you ever facilitate withholding of congressionally appropriated funds for political purposes?
5. Will you respect the expertise of the career staff at OMB and follow the facts under OMB analysis?
6. If appointed OMB director, would you fully cooperate with a smooth transition to the new leadership at the end of the administration, irrespective of party affiliation?
Not surprisingly, Tanden answered definitely and affirmatively to all. Contrast those responses to the history of the OMB during the prior administration, when each of these foundational principles was violated. I guess correcting those transgressions comes a distant second to extracting vengeance for perceived personal affronts. Let’s also appreciate that casting a nay vote for Tanden’s nomination to OMB because of umbrage taken at her frank and candid reactions to statements and actions of political foes is another in a long line of examples of Republican hypocrisy, coming just weeks after they sheltered Trump from accountability not only for speech, but for actions!
I expect to be criticized for condemning bloc voting by Republicans while championing it for Democrats, but that’s not my intent. The Congress has a critical “advise and consent” role in these nominations, but this candidate should only be rejected because of just cause, not because of bruised egos.
The expected Democratic unification behind Biden’s nominee of someone he wants to entrust to fulfill his agenda is legitimate. Whatever reservations Democrats might have about Tanden’s temperament would likely be seen as inconsequential relative to her capacity to help carry out the Biden platform. What’s not legitimate is an effort to orchestrate a party-line opposition to her nomination that brooks no dissent.
McConnell and other Republicans lining up with him seem to be betting on their obstructionism as the key to retaking majority control of Congress after the next election — the health and well-being of the country in the meantime, be damned. To my mind, that’s a dumb bet that puts in jeopardy not just the Republican party, but the nation, as a whole.
The sanctimonious call for reduced political rancor by Manchin and the Republican bloc rings hollow. If this objective were genuine, cabinet post nominees would be evaluated on the basis of their capabilities, giving the new administration the benefit of any doubts and allowing the new regime to begin to reflect the electoral will without delay. That day seems to be a long way off. That said, this particular approval process isn’t over yet. As it stands, however, it’s a prime example of destructive partisan politics at work. By all accounts, it looks like Joe Manchin or just one single Republican senator could turn the tide.
