Sen. Richard Shelby Gets Stick, Passes On Carrot: A Coincidence?

Shelby is a hypocritical POS. If he were merely concerned about national security as he says, he wouldn’t have a problem if the programs were simply relocated to another state, would he? He’s just another obstructionist in a Senate full of them……..”greatest legislative body” my a$$.

I think “Hand waving” is more appropriate than “Hardball”.

I’m predicting a press release from Shelby’s office complaining that the president and Democrats refuse to hold “bipartisan” talks.

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Point of Sale?
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Placard of Senatorial-ness?
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Position of Strength?
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oh.

Some good points made about this from TPM:
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“The Shelby blanket hold isn’t unprecedented, though it’s close. But doing this to shake the administration down for a couple of earmarks is pretty unheard of. And given the current electrical charge about ‘earmarks’ and ‘pork’ it gives the White House a golden opportunity not just to embarrass the Republicans over Shelby’s obstructionism over an earmark, it gives them a second chance to engage the public on Republican refusal to even allow votes — regardless of what one thinks of the substance — on critical national issues. Not allowing votes here leads to a discussion or not allowing votes on the Jobs Bill. The headline writes itself: Republicans shut down senate so Shelby can get his earmarks. (Remember, he can’t do this himself. He needs to be supported by his caucus.) The GOP leadership sees that it’s toxic.

Alas, it seems the White House has already decided it doesn’t want to take up the opportunity. Which is probably a good preview of 2010.”
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This White House and Congressional Dems should pound this a-hole and the GOP for this virtual gas station armed robbery. Failing to do so would be a near-fatal mistake.
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http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/02/the_missed_second_chance.php#more?ref=fpblg

Pompous, orating scumbag if you prefer……….

So that he can try to preserve two pork projects for Alabama, a military plane contract for Mobile, Alabama,

From what I can tell, Mobile, Alabama cannot sign a plane contract.
The military airplane contract is for a (Socialist) European manufacturer who the WTO says benefits from illegal subsidies from European governments.
Please. Stop. Lying.

“Sen. Richard Shelby, the Alabama Democrat-turned-Republican:”
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Could someone explain the relevance for me please?

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/business/global/05wto.html?_r=1

The racists either reformed (Byrd) or went Republican.
That is the only significance, but it is impolite for a “journalist” to say that.

I’m gonna guess the White House is saying, “don’t throw me in that briar patch, PULEEZE!!!”

Shelby is holding out for pure pork. Not really in line with what the teabaggers want, not is it? Tsk. tsk.

And anyway, why does he hate national security??

Guys, do you really think that the administration wants to get into this fight? All Shelby has to do is start yapping about all the pork that was in the “stimulus”. (By the way, Dow ain’t doing so hot.)
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And military contracts aren’t necessarily pork, MS. The bottom line is that the military counts on elected representatives to protect things they like, and the military gets credit for requesting less than it thinks it needs.

Yeah, it’s not just “a military plane contract,” it’s a $45,000,000,000 contract to benefit a foreign-owned company.

All Shelby has to do is start yapping
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Start?

Hardball? This isn’t hardball, this is CYA.
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He’s holding the Senate hostage so he can get $45 BILLION in pork for his home state, and now he’s hiding his greed behind national security. “If you don’t meet my ransom demands, then the terrorists win. Wah!”

Q. When is good government NOT pork? When it’s a military contract, of course!

And it’s not like Alabama doesn’t already take in more in federal spending than it pays in federal taxes.
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As of last count, Alabama was getting back $1.61 in federal spending for every $1.00 it paid into it.
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http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2004/09/red_states_feed.html

“I can answer that!” Senator Spector replied.

I think they will. That TPM piece bases its claim that the WH doesn’t want a fight on Gibbs’ comments about the matter, but they were pretty barbed.
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The problem, as Steve Benen notes, is that the Democrats now have to decide which of these Republican openings to follow first:
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But what happens when there are too many opportunities all at once?

. What Dems really ought to do is go after Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) for holding the Senate hostage until he gets a bunch of earmarks.
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Or what Dems really ought to do is go after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for publicly trashing FBI and other counter-terrorism officials.
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Or what Dems really ought to do is go after the House Republican leadership for cozying up to Wall Street, seeking big campaign contributions in exchange for less accountability for those who brought the economy to the brink of collapse.
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Or what Dems really ought to do is go after House Republicans for a budget plan that eliminates Medicare and privatizes Social Security.
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Or what Dems really ought to do is go after congressional Republicans for blatantly lying about the administration’s handling of the Abdulmutallab case.
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Or what Dems really ought to do is go after congressional Republicans for standing at odds with the national security judgment of the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs.
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They’re all worthy of attention, and they’re all stories major media outlets are inclined to ignore. Dems can’t very well try to raise hell about all of these controversies — all of which are just from the last few days, by the way — with equal gusto because that muddles the message.

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http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022267.php

As Daily Kos Reports it:

The key issue is that Shelby wants the Air Force to tweak an RFP for refueling tankers so that Airbus (partnered with Northrup Grumman) would win the bid again over Boeing. The contract had been awarded in 2008, but the GAO found that the Air Force had erred in calculating the award. After the Air Force wrote a new RFP in preparation to rebid the contract, Airbus calculated that it would not win the new bid, and started complaining. Now, Airbus is threatening to withdraw from the competition unless the specs in the RFP are revised.

Essentially, then, Shelby’s threat is primarily about gaming this bidding process to make sure Airbus–and not Boeing–wins the contract (there’s a smaller program he’s complaining about, too, but this is the truly huge potential bounty for his state).

As Wheeler argues, the bottom-line is that Richard Shelby — a top Senate Republican — is preparing to shut down the United States Senate to award a key military contract to a foreign company. That is a staggering fact.

spob,
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My eyesight’s a little weak today…
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EXACTLY what color is the lipstick you are trying to put on that GOP “pig”?

So do we call this the “Crimson Bribe” or the “Shelby Shakedown”?

As hard as it is to believe, I was asking a sincere question.
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OMG isn’t that un-American?

PNNTO, I think it just puts things in perspective a little, that’s all.

So when Nelson demands something for his healthcare reform vote, you call it bribery. When Shelby demands something for simply allowing up and down votes on nominations, you call it “protecting things he likes”.

I vote for Crimson Bribe. We can call Shelby “Bear Bribant.”

Bear Bribant
Awesome.

How? What perspective?
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Sorry I’ve derailed this thread enough, I just have the hardest time understanding why Scherer writes the way he does.

Oh, yeah, now I recognize that color.
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It’s the one called GOP Rose-Colored Pink. Guaranteed to make ANY Repub action look noble and normal. Used on your glasses, too, from what I hear.

IOKIYAR

The dad of Mark Ingram, ‘Bama’s Heisman Trophy-winning running back (a former Giants wide receiver himself) is in jail for bribery, among other things. Full circle, right?

The charitable interpretation would be that MS artfully wanted to remind us that Shelby’s current flip-flops — from demanding up-or-down votes on all of Bush’s appointees, to blanket-blocking all of Obama’s; from denouncing earmarks to throwing a tantrum over one of his own; to yapping at the president about fiscal responsibility to demanding he get his $45 BILLION pet project through — are all part of a long pattern, back to when he flip-flopped out of one party to another.
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The more likely reason is that MS felt the need to blame Democrats for this somehow, and pointing out Shelby was once a Democrat was the easiest way to do it.

“That TPM piece bases its claim that the WH doesn’t want a fight on Gibbs’ comments about the matter, but they were pretty barbed.”
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Yeah, I think we’ve reached the point where nothing can be trusted about intentions from just about anyone in Washington (and it was thin gruel to start with). And I think the difference is that Obama decided long ago that Democrats need to play the political game more like Republicans, so you’ll get all of the bi-partisan noises and Kabuki you can stomach but no actual bi-partisanship – mostly because there’s none to be had. I assume that all of the usual operatives will rightly be carving Shelby up into sniveling little bits.

The pompous political bashing from the far left extremists who are represented here by the writers of TIME.com continue to parade their mixed bag of Code Pink like strategies in their various blog posts against anything or anyone conservative.
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One would wonder why TIME.com doesn’t just rename this site and call it “Daily TIME Kos.com”, wouldn’t that be a better name, more accuracy and truthfulness in the internet blogging world?
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As they TROLL out their hyped up super market tabloid style of “journalism”, they go on the attack of Fox News. Pointing fingers and jeering with mouths agape and drool dripping down their chins onto their bibs they forgot to remove from a luncheon held at Red Lobster. Reading the garbage that flys off the internet pages here at TIME.com, one would think they have left a sane and rational world and stepped into a future asylum. The psychotic world of TIME.com.
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Let’s hear it for the far left loons who report here in the swamp!! Go TIME Go!!
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Rusty Returns…
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…like food poisoning.

More like a dumbed-down version of “GroundHog Day”…….less funny, more schizophrenic……

Dow ain’t doing so hot
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Yeah, it’s only about 3,000 points higher than it was less than a year ago.
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The bottom line is that the military counts on elected representatives to protect things they like, and the military gets credit for requesting less than it thinks it needs.
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If true, then the military has no vested interest as to where their equipment comes from, correct?
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Defending this is like defending that ‘Cornhusker Kickback’ Ben Nelson wrangled, only worse. Nelson was amending abill in his state’s favor. Pr!ck Shelby is keeping the government from functioning properly.

Could someone explain the relevance for me please?
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As hard as it is to believe, I was asking a sincere question.
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…and some, including you and stuart, regularly ask sincere q.’s and get answers. Others don’t get answers.

Much more schizophrenic. I like it when he argues with himself like during the Rahm-retards thing. It’s like watching a dog chase its own tail.

Sorry, that comparison was mean to dogs. I take it back.

afguy, that was a good one
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all kidding aside, my point was a pragmatic one–I don’t think this is a fight Obama wants to have.
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As for the lipstick, well, it’s the same color that the DSCC is going to use on Alexi Giannoulias.

” “Bear Bribant.”
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I’ve already stolen,uh, used I mean, this-thanks Kevin.

Last week Rusty was saying he hoped the Senate health care bill passed because it would result in epic Dem losses.
I said “good” we both want health care to pass, let’s start calling our Reps and Senators, and asked if he was going to help get the bill passed, and he ran away and wouldn’t respond.

I don’t care who first said it. I want Gibbs to say it to a room full of reporters.

So, Rustynutters…is Shelby’s Crimson Bribe a good thing or a bad thing?
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It’s not the media’s fault that Shelby (R-Airbus) is a government pork-loving d0uchebag who wants to help a European company win contracts over an American company, is it?
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I was wrong about something, ‘tho…the Repubs do have a jobs plan.
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For Europe.

I figured the little liberal trolls would eat up my last comment. I so enjoy making you all look like the fools you truly are.
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The relevance I got out of it is that he is an opportunist. Er … that is even more of an opportunist than the norm. He almost certainly switched parties because he felt it gave him a better chance of reelection. Most likely he doesn’t give a fig about republicans or democrats. And now he’s doing something that is obviously bad for the country, and the only motive I can see is reelection. The man is horrible, and the fact that he’s a party switcher is a succinct way of emphasizing it.

The joke’s on you, as usual……..

Hey diecash, did you catch the news to see “Lousianna Purchase” Senator Landrieu?
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It is not only a fantastic display of goveling, but epic in the halls of the Senate.
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As opposed to “Lousianna Purchase Landrieu” or Sen Ben Nelson, the “corn-husker” extrodiaire?
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No, none of them are worthy to be in the Senate. Period.
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But, my comment directed at the utter bias from TIME.com is nothing short of pure hypocrisy.
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I’m sure we shall see John Edward’s new sex tape discussed any day now, don’t you think?

Yea yea, whatever Ladydi…..

I look forward to the statement by President McCain about this. He campaigned on cutting all earmarks doncha know – seems like the same principle to me.

Probably the most appalling thing about stuff like this is that it does not surprise me anymore.

“I’m sure we shall see John Edward’s new sex tape discussed any day now, don’t you think?”
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Yeah, because THAT’S newsworthy.

Crimson Bribe and Coach Bear Bribant…love it!

Yeah he was in jail durning the National Title game. Ouch.

Please, steal/use it as much as you want.
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I actually think Gibbs might use it. He grew up in Auburn, Alabama, and is a big fan of the Tigers. A chance to tweak Shelby and the Great Hatted One at the same time might be too good to pass up.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/79803-conyers-wants-haiti-relief-coordinator-demoted-for-not-having-minority-staffers
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Ha ha ha ha ha.

But then again, as Steve Benen states, it is a ‘target-rich environment’:

..what happens when there are too many opportunities all at once?

What Dems really ought to do is go after Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) for holding the Senate hostage until he gets a bunch of earmarks.

Or what Dems really ought to do is go after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for publicly trashing FBI and other counter-terrorism officials.

Or what Dems really ought to do is go after the House Republican leadership for cozying up to Wall Street, seeking big campaign contributions in exchange for less accountability for those who brought the economy to the brink of collapse.

Or what Dems really ought to do is go after House Republicans for a budget plan that eliminates Medicare and privatizes Social Security.

Or what Dems really ought to do is go after congressional Republicans for blatantly lying about the administration’s handling of the Abdulmutallab case.

Or what Dems really ought to do is go after congressional Republicans for standing at odds with the national security judgment of the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs.

Of course, to rustynuterrs, it’s the media’s fault for noticing.

As opposed to..
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Nope. Just pointing out that you’re ranting about an imagined media bias instead of ripping on Shelby, as everyone should be. I’m sure you can Google the number of times ‘Cornhusker Kickback’ was mentioned by one of the Swamplanders, rustynuterrs (at least 3 times).
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I’m sure we shall see…
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Dunno. Maybe Michael would, if the video has sheep in it.

Oh I am so honored when you reference me in each of your posts, grapey. It just proves how much I am getting under your skin.
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lol – Hey, if you want to claim the name I reference you by, rustynuterrs, go right ahead. Fits like a glove.

And, grape_crush, I’ll add a few of my own.
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WE ought to go after Harry Reed for allowing this sorry state of affairs to continue to exist in the Senate and continuing to hide behind “bi-partisanship”, “Senate comity” and “we’ve always needed 60 votes”.
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And President Obama needs to go after Axelrod and Emmanuel for giving him bad advice and allowing this to be too much about “process” and not enough about “product”. Also, for having no Plan B. They are insider clowns but both clowns nevertheless.
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It was allowed to be too much about a “good, bi-partisan health care bill”. Well, right now, we have neither “bi-partisanship” and, without some work and personal pushing by the president, the “good” part is open to serious debate, and we may end up with nothing.

More on Shelby’s hypocrisy from The Plum Line:
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“The unusual “blanket hold” placed on Obama administration nominees by Senator Richard Shelby represents an effort to support a firm that has contributed more than $100,000 to the Alabama Republican over the course of his long political career, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis.

According to the Center analysis, this level of support ranks Northrop Grumman as the seventh most generous institutional supporter over the course of Shelby’s political career.”
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http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/senate-republicans/shelbys-hold-enriches-one-of-his-biggest-contributors/

not only that McCain is the reason that the whole rfp got revisited in the first place.

Well, remember during the auto bailout how Shelby whined about the competition this gave foreign, non union car manufaturers in his state.

Oh my. spob has been invected by rusty’s insane giggles. Man up spob.

Meant infected but invected might work.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33310.pdf

Recess appointments. Even if Obama appointed all of the held nominees, it would not come near to the number done by GWB.

Shelby, showing his lack of loyalty to anything, switched to Rep in 94 seeing the likelyhood Dems were going to lose control of the Senate. It was about power, getting committee appointments that would keep his special interests happy.

No word from McCain yet. I guess his dementia caused him to forget his positions on campaign reform, immigration reform, DADT, and now pork barrel spending. What a sad and bitter man he is.

Mr. Shelby actions are exactly why Americans have no faith in their government. To hold the government hostage for pork projects is pretty despicable – even for todays republicans.

It’s really pretty pathetic.

Shelby switched to the Republican Party in 1994 when it gained the majority in Congress.

I think it’s safe to assume that you’ll never see a post from MS that contains the line: ‘Ronald Reagan, the California Democrat-turned-Republican’.
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I’d like to be charitable but, since Shelby left the republican party over 16 years ago, this looks a lot like a way to shift (or at least share) the blame .

Oops! I meant to say:
“…since Shelby left the Democratic party over 16 years ago…”

You are all severely uninformed on this issue. I work for one of the two companies bidding to be prime contractor. Each company is based in the states and whoever wins, jobs will be created here in states. The difference is that one air frame is built in Washington state and the other in Europe. Either way, all of the work of modifying the tankers is done here in the states. The software is written here, the assembly is done here, the testing is done here, the boom work is done here. Also, both airframes are made with upwards of 40% foreign parts. To categorize this as Europe vs. the USA is disingenuous and naive. Welcome to the global market place.