Diane Rehm Show Friday News Roundup: Recess Appointments

The Diane Rehm Show: (http://wamu.fm/yasMOS): The panelists talk about the history of recess appointments and the implications of President Obama's appointment of Richard Cordray as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "There's a long history of recess appointments - historically they've been done with little controversy," The New York Times' Jackie Calmes said.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• The Diane Rehm Show
• Diane Rehm
• Jackie Calmes
• Jim VandeHei
• Jeanne Cummings
• congress
• president obama
• recess appointments
• Richard Cordray

[NewsDenizen]

Teddy Roosevelt? Franklin Roosevelt interned thousands without trial and that does not make it right today. It is not a violation but the duty of Congress to block appointments they think are unaccountable and too powerful. That is the very essence of separation of powers. The President must reach a compromise with the duly elected representatives of the American people including the Democrat controlled Senate and not undermine them for political gain in an election year.

[luvitluvitbaby]

@NewsDenizen Teddy Roosevelt made 60 appointments in a span of about 15 minutes in a similar situation.

Furthermore, the Congress is in violation of its constitutional duty when they refused to "advise and consent". They refused to even bring Cordray's nomination to a vote despite the fact he had enough votes for confirmation. They did this not because they had a problem with him, but because they don't "like" the law or the agency he has been appointed to run! This is unprecedented!

[NewsDenizen]

At least we have a record of journalists apparently accepting and condoning as a "smart thing" and a "good thing" a possible violation of the US Constitution in the name of pure "political strategy" and "good politics" during an election year in order for a President to maintain power. The Congress which represents the American people "brought it on itself". It is one thing reading about this sort of fecklessness in the history books but very different when you see it played out in real time.