You thought the Senate was dysfunctional because 41 Senators could outvote 59? Well, it’s actually worse than that: 1 can outvote 99 through the right of each Senator to put a “hold” on any Senate action. Paul Krugman has more on the story, including an explanation of the headline:
So, here’s the news from the Senate. Martha Johnson was nominated to head the General Services Administration, and was confirmed by a nearly unanimous vote — but only after having had her nomination held hostage for nine months by Senator Kit Bond, who wanted more pork for Kansas City. And now Senator Richard Shelby has placed a hold on — are you seated — all, all, Obama administration nominees, until he gets some pork for Alabama.
What’s going on? The Senate has rules based on the idea that it was a chamber of gentlemen who would find ways to work together. But now, 41 Senators belong to a party that has no interest in a working government, no desire to work with the majority in good faith.
I think its disgusting that Jonathan Kantrowitz would refer to the Senate as a “Polish joke” and dredge up an old outdated anti-Polish slur on Polish people.
For the record, so called Polish “jokes” which are really subhuman intelligence jokes about Polish people, came from Nazi propaganda since the Nazi Germans felt the Polish people had subhuman intelligence since they are Slavic.
Ironically, anti-Polish bigots in Hollywood and NBC-TV imported them into the US in the 1960’s and 1970’s in an attempt to condition the American public to have the same anti-Polish bigotry that they have.
Jonathan Katrowitz sounds like deep down he is prejudice against Polish people.
Comment by Matthew — February 21st, 2010 @ 5:26 pm
The reference (which wasn’t mine) was to a political situation in Poland centuries ago when all legislative action required unanimous consent. However, any reference to a Polish joke is in poor taste, and I do apologize for repeating that.
Comment by Jonathan Kantrowitz — February 22nd, 2010 @ 7:05 am