Mike Lee Disappointed Me Today

Mike Lee disappointed me today.

I opened the newspaper to see how Sen. Mike Lee voted against President Obama's nominee, David Nuffer, for federal judgeship in Utah. Now, Lee actually supports Nuffer, saying he would be an excellent judge, but Lee has committed himself to voting against every Obama judgeship nominee as his way of protesting the way Obama made an appointment. Obama appointed someone to head a consumer watchdog agency, under a law that allows him to make appointments without congressional approval if Congress is in recess. The Senate was meeting for minutes every few days in order to technically remain in session, and thus thwart Obama from making such appointments, but Obama refused to recognize that as actually being in session.

Lee says he will vote against all Obama court appointees until Obama reverses his recess appointments.

Wish Obama and Lee did not have to fight like this. Would be better if the Senate had not concocted the plan to thwart an appointment. Would be better if Obama had not made the appointment when the Constitution forbids it. Did he do it just to spite the Senate? I don't know. Would be better if Lee voted for judgeships based on their own merit and not on a spat with the President.

Wonder what would have happened if Sen. Lee had just called Obama up and asked him, in person, to reverse the recess appointments? Would be a wonderful thing if two elected officials could actually talk over their differences, man to man, instead of sending messages through what they do.

This means, we don't like you making appointments when we're in recess.

This means, I don't like you pretending you're in session when you're not.

Yeah? Well, this means I didn't like the way you made that appointment.

Messages, messages. Have we become so polarized that we can't even sit down and talk with each other? Among the problems our nation has, this, too, is one we should work on.