This just says everything we need to know about Senate Republicans. They are committed to their filibuster of the Sebelius nomination despite the growing fears of a flu pandemic. Republicans put politics first. Greg Sargent has the story:
So Kathleen Sebelius will get her confirmation vote as Health and Human Services secretary tomorrow in the Senate — but even with the flu outbreak, her confirmation will still have to clear a big hurdle, requiring 60 votes.Want to know why? Sargent explains it succinctly:
So says the office of GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell, anyway.
As you know, Senate Republicans have been filibustering Sebelius over lingering questions about her views on late-term abortions and some campaign contributions she received from an abortion doctor. Late last week, the Senate Dem leadership announced that in the face of GOP opposition, they had agreed with Republicans to bring Sebelius’ confirmation to the floor for a vote tomorrow that would indeed require the 60 votes.
The outbreak of the flu epidemic had led some Dems to hope that the GOP would drop their filibuster, which would mean the 60 vote threshold would no longer apply. And even GOP Senator Susan Collins called for the Senate to expedite her confirmation today.
Bottom line: The filibuster over an abortion controversy is still throwing a hurdle in the way of this nomination, despite the flu epidemic.McConnell is more worried about throwing a bone to the right-wing extremists than he is about having a Secretary of Health and Human Services during a health crisis.
