GOP Objects And Objects And Objects... (VIDEO)

Democrats took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to try to break a logjam that has 101 executive branch nominees backed up. A new Senate rule that aims to make "secret holds" more difficult requires a senator to publicly declare his or her hold six legislative days after the nominee is brought to the floor.

Republican have holds on scores of nominees, so Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) went to the floor to call up the names, knowing that the GOP would object.

When Whitehouse began, however, the Republicans had failed to show and Whitehouse threatened to ram them all through if they didn't arrive.

"For the record, I'm informed that the minority was aware that I was coming to make these unanimous consent requests, that they had full knowledge that this was going to come, and if they are unable to get somebody to the floor to object, that is, as far as I'm concerned, not my concern," said Whitehouse.

Just seconds later, Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) arrived, setting off a surreal series of requests and objections that HuffPost's Ben Craw pulled together in the clip below.

Whitehouse read off five names, followed by McCaskill, who read off 17. She returned later in the day and read 58 more. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) asked for one, bringing the total to 81 for the day.

The clock is now ticking on the nominees, though Republicans with holds -- a hold is merely a threat that an objection will be made to a unanimous consent request to proceed to a vote on the nomination -- may be able to wiggle out of going public by dropping their holds and picking them right back up, or teaming up with other Republicans and swapping the holds back and forth. It's never been tried before, so where this is heading is anybody's guess.

In the meantime, there'll be more floor shenanigans, or what McCaskill says her mother refers to as "shizpoodledog."

WATCH the shizpoodledog:

Video produced by HuffPost's Ben Craw

Comments

[Dennis Newman]

12:01 AM on 05/07/2010

Well done Senator McCaskill!

[wvprogressive2011]

07:15 PM on 04/27/2010

Hey Republicans...you...umm....you lost. Elections should have consequences. You are blocking the will of the American people. Not that you care..

[gumbo1049]

08:27 AM on 04/23/2010

GOP GO F@#% YOURSELVES.

[Icantbelieveher]

12:26 AM on 04/23/2010

I really do wish they would grow up!

[sgraham59]

10:07 PM on 04/22/2010

That pic of Jon Kyl reminds me of Rodney Dangerfield

[bighat]

09:47 PM on 04/22/2010

Better get the nominations while you can.

Change and hope is on the way with the next 2 elections

[senorlou]

09:24 PM on 04/22/2010

Republicans are pretty vile, aren't they?

[Ron1951]

08:08 PM on 04/22/2010

This is how repubs keep Bush appointees in government, undermining our elected President's ability to further the agenda we voted for.

Come this fall, dem candidates need to remind voters how their opponents have been subverting the government, and ignoring the vote of the people.

[bighat]

09:48 PM on 04/22/2010

They certainly should

[admiralj]

06:25 PM on 04/22/2010

I'm surprised that Sen Kyl wasn't wearing his uniform, you know the one with the brown shirt and that funny little red arm band.

This is not a senator who wants to lead, but a man who wants to dictate, party policy.

[bighat]

09:49 PM on 04/22/2010

Believe the brown shirts where people who wanted a strong central government with a leader that could not be questioned by the people.

[Indianaesquire]

11:04 PM on 04/22/2010

we had eight years of that before we elected Obama. Thanks for the reminder.

[kweenipie]

06:02 PM on 04/22/2010

You know there has to be a way around this. Someone needs to either do some serious research into the arcane protocols of the Senate or they need to just go ahead and approve the nominees with a vote instead of unanimous consent. That couldn't take more time than what they are losing with these idiot games.

[duhtruth]

04:08 PM on 04/22/2010

Would you buy a used car from Kyl??

[Joe The Nerd Ferraro]

02:34 PM on 04/22/2010

if Kyl objects it has to be in
HIS OWN NAME

it is bogus to say somebody unnamed has a beef and allow it to carry.

[bighat]

09:50 PM on 04/22/2010

The democrats put in this rule long ago. It took awhile but it is backfiring

[Joe The Nerd Ferraro]

02:33 PM on 04/22/2010

Wait a minute

You snooze you lose.

Why did this senator wait for the GOP guy to get into the room.

Ram this thru.

[Kevin Atlanta]

01:31 PM on 04/22/2010

The Republican Cults of Jesus Inc continue to work on every level to delegitimize the President of the United States and crippling staff is just a further example.
This is only part of what's wrong with America; you just wittnessed a million dollar payday.

[IrishLover]

01:10 PM on 04/22/2010

The MAN
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-
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PRESIDENT of THESE UNITED STATES

Numbers

(2,920) two thousand and twenty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------days
(70,080) seventy thousand and eighty ---------------------------------------------------------------------hours
(4,204,800) four million, two hundred and four thousand, eight hundred------------------------minutes

That this great President..Leader...Father..role model shall be in office !!

priceless (.) period..

[IrishLover]

01:11 PM on 04/22/2010

The Man
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-

. Won the election against all odds
- Faced down the worst financial crisis since the great depression
- Reached out across the world to signal a new era of Global community
- Showed Leadership in tackling the most pressing problems of today
- Weathered the season(s) of h8 and lies and fear
- Guided the military to a plan of action contrary to the previous administrations' dithering
- Challenged members of congress to roll up their sleeves and get to work
- Kept focus on and ACHIEVED the goal of expanded health care reform (a CENTURY of trying)
- Achieved access to millions more Americans to seek out an affordable quality education

AND DID IT ALL AGAINST AN OBSTRUCTIONIST PARTY OF NO (WHO THOUGHT THEY HAD WON SO MANY TIMES IN SO MANY WAYS ONLY TO FAIL ! )

Don't count this man down and out Republicans . *wink
THE PRESIDENT OF THESE UNITED STATES!
priceless (.) period..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiF9BZztpMs

Your irish friend ,
Funky..

[bighat]

09:52 PM on 04/22/2010

None of the crisies you mentioned has ended.

If the people are behind Obama then the November election will be the mandate

Either for or against Obama.

If the GOP take back congress or even make it close to 50/50 then that shows people are not happy with the liberal way of governing