Schumer and the Dems turn fire on Trump labor pick, after Sessions battle falls short

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Democratic lieutenants refocused their energy Thursday on battling labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, after their public campaign against two controversial Cabinet picks failed to block their confirmation.

 

Though President Trump and his Republican allies have blasted Senate Democrats for slow-walking his nominees, Schumer, D-N.Y., made it clear at a press conference Thursday they’re not finished yet -- and called on the president to withdraw Puzder’s name.

 

“Remember the days when Republicans would actually nominate labor leaders to be head of the Department of Labor?” Schumer said, calling the nominee “one of the most anti-worker nominees to any Cabinet position.”

 

“They ought to withdraw Puzder’s [nomination] before he further embarrasses this administration,” Schumer said.

 

The demand comes after Democratic senators, despite spending days railing against their nominations, were unable to prevent now-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions from being confirmed.

 

Two Republicans joined all 48 Democrats in opposing DeVos earlier this week, but Vice President Pence broke the tie in her favor, in his capacity as president of the Senate. Sessions, a longtime Alabama senator, was confirmed Wednesday evening on a 52-47 vote following a raucous debate. He was sworn-in Thursday.

 

The Senate turns next to the nominations of Rep. Tom Price for health secretary and Steve Mnuchin for treasury secretary.

________

 

How big will their temper tantrum be this time?

[Valin]

The Irony of Andrew Puzder
Feb. 15 2017

Trump’s pick for Secretary of Labor, Andrew Puzder, has taken himself out of the running for the job. And while embattled Senate Democrats will try to get credit for claiming their only cabinet-level scalp, the truth is, as NBC News reports, that “it was Republicans who toppled Puzder. On the day before his confirmation hearing was expected to take place, more and more Republicans withheld support, saying that they’d like to wait until they hear from him in the hearing.”

It appears that Puzder’s support for the 2013 Gang of Eight immigration bill and his comments suggesting a preference for immigrant over native labor contributed to conservative doubts about his fitness for the position. The Washington Post reports:

(Snip)

 

So Trump’s one nominee to go down was not brought down by Democratic “resistance,” and he was not brought down because his labor policies were too nationalist and populist. He was brought down by Republicans, and at least in part because his views weren’t nationalist and populist enough. If you need any more evidence that Donald Trump has fundamentally reoriented our political parties, this is it.