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Updated 3:19 p.m. - The Senate cleared a procedural hurdle on Thursday allowing a long-stalled ambassadorial nominee to move forward toward confirmation.
Stan Honda / AFP - Getty Images
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Senators voted, 62 to 37, to move forward with the nomination of Maria Carmen Aponte as the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) rounded up a handful of Republican votes to help Aponte clear the 60-vote threshold needed to end a filibuster of the nomination. Apointe was later formally confirmed by a voice vote.
Aponte had been serving as a recess appointee of President Obama's after Senate Republicans blocked her nomination in 2010; her confirmation to a full term had moved forward this season in fits and starts, due to the objections of some conservatives.
Led by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, Republicans raised objections to some of Aponte's outspoken opinions on gay rights and they questioned her relationship with an old boyfriend, who allegedly worked for Cuba's spy agency. Republicans say they've repeatedly asked the White House for more information on her background but have been repeatedly denied their request.
Rubio, a potential vice presidential candidate this fall, had initially opposed Aponte's nomination, which has been closely watched in Hispanic media. But the Florida senator switched his stance, and led the charge to get Republican votes for Aponte. Critics accuse Rubio of flip-flipping because of the large Puerto Rican community in Florida; Aponte is Puerto Rican.
Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that he never had an opposition to Aponte, but voted against her nomination at first because he disagreed with the White House over some Western Hemisphere issues. He said that, since then, he's been working to round up the seven votes needed to get to 60 votes and break a filibuster.
In a statement today he said, “I supported Mari Carmen Aponte's nomination because the Administration has addressed my earlier concerns about its Western Hemisphere policy and because I believe she will serve our nation well in El Salvador.”
Rubio told reporters Wednesday that once the White House addressed his concerns, he started working to round up the seven votes needed to get to 60 votes and break a filibuster.
He blamed Democratic leadership for not moving immediately to confirm her. He accused Majority Leader Harry Reid of waiting until it was politically expedient with the president set to visit Florida next week.
“At the end of the day, I feel bad for her. She’s become a ping pong ball…It’s not a coincidence that we’re in an election cycle, the president’s going to be in Orlando next week and all of a sudden a nomination that wasn’t a priority …is now a priority in June,” he said.
Democrats credit the efforts of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Hispanic groups in pushing through the Aponte nomination.
After today’s vote Senator McCain acknowledged he was a target of intense lobbying.
“I’ve heard from about 300 people,” he said.
Leave a Comment:
*gasp*
How did this happen?
Did they run out of Post Offices to name?
Feisty,
Are they now naming Post Offices that they plan to close?
Marco....he was against her before he was for her......
Self-serving, Marco!....pandering to the Puerto Rican community! Who would have thought!
Are you people ever happy?
What sad, miserable lives you all must have........
Obama's poll numbers are in the dumps more and more everyday ....
Real Americans don't want Obama around anymore ....
Thursday, June 14, 2012
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Mitt Romney attracting 48% of the vote, while President Obama earns 44%. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and another four percent (4%) are undecided ....
This is great news for hope to save America from Obama's continued disasters ....
Obama still could not fiscally manage a wiener and potato chip cart ....
Obama has to go ASAP ....
To save what's left of America ....
How sad, not one positive comment. No wonder this country is failing, no one is willing to take the first step.
Okay...
So Willard's pre-buttal is a rerun of the same stump speech he has droned on about for months!
Gosh! Who would of guessed?
What a shock!
Sounds like maybe he has maybe 100 in attendance judging from the pathetic applause he's getting! lol
Nothing but more doom & gloom... *yawn*
Obama out , would be a great first step ....
Adios , Obamos ....
Dude... Rubio made a positive comment with his vote. Reached across the isle... but look at how the liberals on this site responsed to his actions. HATE! That's all they have.
When someone does something good, why must we ALWAYS question his/her motives? You are all untrusting, hateful people.
Shame on you!
I wonder why they never show the size & demographics of the mob who come out to support Willard?
President Obama is speaking now........Willard has finished, but is it seen anywhere?
Thetotas - How sad, not one positive comment...
Hey Thetotas - One of the reasons it is not worth posting on this site anymore especially First Thoughts. This blog for a majority of the posters is used as nothing more than an opportunity to post hateful one liners.
Starting to look like a Yahoo forum.
On Rubio's act, good for him to get his foot off the brakes so that this appointee can FINALLY get her post after waiting years.
You know why, Feisty Dumbfux. Because MSNBC has suddenly become a RIGHT WING site. Isn't that what you and some of your half-wit friends spent half the morning whining about? Seriously, that's one of your best posts since you said Sandra Fluke is the NEW ROSA PARKS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! Oh God! There go my ribs hurting again!!!!!!!
Common, Soldier50, You've seen Willard the Weathervane!
Rubio is a 'flip-flop' disguised as a human.
If he is picked VP nominee, some DEM supporters should wear 'human sized flip-flop' (with an unFitt Mitt) to GOP campaign rallies to protest.
er... uh... Chilled... can you say SARCASM? Obviously not. :-(
SOTB, thetotas--because after 3 1/2 years of GOP obstructionism, blocking, delaying, denying, 3 1/2 years of the GOP putting Party First ahead of Country, it is difficult to muster up a positive comment about any of them.
And, please, spare us the nonsense about the left picking on George W. Bush because the left didn't do that until he took us into an unnecessary war and didn't pay for a darn thing he did and the GOP now blames President Obama for the massive deficit and debt THEY created. More contemptable, the GOP has the audacity to now blame President Obama about the economy YET NOT ONCE DID THE GOP lift a finger or do one single thing to help Americans through the worse crisis since the Great Depression. Ideology is a terrible thing when it is used as a weapon of destruction against the other side and in the process causes pain and hardship for the people and the country they claim to love. Sorry, SOTB, thetotas, it is difficult for this Iowan to muster up anything except complete contempt for the Party of NO.
Perhaps when the GOPers in Congress begin behaving as adults instead of kids who lost the game in 2008, they might get some respect but pigs are likely to fly before the GOP grows up.
Oh My!
If today's back to back speeches are any indication of things to come - you right wing nuts are f@cked! lmao!
Bring on the debates!
If Rubio is Mitt's choice, you will see MASSIVE amounts of anti-Cuban and anti-Catholic nastiness on this site from the usual suspects. The same people who rant and rave that the Republican Party is too White. mark my words. I was DEAD-ON correct about the Mormon bashing, wasn't I?
Damage obviously got fired from McDonald's. Now we have to deal with him in the afternoon.
Nice to see you Mark.
Hope all is well sown South.
Glad to see Rubio moved this ambassador forward to the next phase.
Took some time, but they finally realized it wasn't worth a filibuster over.
Someone needs to get rid of that technical fillibuster rule, man...
What does SOTB mean?
Sick Of The Bickering = SOTB
Feisty - they did show the size of the hoards coming out to cheer on Romney. The photo fits on a postage stamp!
Obama/Biden 2012
Well that's not nice.
Hi Yellowdog,
One of the reasons it is not worth posting on this site anymore especially First Thoughts. This blog for a majority of the posters is used as nothing more than an opportunity to post hateful one liners.
Glad your back. I read your post yesterday, like always, very insightful. As far has the change in FR, I totally agree. FR is almost unrecognizable, gone are the civil debates, replace by useless grandstanding.
SickOfTheBickering
So the GOP gives us 3 1/2 years of unmitigated hate, then ONE finally lifts his f#$%king finger to do the right thing, and you want us to fall all over ourselves giving him praise?
Okay.
Here goes.
I'll try real hard here...
I am thankful that that @!$%# finally woke up to the fact that he was blocking her nomination for purely political reasons and that it was hurting our country and his candidacy.
There. Did that do it?
Even more proof that Marco does not wish to be Romney’s VP.
You just cannot back anything Obama and get any respect from the Right.
Wow, Harry actually brought something up for a vote! Must have run out of cowboy poetry to read.
Rubio is classy and can be bi-partisan when it comes to getting the job done! A rare breed in a time when 'obama class warfare' is the norm!
Rubio is an honest politician... THAT is a rare breed! On the other hand let's consider Barack Hussein Obama's lack of honesty for a second.... oops, well it would take much more time than a second to do that.... much, much more in fact, and take way too long. Barry is no Marco, not by a long shot!!!!!
Dude decides to stop holding up our government by blocking yet another of Obama's nominees and you want to give him a medal for it...
George, you been drinking the juice again.
Anybody with an ounce of reason will see this for what it is.
Rubio objectedto her nomination to begin with, and now two years later during an election year, he has a change of mind?
You think her Hispanic sounding name had anything to do with it and trying to win over their vote?
Frank -- Is Rubio's change different from another politician that was for gay marriage, then was against it and now again in favor? That was called a politician evolving his beliefs.
Are only certain politicians allowed to evolve?
Chaning your mind over a social issue that you have always said was evolving is a little different than someone doing a 180 on a political appointee. What is different with this nominee than it was two years ago?
Nothing, only an election year when the Hispanic vote is even more important than usual.
Since it doesn't cost the 1% anything, Rubio's in the clear with the Repubes.....
Is 99% of America broke and poor?
Nolimit -
Didn't say they were. I was making reference to the fact that Big Money runs the show in the GOP, and they give the ok on what the Repube Congress can and can't do, and what they can vote on, or not. They call it ownership. I call it the best Congress money can buy!!!
The most expensive box of "Tea-Bags" in U.S. History.
Obama/Biden 2012
GT... how naive must you be to not believe that 'big money' runs the show on BOTH sides of the isle.
Hey Sick, The left side of the aisle is representing the middle class and that doesn't generate a whole lot of money to buy "Decent politicians (LOL)". That's the problem. The country needs to be more equitable in our political corruption.
Obama/Biden 2012
I am the middle class and the left does NOT represent me. Never has and never will.
I am the middle class and the left does NOT represent me. Never has and never will.
Ru - That's bull@!$%#, and you know it. Lets see, We got anti trust laws, social security, civil rights, Medicare, Osha, EPA, .... and the list goes on and on. So don't think you're not represented.
Harry Truman once said: If you want to continue living like a Republican, you better start voting like a Democrat.
Ru - Maybe you should consider taking that advice....
Obama/Biden 2012
Rukidding 47 Just goes to show brain damage is permanent.
Obama supporters = : (
Romney supporters = : )
"LOL"
Well, thank you Marco Rubio! One of two things happened, either Rubio does not want to alienate Latinos or he wants to look bi-partisan and cooperative during the VP auditions; or perhaps it is both!
What is this, one out of 200-300 nominees the GOP has sat on? Say, maybe when First Read has some spare time, they could list who and what slots for Obama nominees remain blocked, held up and for how long during the GOP Senate's "holding" pattern of obstruction? They must also include all the previous appointees who were blocked and finally withdrew out of frustration simply to get on with their lives.
Yes, I know, democrats did some of this, too, but nothing like the past three years of GOP total and complete obstruction.
That's nothing compared to the destruction Obama has done ....
We'll be paying for Obama's disasters for decades ....
That's nothing compared to the destruction Obama has done ....
Missing Osama bin Laden are we?
Big Ben,
We are still paying for Regan’s failures.
No Amy, but we are missing the 26 seal team six members that were killed in a botched raid Obama ordered and the Navy Medic and Marine that Obama killed with one of his drones strikes. You do know that the world's opinion of Obama the Assassin is way down due to his Foreign Policy of being Judge, Jury and Assassin don't you? You know what really is a foreign policy to Obama? The economy. He doesn't have a clue.
Also Amy, we're missing all the babies that were slaughtered during Partial Birth Abortions. A process that Barack HUSSEIN Obama wholeheartedly supports.
Are the prosecutions still ongoing?
Prosecutions? They're LEGAL. That's the problem. But so was slavery. At least Dr. George Tiller was aborted in his 138th trimester. That helped.
Jody--it is another example of false equivalency. Yes, historically each party has used the filibuster. But the Republicans have done so at triple the rate of the past---just more of their ostructionism.
Rocco
Very true words.
Also Amy, we're missing all the babies that were slaughtered during Partial Birth Abortions.
Damage -
Get your facts together "Slingblade" before you start slinging your right wing bull@!$%# around. Hell, the term "Partial birth abortion", and the wedge issue itself was made up by some right wing politician to appease the Right to Life movement when they started to question why the Repubes weren't doing enough to overturn Roe-v-Wade. Well, it hasn't been overturned yet. The reason is: Most Republicans are Pro-choice. So Damage, SFTU about your stupid abotion issues, and learn to accept it. If you're against abortion, don't have one. It's your "CHOICE"
Obama/Biden 2012
@Damage123...
You should seek professional help, you really are damaged!
Damage so who played judge jury and executioner for George Tiller. How is that right and Obama wrong.
Tis -- Are you equating tiller's murderer to the President of the United States?
Rubio is looking more like someone with a brain. Thats close to positive. We need some more compromise. Its too bad he tried to blame Obama, it would be nice to have some real progress without the self serving bull S H I T.
Wow! imagine that, a Tea Party Repubican helping President Obama. Good for him and just for your information Puerto Ricans in Florida are like the Cubans, most vote Republican.
More good news for Obama: Obama Beating Romney On Facebook
By David F. Carr of InformantionWeek Gov..
At least their I don't have to hear his speech with the AHHHHHHHHH, and UHHHHHHHHHHH, and EHHHHHHHHH. As a little girl I was always told that people that hesitate when they speak are most likely lying or thinking how to stretch the truth.
CC now you have lowered yourself to the bottom of the pit, so people who stutter are liars, so were do autistic children stand on your self righteous scale.
JODY,
I'd say your statement below is not exactly correct. Before 9-11 Bush was getting hit with the " Bush stole the election" mess. A lot of hate then, and a lot of hate now. On both sides. It's sad, really.
citizan Bain
Number one- bush did steal the election- just as now they purged the polls before the vote
number two- when did Sen kennedy move to work with Pres Bush on no child left behind?
Number three- we are writing an article about the bi partisan nature of approving a ambassador! Just when in the past does getting approval for a ambassodore post warrent an article extolling bi partisanship?.
Give it a break and look at the truth
v
Best post you ever made Dennis ! Does that symbolize a "v" as in victory over Michigan this year ?
Superb political strategy from the right. Rubio could be paramount as Romney's V.P. selection.
Rubio is good for America.
Yes, he may have initially been reluctant to vote for confirmation based upon other policy issues. Once those concerns were addressed, he actively sought Republicans to vote for confirmation.
That is what leadership looks like to me.
Isn't it funny how he cannot name the policy issues that caused his initial reluctance to confirm her
At least he brought a single loaf of bread rather than the IOU that Obama would bring.
Obama must go immediately, Do people not notice that we have had steady growth in jobs and the economy for over two straight years? Obama is ending our wars and his policies are killing off terrorist by the dozen monthly,,,,,,,If we do not get rid of Obama terrorist will be on the endangered list in no time!!! We were well on our way to racial purity by cutting minority rights including their voting rights, Only one or two more months of Republican control and we could of put women back in the kitchens and working for peanuts if they insisted on having a job!!!
Rubio? How can you possibly support a Hispanic to deal with a Hispanic Nation,,,,,,,,UNTHINKABLE!!!!!
Rubio, you're still with the other corrupt Republican political puppets! You only reason for voting for her was to try and steal some votes for exlax ETCH-A-SKETCH and it isn't going to work! Switch to the Democratic party, the party that is FOR THE 99% AMERICAN PEOPLE, NOT the ONE PERCENT CORRUPT Republican corporate MONARCHY that has MADE SLAVES OF THEM!
99% American People, you're too intelligent to be fooled by his vote for Maria! All he sees is VOTES from the Puerto Ricans in Florida for his political puppet exlax ETCH-A-SKETCH! He's trying to fool his own people! Vote 100% STRAIGHT DEMOCRATIC, the lives you save WILL be YOURS & your CHILDREN! Let's rid our selves of the Republican corporate's political puppets and get our country back!
Amen TR...he has to be hispanic though as the founder of the Book of Mormon states
Joseph Fielding Smith: "That negro race, for instance, have been placed under restrictions because of their attitude in the world of spirits, few will doubt. It cannot be looked upon as just that they should be deprived of the power of the Priesthood without it being a punishment for some act, or acts, performed before they were born." (The Way to Perfection, p. 43).
Get that birth certificate out Rubio! The Republicans want to see it!
Rubio did something I have waited years to see. He led. Nobody from either party has been willing to reach across the aisle, roll up their sleeves and get something done. The successful Presidents and Congresses have only worked when leaders of both parties were wiling to sit down and compromise. Newt Gingrich and President Clinton may have disagreed, but they were able to work out the differences in a meaningful way and get things done. The result? A balanced budget, and relative peace and prosperity in America. That is a stark contrast to the schoolroom antics of our government today.