WASHINGTON — The Senate could vote by the end of the week on President Obama’s choice for surgeon general, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, whose nomination the White House pulled back on last spring after intense National Rifle Association opposition.
In what would be one of his final acts as majority leader, Senator Harry Reid,
Democrat of Nevada, is leaning toward holding a vote before Congress
adjourns, a senior Democratic aide said Monday. When lawmakers return to
Washington in January, both the House and Senate will be under
Republican control, and Dr. Murthy will stand virtually no chance of
confirmation.
Mr.
Reid is eager for a resolution to Dr. Murthy’s nomination even though
he cannot be assured of the outcome, the aide said, speaking anonymously
because no final decision has been made.
The
White House is guardedly optimistic that Dr. Murthy would be confirmed
if a vote is held now. Since Senate Democrats changed filibuster rules
for nominees last year, he would need only a simple majority of 51
senators rather than 60. Dr. Murthy has been pressing his case
personally, in private meetings with many of the Democrats who were
initially wary of supporting him.
When
his nomination became imperiled last winter, the trouble stemmed from
difficulty with about 10 reluctant Democrats. But now several of those
senators have committed to supporting Dr. Murthy or are no longer
expressing skepticism.
Some
just lost their seats and are freer to vote without fear of political
repercussions. Others represent states where a vote against the National
Rifle Association could be politically dangerous and waited until after
the elections to take a public stance.
Although
the surgeon general’s office has no formal role in overseeing federal
firearms policy, gun rights advocates objected to Dr. Murthy’s
nomination because of his support for restricting how guns can be
purchased and who can own them. Dr. Murthy, an internal medicine
physician, has said his concerns about guns stem from his experience in
emergency rooms.
The
National Rifle Association said Monday that its position had not
softened. “Dr. Murthy’s penchant for political activism is deeply
troubling,” said a spokesman, Andrew Arulanandam.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/09/us/politics/vote-on-surgeon-general-nominee-vivek-murthy-may-be-near.html?ref=politics&_r=0
I posted a previous rant on the many reasons why Dr. Murthy is unfit to be surgeon general...
http://starvinlarry.com/2014/10/25/anti-nra-ebola-theme-infects-media-spreads-rapidly/
I posted a previous rant on the many reasons why Dr. Murthy is unfit to be surgeon general...
http://starvinlarry.com/2014/10/25/anti-nra-ebola-theme-infects-media-spreads-rapidly/
No comments:
Post a Comment