Editor’s Note: This post was inadvertently published early, before the vote. The vote has now occurred.
WASHINGTON POST: …Republicans relied on a procedural vote to keep the Senate from even considering former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray for the top job at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
By a vote of 53 to 45, Senate Democrats were unable to close off debate to allow the confirmation to proceed; 60 votes were needed to end a filibuster and proceed.
Though GOP lawmakers have praised Cordray’s qualifications for the job — he currently serves as the CFPB’s director of enforcement — they have pledged to prevent any candidate from being confirmed unless significant structural change are made to the bureau… (more)
EDITOR: Unable to defeat the establishment of the agency earlier, the Republicans now undermine the entire legislative process by refusing to approve a director. This is the type of thing that leads to the deterioration of a republic, as Roman history teaches us.
