Manchin, Donnelly, Warner, Heitkamp, Nelson & Shaheen vote with Republicans to confirm Haspel

[Miles Archer]

?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale

WASHINGTON ― The Senate on Thursday confirmed Gina Haspel to be President Donald Trump’s CIA director after a number of Democrats facing tough reelection fights this year announced they would support her nomination.

Haspel, a former clandestine officer with more than 30 years of service at the agency, was confirmed by a narrow 54-45 vote. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) joined nearly every Republican in voting to approve her nomination.

Haspel’s appointment to the CIA capped a contentious debate over the George W. Bush-era enhanced interrogation program ― which included torture techniques like waterboarding. The issue became relevant again after Trump pledged during his presidential campaign to revive torture.

Human rights advocates and even some Republicans, like Sens. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), objected to Haspel because of her involvement in the torture program after the 9/11 attacks and her role in the subsequent destruction of videotapes that showed interrogations of certain suspects.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gina-haspel-torture-confirmed_us_5afdb75fe4b0a59b4e01c1a5

[HopeAgain]

1. The Banality of Evil

This woman should be in jail, but instead she gets a promotion. I'm so discouraged. Honestly I think I need to step away from politics for a while. I'm getting tired of voting for the lesser evil.

[marble falls]

2. We got Trump because of that high minded attitude.

[HopeAgain]

4. Not torturing is high minded?

WOW the fucking bar has been set incredibly low. I just blocked Nelson's emails begging me for more money. Fuck it Votes (by them) have consequences too.

[marble falls]

6. We get rid of the torturers AFTER we take Congress. The other side doesn't play by the same rules...

as we do. If we have a full Congress we change their stance or replace them but we still have Congress.

When lesser of two evil choices encourage enough disgust to throw an election two bad, bad things happen, we get disastrous Presidents and not only do they not vote for President but by staying home they aren't voting for any other office, too.

Stay in the game and we can make the changes we need!!!!

[shanny]

7. Oh do we? We had that chance in 2008. nt

[marble falls]

12. Nows not the time to quit. We Democrats need to get along. Period.

[shanny]

14. I support Democrats who support

Our principles and our people.

[Autumn]

16. We didn't do that the last time did we? You remember "We tortured some folks,"?

"A lot of those folks were working hard under enormous pressure and are real patriots,” That's what my President said about those people who tortured other people and it went away.
Now it's back and one of those "hard working patriots" is in charge of the CIA. We didn't change it then why would it be changed now?

https://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/john-brennan-torture-cia-109654

[Fullduplexxx]

3. Not voting for the lesser of 2 evils is how we got trump

Im so sick of hearing that bs

[NurseJackie]

9. Yes. This. Exactly. Thank you!

[DemocraticSocialist8]

5. People will attack you because they don't want to acknowledge that there are

problematic people within the Party. If we can't hold our own accountable, then how are we better than the Right? Haspel never should've been confirmed. Period. She wouldn't have been without Dem support. Admitting that isn't being "high-minded," it's called having a moral compass and doing what's right. There's nothing those particular Dems will gain from getting behind her.

[shanny]

8. +1

[regnaD kciN]

10. That's the problem with the "big tent" approach...

Supporting conservative Democrats in conservative districts may get you the power of numbers, but that doesn't translate into positive action when those same Democrats vote with Republicans. Of course, the counter is that, if a Republican had won that district instead, the particular vote would have turned out the same, and many other votes where said conservative did side with his or her party might have gone the other way had it been a Republican filling that seat.

Nevertheless, it is frustrating that Republicans seem to have zero trouble convincing their "moderate" members to toe the line on practically everything, whereas we can't count on the same.

[Nanjeanne]

11. If Democrats can't stand up for morality and against torture - who knows what they actually can

stand for. Do these Senators actually think this confirmation vote is the actual vote that is going to get them reelected? Delusional. I'd prefer them standing on the moral side of this issue and explaining that to their constituents. They come from a Red state? Really, that's Nelson, Shaheen and Warner's reason? Even Manchin, Donnelly and Heitkamp should be able to explain their moral stance to their voters. Are we now to believe that "red" state Senators can't have a moral compass?

[Dawson Leery]

13. Warner, Shaheen, and Nelson had nothing to lose by opposing this vile monster.

[gratuitous]

15. Neither did the others

If you can't make the case against torture to your constituents, get out of the game. Shameful.

[vi5]

18. None of them did. Without Democrats it was bipartisan disapproval. (nt)

[vi5]

17. I guess as long as Dems have that "They support us 75% of the time!" crew of D's

They can never be expected to stand up for anything or get anything done.

She literally would not have gotten approved without Democrats.

It would have been bipartisan disapproval of her and her immorality.

But oh well. 75% of the time and all of that.

I guess it's always going to be somebody's 25% right?

But hey, "It's in our platform!" and "It's on the website!" is good enough. I just don't understand why that's not enough for most people!!