Senators should be working together

Dave Stovall, Henderson

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 | 2:04 a.m.

I agree wholeheartedly with the Las Vegas Sun’s Monday editorial, “Republican obstructionism — Senators use rules, procedures to block nominees and progress in government.”

Republican senators have often seemed, in my opinion, to be practicing obstructionism for the sake of scoring a few points with their base. And, as Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley put it, the use of anonymous holds is “influencing the productivity of the United States Senate.”

Senators of all political persuasions who play political games — such as blanket/anonymous holds on nominations — while our country has vital but vacant positions in or on important boards, departments, commissions, judgeships and ambassadorships, are (here, readers, choose or substitute your personal favorite adjective) scandalous, sinful, shortsighted or stupid. It squanders time and resources and is just plain wrong. It also seems to be a violation of Senate rules.

It seems specious and disingenuous for Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., to object to a vote on reforming the use of holds, saying it is not a pressing issue.

Senators should, indeed, drop these tactics and start working together for the good of the nation.