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Behind The Shelby Holds: He Thinks Obama's White House Is Biased Against Alabama
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) and President Obama
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We already told you about the extraordinary "blanket hold" Sen. Richard Shelby has reportedly placed on all of President Obama's nominations to the Senate yesterday. Shelby's D.C. office hasn't returned our phone calls and emails looking for comment, yet, but digging around on the web a bit this morning, we found a nugget that could provide some insight into what's going on. According to Shelby, the Obama administration is biased against Alabama.
As we reported, Shelby's holds are based, among other things, on two national security programs that would send billions to his home state. One, a multi-billion dollar air-to-air refueling contract currently under review at the Pentagon, has been controversial for years. But in an interview with an Alabama TV station this week, Shelby suggested that what's holding up the contract now could be hometown bias from Obama and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Both men are from Chicago, which has been home to Boeing's headquarters since 2001. That company is competing for the contract to build the tankers with a consortium of companies led by European airplane manufacturer Airbus and U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman. The Airbus deal calls for the planes to be manufactured in Mobile, Alabama. According to details of the Boeing proposal released last year, its tanker would be built in Seattle, WA and Wichita, KS.
Airbus was awarded the contract to build the planes in the 1990s, but Boeing protested, setting of years of rancorous debate in the Capitol and defense circles about who should be allowed to build the plane, which the Air Force has said is badly needed to replace its aging fleet of existing tankers.
Shelby seems to think that, despite the years of debate about this issue already, the tables turned in Boeing's favor when the Obama administration entered the White House. Here's what he said to Mobile CBS affiliate WKRG about the deal this week:
"I'm very dubious of the present process being fair...You got to remember where Obama is from and where Rahm Emanuel is from, Chicago, and that's Boeing. They're going to do everything they can to tilt this process to Boeing."
Here's video of Shelby saying the government can't create jobs from WKRG:
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Schmed
February 5, 2010 10:34 AM
What do we need a Senate for again?
Oh yeah! -- Protecting rich people's interests!
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mJJ
February 6, 2010 3:12 PM in reply to Schmed
Shelby can try to nice it up all he likes, but alas, he is just a plain old racist. He and Tancredo who talks about no "civics requirement" required to vote, both hark back to segregation days. Shelby obviously has this deep, innate hatred of the idea a Black person ended up being our President. But neither have the guts to come right out and say what they mean. But as Republicans, we should call out their racism for what it is. This is one Republican who is so thrilled to see that our nation passed the color line and elected our first African American. What a thrill!!!!
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Michael A
February 5, 2010 10:35 AM
One word. Good.
Time to play some Chicago politics hardball. It's about time. I thought he forgot where he cut his teeth in politics. Maybe it's time for a shake up in advisors.
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Signalman
February 5, 2010 10:48 AM
Having grown up in Alabama, I can assure the Senator that the White House isn't biased against Alabama. Alabama is biased against the White House.
That dog just won't hunt, Senator.
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cube3u
February 5, 2010 10:50 AM
The entire business of "holds" needs to be ended immediately--from any party. Absolute nonsense.....
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brianm0122
February 5, 2010 10:57 AM
I hope Shelby holds the line. Obama can use this, along with the jobs bill filibuster, to show that the Repubs put their own partisan, parichoal (sp) interests before the countries.
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georgecs
February 5, 2010 11:13 AM
Ah, yes. The Senate. America's answer to that den of inbreeding, Britain's House of Lords. And it only took us two centuries to reach the same level of arrogance, nepotism, and royal privilege that it took the British a thousand years to achieve.
We truly are an ambitious bunch we are.
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Schmed
February 5, 2010 11:15 AM in reply to georgecs
Yes, but the Lords are generally better spoken and dressed. And they've got moats.
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jeffgee
February 5, 2010 11:14 AM
Shelby- Another son o' the South, a Lord Wellington (or is he von Blücher?) wannabe trying to bring on the Battle of Waterloo, 2010 Edition.
What would John McCain, the anti-earmark maverick in 2008, say about Shelby holding all of Obama's nominees hostage to his defense contractor earmarks?
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Schmed
February 5, 2010 11:16 AM in reply to jeffgee
IOKIYAR!
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Walter Mitty
February 5, 2010 11:19 AM
So these contracts were held up under the Bush administration for years? Where was the blanket hold then? And this is the clown Dodd is working with on the financial regulations reform than wants to neuter or remove the Volcker rule?
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TheOtherWA
February 5, 2010 11:27 AM
Reid ignored a hold by Sen. Ron Wyden in 2007, so screw Shelby.
http://news.opb.org/article/659-assistant-interior-secretary-confirmed-despite-sen-wyden-hold/
Call for a vote anyway.
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Signalman
February 5, 2010 11:56 AM
So much for the Republican demand that all Presidential nominees receive a prompt up-or-down vote. Once again, what they say and what they mean are two different things.
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wvbiker
February 5, 2010 12:31 PM
Shazzam!!! And I thought Pres. Obama was from Kenya.
He's from Chicago?? You don't say.....do the voters in Alabama know this???
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DugFmJamul
February 5, 2010 12:37 PM
GO SHELBY GO...STICK IT TO THAT PROGRESSIVE TYRANT!
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wwstaebler
February 5, 2010 12:43 PM
Boeing has apparently indulged in considerable corruption over the years, in all its locations across the country, long before Obama took office. G. Florence Scott at the Cafe linked us to two particular articles related to this subject, one of which cited the testimony of a whistleblower discussing Boeing's long-term manipulations to gain advantage: industrial espionage against its competitors, their filings of lawsuits against competitors, their contributions to various campaigns, etc.. What may be particularly upsetting to Shelby is that Boeing has within the past month announced a plan to build equipment in Charleston, South Carolina -- although whether it is the same equipment that was scheduled for Alabama I do not know. In any case, Shelby is disingenuous to suggest that this is Obama's doing. This is BOEING in action.
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Flybynite
February 5, 2010 1:06 PM in reply to wwstaebler
Not to defend Boeing, but that sounds very much like Boeing is just acting like any red-blooded American company. Manipulation? Espionage? Lawsuits? Political contributions? How is that not business as usual? It's the bloody norm, for heaven's sake.
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SantaMonica
February 5, 2010 1:07 PM
Hey TPM, the contract was awarded to Airbus in like 2005, right around the time there was this procurement scandal with Boeing.
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Gopherit
February 5, 2010 1:17 PM
Sounds like someone at Northrop was going to revoke Shelby's retirement plan. Nice deflection, though, in trying to suggest Rahm and the President need to make Boeing happy. It might be a little to obvious a projection, but well played.
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Matt Jones
February 5, 2010 7:16 PM
Why not make Shelby try to filibuster? I want to hear his explanation, given the Republican talking points:
- earmarks are bad
- government can't create jobs; spending just takes away private sector jobs
- appointments should get an up-or-down vote
Especially the middle one - I can't wait to hear how infrastructure spending is bad, but military equipment bought from overseas companies is good...
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MyMy
February 6, 2010 7:35 PM
The man is beyond belief. But even more beyond belief is the horrendous power one single senator has to stop the machinery of good governance.
But of course, being from Alabama, he probably doesn't know what that is...
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