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Updated: Friday, October 7, 2011 10:41 AM

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Interesting Current Events in Patronage

Notes from the News:

These items show up in the news - not real news,, necessarily - but usually indicating some sort of scheme or intrigue related to White House Appointments:

Grammy Winner Appointed 10-5-11

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Appointee for Member, President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. In addition to her career in music, Ms. Mebarak Ripoll has been involved in a number of global educational efforts. She founded the Barefoot Foundation in 1995, which operates schools and educational projects in Colombia, South Africa, and Haiti, feeding and educating approximately 6,000 children. In 2010, she collaborated with the World Bank and the Barefoot Foundation to establish an initiative that distributes educational and developmental programs for children across Latin America. In 2008, Ms. Mebarak Ripoll served as the Honorary Chair of the Global Campaign for Education’s Global Action Week. In 2005, she became a founding member of Latin America in Solidarity Action, a coalition of artists and business leaders seeking to promote integrated early childhood public policies. Ms. Mebarak Ripoll became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in 2003, where she promotes the expansion and improvement of comprehensive early childhood care and education across the world.

Firin' the Judge: 12-7-10

Federal Judges - who have a lifetime appointment - can be removed from office only by Impeachment (or indictment) by the House of Representative and a trial and conviction by the United States Senate.

These are unusual events because most federal Judges who get into legal trouble serious enough to bring on an Indictment resign from office early in the charging period to try to save retirement money and the high cost of an Impeachment and Trial.

However, an impeachment trial is occurring today on the floor of the United States Senate. The investigation has been going on for months, and it all comes to a head today. The judge is likely to be convicted - and the consequences are a formal removal from office. If criminal charges are involved, they are resolved in the usual criminal justice system applied to all persons.

The Senate agenda for today shows some details of the trial, some will be in executive session (secret.)

A Court Justice in Core Trouble

11-08-10 When Justice Clarence Thomas was elevated to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1991 in what is a historically contentious confirmation process, there were several loose ends when it was over. There was, and is, a strong belief in many that there were serious sexual harassment issues which were buried in the fury of the process. Thomas' cantankerous public persona does not help the situation, nor does his judicial policy, but he has a right to each of those. But the Justice appears to be headed to a political disaster because of his personal life.

His wife is very publicly involved in the far right political exercise. Again, that is surely her right and privilege, but it irritates, right or wrong, those that would prefer Thomas were not on the Supreme Court bench. But the smoldering disaster took a new twist when she asked Anita Hill, the apparent target of his sexual indiscretions for an apology for Hill's testimony against Thomas during the 1991 confirmation hearings. (A number of reasonably balanced books and a series of polygraph studies over the years generally confirm Hill's testimony as probative. These are backed up by other women connected to Thomas one way or another during that period, all of whom had harassment issues with him. A new book out about all this in recent days may have triggered the call, too.)

By now, Chief Justice Roberts of the Supreme Court, has undoubtedly had a "Come to Jesus" meeting with Thomas cautioning him about managing all this without further damage to the Supreme Court itself. It is probably too late because Mrs. Thomas' conduct suggests there is a still hidden new serious issue which triggered the call - a suspicious wife might well make that sort of call.

Former Senator John Danforth of Missouri, (R), has said in recent years that his support of the Thomas nomination - Thomas was from Missouri - was a mistake. The gossipy sort of way Mrs. Thomas' call has been treated as rude and unpleasant, but way too much experience in way too many people involved in politics suggests there is at least one more fact which is not yet public. A Thomas couple divorce and a resignation from the Court, stubborn as Justice Thomas is, would be a place to make at least a two dollar bet.

Interesting Current Events:

10-7-11 - Woman appointed as Chief Usher at White House - the first woman, and black woman to hold the job.

The Washington Post is reporting that Angella Reid has been appointed as the White House's chief usher. Currently general manager of the Ritz-Carlton at Pentagon City, Reid will run the household staff and grounds at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave .

President Ready to fight on delayed confirmations

The fight is on. It is not clear why the President did not fight harder for some confirmations - maybe because of other issues that seemed more important - or maybe because he couldn't risk mixing up the two Supreme Court nominations he had to make in too much political controversy.

Defending Recess Appointments: The President made several Recess Appointments while the Senate fought over permanent appointments. Now those fights are on again, and the President seems ready for the fight this time.

Liu Appointment: The President has nominated an citizen with an Oriental background to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. The GOP part of the Senate has blocked this confirmation - probably because the 8th Circuit in San Francisco is considered to be a liberal court in its decisions, and this would be a way to challenge that. Liu comes from the Law School at the University of California - Berkley - which of course irritates any conservative Senator. But - this time around he is likely to be confirmed - and if Obama is called upon to appoint another Supreme Court Justice during his term - Liu is a probable prospect for that. (3-11-11)

Policy and Politics:

The problem of confirmations in the Senate is an historic issue - President Obama and the Republican minority did not get along at all during the first two years of his administration. Confirmations took many months, even years, and important jobs were left open. The Democrats had been about as difficult with President Bush for the eight years before. With the infinite (im)maturity the Senate can show - and it has for 225 years - on confirmations - it was payback time.

But - there appears to be some sort of deal between the parties this session of Congress - confirmations are moving along better. Neither side was getting much approval from their base political groups - enough heat to force some degree of cooperation.

Republican Party Collapse .