Born again opposition to lame duck appointments

by: Jason Springer

Fri Dec 18, 2009 at 10:30:00 AM EST

There is a legitimate debate that can be had about appointments made during the lame duck session. Perhaps many positions should have been filled before it came to this point, but we're here now and the GOP temper tantrums lately smell more like politics than principle.

And for many, this is born again opposition to lame duck appointments and nominations. When Don DiFrancesco left office before Jim McGreevey came into office, they made 257, not a typo, 257 lame duck appointees:

During the final weeks of Donald DiFrancesco's term as Acting Governor, the State Senate voted to confirm 257 appointees during the 2001 lame duck session. One of them was his Chief Counsel, James Harkness, currently the Senate Republican Executive Director and a member of Governor-elect Christopher Christie's transition team. Harkness, who was appointed to the Local Finance Board, isn't the only familiar name on DiFrancesco's list of appointments. At least three -- Raymond Pocino, Edward Gant, and John Sette -- were included on the list of nominees Gov. Jon Corzine submitted to the State Senate this week. DiFrancesco also appointed union leader Carla Katz to the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission.

In addition to the number, they say they're upset that the Governor made an appointment to the BPU, but Tom Kean Jr. blocked the nomination of Linda Stender earlier this year. Still other nominations, like the Judgeship of Phil Haines in Burlington County, were known well in advance of them being made. So to act like this is all shocking is beyond disingenuous. But we shouldn't really be surprised by the press release outrage. They're good at that.

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