One thing we don't need in 2008 is a practiced Republican expert at voter suppression as a Commissioner of the Federal Elections Commission.
Hans von Spakovsky, who was the boss from hell at the Justice Department (he would apparently go through the private inboxes of employees he didn't like), as well as a practiced expert at denying voting rights to minorities, is causing a bit of wrangling within the Senate. Von Spakovsky is up for appointment to the FEC, which regulates elections. The FEC has four commissioners under recess appointments right now, and Mitch McConnell is using this as leverage to force von Spakovsky onto the FEC by putting a single up or down vote on all four current FEC nominees at once. Reid wants to allow this to go forward because one of his guys is slated to be appointed.
A credible but non-Hill source told me that Feingold is going to object to McConnell's attempt to force von Spakovsky onto the FEC through this tactic. I don't know if the FEC will shut down if it doesn't have enough commissioners, but this is another back-against-the-wall surge strategy maneuver from the right-wing.
Feingold's standing his ground. Good for Russ. And Reid is not. Boo.
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