A Cabinet nominee not making it to the finish line is a story as old as Washington. In the past, nominees have been forced to withdraw because of things like hiring undocumented workers or a questionable business deal or an unwillingness to be as transparent about your past life as our modern politics demands.
But with Neera Tanden’s nomination by President Joe Biden to be the director of the Office of Management and Budget, we may be witnessing the first nominee derailed by Twitter. On Friday, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced that he wouldn’t support Tanden’s nomination because of her past tweets savaging a number of Manchin’s colleagues. «I have carefully reviewed Neera Tanden’s public statements and tweets that were personally directed towards my colleagues on both sides of the aisle from Senator Sanders to Senator McConnell and others. I believe her overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management and Budget,» said Manchin. «For this reason, I cannot support her nomination.» Manchin’s announcement imperiled Tanden’s nomination, as Democrats control only 50 seats in the Senate. With Manchin against her, Tanden now needs at least one Republican senator to back her nomination for her to make it. And early Monday morning, the Republican considered one of the most likely to back her said she would not — again because of Twitter. Here’s Maine Sen. Susan Collins on her opposition to the Tanden nomination: «Neera Tanden has neither the experience nor the temperament to lead this critical agency.
