[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 145 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6241-S6242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                            bell nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is now 2 minutes of debate equally 
divided prior to the vote on the Bell nomination.
  Who yields time?
  The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. McCAIN. We are about to vote on a totally unqualified individual 
to be Ambassador to a nation which is very important to our national 
security interests. Her qualifications are as the producer of the 
television soap opera ``The Bold and the Beautiful.'' She contributed 
$800,000 to Obama in the last election and bundled more than $2.1 
million for President Obama's reelection effort.
  I am not against political appointees. I understand how the game is 
played, but here we are, a nation that is on the verge of ceding its 
sovereignty to a neofacist dictator--getting in bed with Vladimir 
Putin--and we are going to send the producer of ``The Bold and the 
Beautiful'' as our Ambassador.
  I urge my colleagues to put a stop to this foolishness. I urge a 
``no'' vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, one would think this is the first time any 
President ever nominated someone who is a political appointee. That is 
ridiculous. Just because somebody is a producer of a very popular show 
doesn't disqualify them. It is ridiculous. I could point out people who 
had the support of the Senator from Arizona who perhaps didn't work at 
all.
  So let's be clear. This nominee is an intelligent woman. She knows 
how to be successful. She will do a good job. I think she will do very 
well in this position because I know her well. She knows how to make 
friends. She is not angry.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Colleen Bradley Bell to be Ambassador 
extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States of America to 
Hungary?
  Mr. BARRASSO. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Louisiana (Ms. 
Landrieu), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are 
necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. 
Cochran), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), and the Senator from 
Kansas (Mr. Roberts).
  The PRESIDING OFFCIER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?

[[Page S6242]]

  The result was announced--yeas 52, nays 42, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 294 Ex.]

                                YEAS--52

     Baldwin
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Boxer
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Hirono
     Johnson (SD)
     Kaine
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Walsh
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--42

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Enzi
     Fischer
     Flake
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (WI)
     King
     Kirk
     Lee
     McCain
     McConnell
     Moran
     Paul
     Portman
     Risch
     Rubio
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker

                             NOT VOTING--6

     Coburn
     Cochran
     Landrieu
     Murkowski
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
  The nomination was confirmed.

                          ____________________