Likely new Senate judiciary chairman warns Bush against nominating anti-abortion judges

SFGate.com ^ | 11/03/04 | LARA JAKES JORDAN

[CrosscutSaw]

The Republican expected to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee next year bluntly warned newly re-elected President Bush on Wednesday against putting forth Supreme Court nominees who would seek to overturn abortion rights or are otherwise too conservative to win confirmation.

[dufekin]

Bush did too much to help Specter (especially in the primary) for Specter to treat him like this (unless he's just throwing up a facade to deflect Democrat filibusters).

[Minus_The_Bear]

This sounds like it's right up Tom Coburn's ally. He's delivered thousands of children here in Oklahoma and is a very vocal opponent of abortion. He wont stand for this kind of crap.

[Nov3]

We should have lost this seat.

[Califelephant]

We can do something about this. We must to something about this. We WILL do something about this. If there's any way to keep him out of that chairmanship, we have to do it. Pressure on Frist. Pressure on Bush. Pressure on the Party. This is GUARANTEED to infuriate the base, and give joy to the opposition. This isn't what we won the election for.

[Busywhiskers]

OK. I took your advice. Here is my e-mail to the good doctor--

Dear Senator Frist:
Congratulations on the Republican gains in the Senate yesterday, and thank you for your service as the Senate Majority Leader.
Seems to me that the most important matter you will be facing in the coming months is confirming judicial appointments. Given the sad news of the Chief Justice's illness, this will undoubtedly include the selection of one or more Supreme Court justices.
I read today of Senator Specter's disgusting and arrogant comments, attempting to dictate to our newly reelected President what sort of nominees he should select. These matters are entirely too important to be left to Senator Specter, whose views are extreme and entirely out of touch with the Republican Platform and the vast majority of Republicans.
It is imperative that Senator Spector be denied the Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. It is also imperative that Senate Republicans take a more forceful and confrontational approach to pushing judicial nominees. I believe that your proposel to change the cloture rules would be a excellent approach to protecting the right of the Senate minority to be heard while making sure that good nominees, such as Miguel Estrada, get a vote on the floor of the Senate.
Thank you for considering my views.

[Burlem]

I tought Spectre was going to lose last night, I told my husband I did not care if he did, my husband said well he does have the R, I explained that spectre is as bad as Daschle, I would like to know how to voice opinion against him, as well, he does not need to be a committee chariman to anything.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Agreed.

[RedMonqey]

"Is this not the same man who almost lost his seat last night? Thought so."


After LOSING Pennsylvania for Bush and BARELY holding on to his own seat, Specter ain't the "juice" to be telling Bush Conservatives NOTHIN'

[Mo1]

Shut up Specter ... You aren't going to block anything

[Fatalis]

Hey Senator Spector:

[Bedford Forrest]

I think the President needs to squash Spectre early on, for two important reasons. First, the thought of Spectre controlling the Committee is simply unacceptable. This most recent outburst against a highly popular President suggests that Spectre is senile or completely compromised or both. Moreover, Hatch's weak leadership has emboldened the the neofascist goons on the Democrat side of the committee until they now feel free to engage in all sorts of crimes against the republic. Spectre is weaker and more compromised than Hatch, if that is possible. In point of fact, he would become a willing captive of the Committee's arrant fascist contingent.

The second reason for squashing Spectre here and now, immediately in the wake of this recent insult to the President, is to announce to the rest of the Senate Rinos that their joyride is over. I believe that there is much in Spectre's dossier that would help him conclude that he really doesn't want to be Chairman of the Judiciary Committee after all. The President needs to send one of his men over to see Spectre for a little chat. Spectre as Chairman would destroy any prospect for the President's plan to return the Supreme Court to its proper role in our Constitutional system.

[Awestruck]

Trade him for Zell Miller....

[Burlem]

I would not be surprised if he became the next jumpin Jim Jeffords.

Actually, didn't he do that already? I mean wasn't he a democrat?

[Robert_Paulson2]

Though he refused to describe the political leanings of the high court, Specter said he "would characterize myself as moderate; I'm in the political swim. I would look for justices who would interpret the Constitution, as Cardozo has said, reflecting the values of the people."

---

Spector will not chair the judiciary committee, UNLESS he kowtows to the party plank. The days where he can say, my way or I do a jeffords... are pretty much over.

The majority of America does NOT support unregulated and unqualified abortion on demand...

[tiny Freeper]

shove it spector! he's the only "republican" i DIDN'T vote for. i pulled one for the constitutional party. clymer is pro-life and more conservative than spector will ever be. (i guess it's a little late to be pointing this out to fellow pennsylvanian's now.)

[savedbygrace]

President Bush told everyone in the debates that he has no litmus test for USSC nominees, but that they must be strict constructionists. Specter says they must interpret the Consitution according to the current norms of the people. Therefore, Specter is standing in direct opposition to President Bush. That must not be allowed.

We need a plan of action.

[GeneralHavoc]

Specter is such a snake

[tellw]

Specter could be ousted. In 1987 I believe, Jesse Helms successfully took over the Foreign Relations Committee away from Richard Lugar. Helms pulled seniority though, and you actually had the strange situation of liberal Republican Senator Lowell Weicker voting for Helms over Lugar purely on the seniority principle.

[topher]

Ping for help to bombard the office of Arlen Specter...

[fuquadukie]

I will admit I violated a personal voting rule in voting for Spector. Normally, I do not vote for someone that I'm not excited about or knowledgable of, in ANY race. I held my nose and voted for Spector because I was converned about the Senate majority and simply couldn't vote for any of the other candidates.

In the end, we may wish Hoffel had won... easier to deal with and fight the known enemy than a traitorous "friend".

BTW, I supported Toomey in the Primary. I am extremely disappointed Bush and Santorum abandoned Toomey.