Posted on 11/05/2004 8:32:31 PM PST by Pokey78
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 - Angry conservatives flooded Senate phone and fax lines on Friday demanding that Republicans prevent Senator Arlen Specter from presiding over the Judiciary Committee after he remarked that strongly anti-abortion judicial nominees might be rejected in the Senate.
Republican lawmakers and top Senate aides, speaking privately for the most part, said the uproar from the right was becoming an impediment for Mr. Specter, a Pennsylvania lawmaker who has coveted the chairmanship. They said while it was likely he would still get the post, it was no longer a certainty.
"He is not out of the woods,'' said one Senate aide who is closely monitoring developments on the Judiciary Committee, echoing a sentiment expressed by Republican senators and other party officials.
Most of those Republicans said they initially believed that Mr. Specter's subsequent clarification would protect him. Mr. Specter said he did not mean his remarks as a warning to Mr. Bush not to nominate to the Supreme Court a judge who would be inclined to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion.
But the Republican officials said that continuing resistance to his taking the chairmanship of the committee that examines judicial nominees was being fanned by conservative talk radio hosts and groups outraged over his comments.
Lawmakers and aides said Mr. Specter's comments have touched a nerve because Democratic resistance to Mr. Bush's judicial nominees was a key element of Republican election campaigns and a likely factor in the defeat of Senator Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader, in South Dakota. In addition, the expanded Republican Senate majority is strongly anti-abortion.
The outpouring illustrated how the party's conservative wing has been emboldened by the White House victory and the strengthening of Republican majorities in Congress, potentially raising new hazards for moderate Republicans who might want to break from the president or House and Senate leadership on major issues.
Some Republicans on Capitol Hill said the attempt to quickly exert that influence could work in Mr. Specter's favor. They said that after an energizing election, senators would not necessarily want their first action to be jettisoning Mr. Specter under pressure from outside groups. "We need to show some discipline and not overreact,'' one said.
The initial comments by Mr. Specter on Wednesday, at a news conference, that it would be unlikely for staunch opponents of abortion to be confirmed for the Supreme Court, came after Mr. Bush campaigned hard for Mr. Specter, a backer of abortion rights, to win a primary challenge against a conservative lawmaker and opponent of abortion.
But in subsequent interviews, he said that his remark at the news conference merely stated an obvious political fact: that just as Democrats had filibustered judicial nominees before, they could expected to do so again, and that Mr. Bush was aware of this.
"I did not warn the president about anything and was very respectful of his constitutional authority," he said in a written statement on Thursday, adding that he would apply no "litmus test" on abortion.
In interviews, Mr. Specter said he did not believe his chairmanship was in jeopardy. "I voted for every one of President Bush's nominees in the committee and on the floor, every last one of them,'' said Mr. Specter. He has been contacting his colleagues in an effort to calm the situation.
Mr. Specter's status as potential chairman was the subject of discussion on Thursday during a telephone conference call among Senate Republican leaders, who expressed concern about his remarks. Republicans will return to the Capitol the week after next to begin reorganizing for the coming session and could address the matter then.
The chairmanship is subject to a vote by the members of the committee and then ratified by all Senate Republicans, who almost always follow seniority in deciding committee leadership. The current chairman, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, is reaching his six-year term limit. Mr. Specter is next in line, followed by Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona.
Given their new 55-to-45 majority, Republicans also want to increase their numerical advantage on the Judiciary Committee, giving them more leverage to move judicial nominees. With that power, some Republicans said it would be counterproductive to then have a chairman who might balk at some of the president's choices.
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and a member of the panel, said he anticipated "healthy discussion'' about Mr. Specter's comments.
"The original comments attributed to Senator Specter were very unnerving,'' said Mr. Graham, who also said Republicans should not endorse a "litmus test'' that they would not accept from Democrats. "His statement clarifying his position is reassuring, and I hope we will work our way through this.''
But the conservative groups were not mollified. The Concerned Women of America planned a news conference critical of Mr. Specter on Saturday in Pennsylvania, and Michael Schwartz, the group's vice president for government relations, said his organization would continue to press the case against the lawmaker.
"It is clear to me that with this statement and his past record of performance, Senator Specter has disqualified himself from any right to be considered as chairman of the Judiciary Committee,'' Mr. Schwartz said.
A message distributed electronically by the Family Research Council urged its supporters to call Senate leaders and committee members to lobby against Mr. Specter. "He has a history of pandering to the aggressive abortion lobby, and a Specter chairmanship would be disastrous,'' the group said.
Senate offices said the response was intense. "We are getting slammed,'' said Mike Brumas, a spokesman for Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama and a panel member. "Some of them are saying things like they voted for values on Tuesday and this is a slap in the face.''
An aide to Senator John Cornyn of Texas, another Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said the office was getting several calls a minute, a volume equal to the calls during consideration of the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
Democrats say they fear that the Bush administration intends to use its second term to nominate judges interested in striking down abortion laws. They view the fight surrounding Mr. Specter as a strong indication that their concerns are warranted.
"I think Senator Specter is right and the fact that there was a negative reaction to his remarks is not a good omen,'' said Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois.
Oh reeeeally? Well, well, well...
Just e-mailed Sen Frist:
"For two years you and others in the Republican Party have sent me your letters asking for campaign contributions and I responded. Now it is time for you to respond. STOP Senator Spector. He is a Republican In Name Only and should not be trusted with any chairmanship, especially the judiciary. I will no doubt begin receive request for campaign contributions in two years or so from now. How I respond the next time will depend on how you respond to my request."
I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP THE HEAT ON FOR THE WHOLE MONTH OR UNTIL HE'S CLEARLY OUT OF IT TOTALLY DONE DEAL.
I'm sure the senators are in touch with their offices about how much heat there is and how persistent, protracted.
A vote as Senator Specter is a LOT different from a Chairman using all manner of ways to prevent a Senate vote on nominee after nominee.
ABSOLUTELY.
NO WAY WE SHOULD ENDURE SPECTER IN THE POSITION.
"Specter will be chairman, and he will send every one of the Bush nominees to the floor, even if he opposes them. This is much ado about nothing." - Torie
"I think so too, as I've written elsewhere." - IStillBelieve
I think we've about made our point. I can't imagine that Arlen would be anything but a rubber stamp now. OTOH, if he were to be denied the chair, he might turn bitter and oppose everybody.
We've spanked him - it should be OK to let him cower but keep the chair.
i guess the nyt decided it was time to stop whining about the dems loss and start printing, "all the news that fit to print"
ABSOLUTELY.
HIS WORDS are not worth a gnat's fart.
His hatred and history of working against our values and the founding values of our nation is a persistent outrageous and destructive affront to our society, culture and Republic.
BUT, you can call Hillary's office and tell her Specter will screw her just like he's screwing us and things may be taken care of in that fashion:)
If that makes me "pro abortion" in your eyes that's fine, as long as we define our terms.
Fair enough?
Why does he need a chairmanship? He was barely reelected, and has been nothing but a obstructionist forever.
Agreed...we don't need a RINO obstacle - especially a whack job like spRectum...with the most important years of Bush's entire Presidency and agenda on the line...
I think Apes was just poking the stick into the tiger cage to get a roar, God bless him. I like Apes a lot, even though we don't agree on much. LOL.
Thanks for clarifying. Being pro-abortion is like being pregnant - you either are or you aren't...but I understand you Torie. And I respect you. But I do not respect pro-abortion arguments, as you know...I just think transparency is important for credibility. Call me old fashioned...
FANTASTIC. THANKS.
The real truth is that democrats are keeping abortion legal to get rid of Blacks.
Hey I heard that! :)
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