Specter Stands Alone: No GOPer on Jud Cmte Willing to Declare Support for Specter--Not Even Santorum

Human Events Online ^ | November 9, 2004 | Robert B. Bluey

[hinterlander]

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter has failed to secure public support from members of the Judiciary Committee, and now even Pennsylvania’s junior senator, Rick Santorum, is officially "undecided" about supporting Specter's bid to chair the Judiciary Committee, according to a spokesman with the Senate Republican Conference, which Santorum leads.

More than half of the members on the Senate Judiciary Committee are declining to say whether they plan to support Sen. Specter's bid to become the committee's chairman when the 10-member panel votes by secret ballot in January.

Conservative groups opposed to Specter flooded Senate Republican offices with phone calls after Specter suggested President Bush shouldn't nominate judges who oppose abortion. Specter has since backed away from his comments.

Six of the nine members of the Judiciary Committee declined give a yes or no answer, opting instead to remain uncommitted.

Judiciary Committee

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch -- Did not return calls
104 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5251
Fax: (202) 224-6331

Sen. Charles E. Grassley -- Wouldn't say
135 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-3744
Fax: (202) 224-6020

Sen. Jon Kyl -- Did not return calls
730 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4521
Fax: (202) 224-2207

Sen. Mike DeWine -- Wouldn't say
140 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2315
Fax: (202) 224-6519

Sen. Jeff Sessions -- Wouldn't say
335 Russell Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4124
Fax: (202) 224-3149

Sen. Lindsey Graham -- Did not return calls
290 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5972
Fax: (202) 224-1189

Sen. Larry Craig -- Wouldn't say
520 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2752
Fax: (202) 228-1067

Sen. Saxby Chambliss -- Wouldn't say
416 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: (202) 224-3521
Fax: (202) 224-0103

Sen. John Cornyn -- Wouldn't say
517 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2934
Fax: (202) 228-2856

Republican leadership

Sen. Bill Frist, Majority Leader -- Did not return calls
461 Dirksen Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-4205
Tel: (202) 224-3344
Fax: (202) 228-1264

Sen. Mitch McConnell, Majority Whip -- Did not return calls
361-A Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-1702
Tel: (202) 224-2541
Fax: (202) 224-2499

Sen. Rick Santorum, Conference Chairman -- Undecided
511 Senate Dirksen Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-6324
Fax: (202) 228-0604

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Conference Vice Chairman -- Did not return calls
284 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5922
Fax: (202) 224-0776

[hinterlander]

Maybe we will be reading: Senator Spector joined Senator Chafee as the Senate's two newest Democratic senators reducing the Republican majority by two.

Subhead: GOP Leadership Says "Don't Let the Door Hit You in the A**"

[Bonaparte]

"...one more round of calls..."

IMHO, that won't get the job done. This must be a massive, 2-month campaign. We must write actual letters and whoever is in the DC area must protest Specter on the steps of the Capitol. Not once or twice, but loudly and repeatedly.

I am honestly flabbergasted at Santorum's bizarre behavior here. He knows that Specter is adamantly pro-abortion.

[MarineBrat]

He should chair the janatorial comittee!

[LADY J]

"Maybe we will be reading: Senator Spector joined Senator Chafee as the Senate's two newest Democratic senators reducing the Republican majority by two."

If that's how loyal they are and they stay - they'll vote with the RATS anyway...so what's the difference?

[BP2]

It's time for one more round of calls, everyone.

Yep. Let's cement the deal. We all know how wishy washy these senators can be behind closed doors.

[Bonaparte]

Have you been following the liberal media on this -- papers like the Boston Globe? They love the idea of making Specter chair of judiciary! They are praying that Republicans are foolish enough to go ahead with this insanity. Not one of them will be "laughing" when the vote goes south on Specter.

[reaganaut]

Since it is a secret ballot, I don't expect anyone to say anything other than "no comment". This could go either way, since it is secret, they can vote for Specter without much consequense, b/c no one will know for sure WHO voted for/against him.

On the flip side, this is producing some good results, we have put the RINO's on notice and hopefully, it will reign them in some.

[pogo101]

Interesting, but

1. could this sort of response be traditional, i.e., you'd get it even in a setting in which the Chairmanship selection was a foregone conclusion and not controversial?

2. Remember that it would be very easy for the Democrats on that committee to throw their votes to Specter. Specter's one vote (for himself) plus nine Dems', is ten out of nineteen.

[jackbill]

I don't know how to take this, whether good news or bad news.

They may just be hunkering down, hoping that the stuff stops hitting the fan. Then after everything dies down they can make Specter chairman.

That's why it is important to keep up the pounding, up until the day that they vote (11/17?)

[ZULU]

"Senator Frist has no say on who becomes head of the Judiciary committee...that is done by the Republicans on the committee. You do know that right?"

Yeah, sure.

I sent Frist an E-Mail expressing my opposition to Specter.

I'm sure he gets the message and the more and the louder we express the clearer it will become. Ultimately it will probably be up to Bush himself and I doubt Bush is going to save the neck of such an ungrateful, arrogant idiot who couldn't even deliver his own state.

[wardaddy]

I'm not convinced...the Senate is so damned clubby.

[ZULU]

Nobody likes a back stabber.

[jackbill]

I think everyone should remember that Orrin G. Hatch is a RIAA/MPAA servant who tried to push the Anti-Technology/Anti-consumer "Induce" Act earlier this year.

If you think that that crap is as important as getting the right kind of judges, I suggest that you rethink your priorities.

[Raycpa]

But I predict that if we get our way on this, the RATS will get the last laugh, not us.

How much worse can they rats make it ? They already filibuster everyone ?

[ZULU]

They might, but then, that would be an act of supreme arrogance or stupidity, or both.

Bush just won re-election for four more years, the Repubs control the Senate anyway and the House also, and if they turn coat, they can expect no pork from Washington for their supporters.

But then, Specter and Chafee are both pretty arrogant and far from the brightest lightbulbs in the house.

[Bonaparte]

"Conservative Christian/Pro-Life/Pro-Family political work teams are saying privately that they will not offer coordinated workers and staffing for republicans supporting Specter."

They will only know who to punish if the actual vote is on the public record, not secret as it currently is. We should not only protest Specter, but the secret vote process. The SJC is essentially acting as a star chamber, making its decisions in the darkness and unaccountable to their voters for those decisions. IMO, that's intolerable. I want to know how these bastards vote on every last little matter. We pay their salaries!

[ZULU]

Exactly.

Even if they jump ship, the Repubs still control both houses and they are merely changing labels, not voting patterns.

[montag813]

The Republican leadership is hoping this will die out and they can go ahead and nominate Specter

They are going to try and talk it to death. So stupid for Rove to oppose Toomey. He could have saved all this party-bruising. Too late. Now we are going to have an old Democrat-style brawl over Specter. Too much momentum to stop it now. Expecting Chafee and Collins to bolt over this.

[hinterlander]

Remember that it would be very easy for the Democrats on that committee to throw their votes to Specter. Specter's one vote (for himself) plus nine Dems', is ten out of nineteen.

It doesn't work that way. The GOP picks their committe leader (a.k.a. Chairman -- because they're in the majority) and the Dems pick their committee leader (a.k.a. Ranking Member -- because they're in the minority).

The Senate GOP Caucus has a Committee on Committees to handle this, the Democratic leader (Reid) has the power to hand-pick Democratic committee leaders -- that's why Daschle and other Senate Dem leaders have had so much power. If a Dem senator refuses to toe the party line, the leader can deny them a committee seat.

[jackbill]

Brit Hume had scenes from Senator Cornyn's office yesterday on FNC Special Report. They were being inundated with FAX's (they showed a pile), e-mails and phone calls.

And that video was shot before my FAX's went out.

KEEP UP THE PRESSURE.