Posted on 11/17/2004 7:28:27 PM PST by JanetteS
Arlen Specter was just re-elected by the people of Pennsylvania, a major industrial state; the Judiciary Committee chairmanship is his by tradition and seniority. Conservatives have been angry with him for a long time and for good reason. They have expressed their unhappiness. They have made their point. Mr. Specter has been chastened and warned; the leadership of his party told him to fight for himself. He knows the Republican Party will expect him to support the nomination of judges free of a Roe v. Wade litmus test, or any litmus test, including a religious test. Many believe, and with reason, that a practicing Catholic isn't allowed to be a federal judge in America anymore. Mr. Specter will have to be more open-minded, more supportive, than he's been in the past. But he looks like a man who got the message, doesn't he?
The on-the-ground conservatives who won this election for the Republican Party want to show their force. Understandable. They won. But there's a lot of force being shown lately, and sometimes it's conservative to step back, to hold your fire, to wait.
Give him the slot. If it doesn't work, revisit it later. There are enough battles going on.
Ssssshhhhhhhh.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
It's nice to hear a calm voice amidst all the shouting.
I care nothing about tradition, or how long the man has been there. Sen. Specter has proven himself unworthy of the position.
Once he's in, you can't get him out. I think its far better to gibe a good bitchslap to someone who obviously needs it as an example to others. If done right, there will be no need to do it again.
I really want to see Arlen making speeches from now till Jan. 3 about how his earlier statements were misinterpreted and he's really going to support Dubya's appointments and he has no prob with practicing Catholics or Evangelicals being on the bench.
And in the meantime how many good nominees will be ground to shreds by the Michael Moore type witnesses that Specter allows to testify before the judiciary committee.
If Specter has truly agreed to support Bush's nominees why is he still fighting so hard for the chairmanship.
In politics you can never ever give the enemy another chance.
Now is the last and only chance to stop Specter. Peggy Noonam's apologies later will be meaningless.
That's so funny. A good "bitch slap" is actually much closer to my true nature! I've e-mailed everyone on the judiciary committee (twice) and e-mailed Senator Frist (twice) and made some calls. I've ranted and raved to all my friends and family to get involved and call and e-mail, too.
I guess I was hoping for a return to civility.
A good "bitch slap" to Arlen Specter would be much more satisfying.
Sadly, this is no longer about Arlem'ScottishLaw'Specter. It is about the Republican leadership, and that's why Peggy is mistaken, possibly because she's too trusting. The leadership is making a covert shift in policy and fundamental values they will defend in coming election cycles.
I agree. I think that's perhaps the most frustrating thing about this. The idea that what we the voters want can't automatically trump the "good ol' boy" system that the career politicians have set up for themselves.
I admit to feeling defeated after getting the e-mail from Senator Frist that basically said "trust us to do the right thing."
I really want to see Senator Specter NOT get the chairmanship, but I guess I'd settle for seeing him beg and promise to be a good boy.
I still wouldn't believe him though.
I heard somewhere that "he has been waiting 25 years for this chair".
I don't like the sound of that coming from ANYONE.
Someone else made the comment about Trent Lott stepping down for the good of the party. If Arlen really wanted to reassure us all he could at least offer.
Interesting comment, could you please elaborate?
That Judge Napolitano on FOX made the comment that this chairmanship meant that every judge looking for an appointment would have to come before Senator Specter on bended knee. He said that he was sure Specter was looking forward to it.
It made me think of a playground bully who finally got some real power.
Oh right! Mad Maddie Notbright! Now there's sexuality for all of us!
Conservatives are being hoodwinked into believing that the leadership is in no position to stop Arlen's ascencion to the Judiciary throne. This is a way to cover their butts as they make compromise after compromise on fundamental issues (judgeships, tort reform, SCOTUS appointments, World Court cooperation, spending for societal engineering, etc.) that they hope will slide further from conservatism and more toward moderates who populate the democrat party mostly. It is an effort to consolidate their power by appealing more to the 'centrist' notions which will bleed democrat votes from the liberal democrat leadership.
Let's just think that through. Denying him the chair now would be relatively easy. Removing him from the chair later would be practically impossible.
And don't think he doesn't know it.
I'd just as soon see him not get it either.
I'll take a lady over "sparks of sexuality" any day. And besides have the dems really looked at the women in their party lately? A bunch of screeching sea hags.
At least republican women are smart and well informed enough that they can make their points without talking over everyone else or shouting.
Very much like John Effin Kerry telling his acquaintances during his teenage years, through college, and in the military that he was going to be President. To me, that is sick!
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