Proud to be part of the Vast Right Wing Blogosphere
Posted on 11/18/2004 8:14:45 PM PST by dangus
I think it conservatives need to remember the back hand they've been dealt by Republicans; We need to be able to say, "You owe us." At the same time, our efforts did yield significant rewards. If we're getting the truth, we may have simultaneously kept Specter in the GOP, established the legitimacy of the nuclear option, and made sure conservatives' nominations would get reported out of committee.
Here is what National Review contributors had to report:
SEN. CORNYN ON SPECTER FIGHT [KJL] From the Senate floor today: And I want to say something to my constituents and the people who may be listening who have contacted my office in very sincere concern for what they have seen played out here on the Senate floor and in the judicial confirmation process. I want to say to all of them, I appreciate your passion. I appreciate your concern. I appreciate your interest in the instruments of the government that ultimately the people of this country control. And we are going to need the involvement, the attention, the passion of all of the people.
And indeed, we are going to need to appeal to our better angels on the floor of the United States Senate and in the Senate Judiciary Committee when it comes to the next nominees for the United States Supreme Court. We all remember, whether it’s a confirmation process by which Judge Bork was blocked, by which Clarence Thomas was ultimately confirmed after going through a process that no one should have to go through, my hope is that we will have learned that that is not the way the Senate should conduct itself and that we will resolve among ourselves and resolve among the American people and to the people we represent that we will treat the President’s judicial nominees fairly, that we will treat them with dignity and that we will provide the up-or-down vote that the United States Constitution demands when it comes to the confirmation of the President’s judicial nominees.
I’m not suggesting for a minute that anyone violate their conscience. Indeed, any Senator with a sincere belief that an individual judge should not be confirmed should come to the floor, as no doubt they will, and explain to their colleagues why they feel so strongly, why they conscientiously object to this nominee and to vote their conscience. I think every Senator should do that, and I trust they will.
But no one, no Senator has a right, no group of Senators has a right, no minority has a right to tyrannize the majority of the United States Senate when we stand ready in a bipartisan fashion to cast a vote up or down for a judicial nominee. And I sincerely hope that we will not have only learned from the mistakes of the past when it comes to obstruction of the President’s judicial nominees, but we will conduct ourselves with the kind of dignity that the American people have come to expert from United States Senators and that we will conduct ourselves uprightly, with fairness and dignity and treat all we come in contact with exactly the same way.
KATHERINE LOPEZ: BY THE WAY [KJL] There's some important stuff in that Specter statement. Those Judicary Committee Republicans did some real work: --"I have already registered my opposition to the Democrats' filibusters with 17 floor statements and will use my best efforts to stop any future filibusters. It is my hope and expectation that we can avoid future filibusters and judicial gridlock with a 55-45 Republican majority and election results demonstrating voter dissatisfaction with Democratic filibusters. If a rule change is necessary to avoid filibusters, there are relevant recent precedents to secure rule changes with 51 votes."
And, important for FMA supporters: --"I have long objected to the tactic used in bottling up civil rights legislation in the Judiciary Committee when it should have gone to the floor for an up-or-down vote. Accordingly I would not support committee action to bottle up legislation or a constitutional amendment, even one which I personally opposed, reserving my own position for the floor."
Those committments would not have been made without people calling in and e-mailing. Good job, folks.
PEGGY NOONAN: I'll finish with Sen. Specter, whose sonorous "Ssssshhhhhhhh" was so satisfying. 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.
YOu are correct. I read my 2001 World Almanac wrong. *sheepish grin*
The Pubs have ripped the sheet with me. The voting machines haven't even cooled off yet and they're already screwing us over again just as they have for the last 40+ years.
I have voted straight GOP at the national level since 1960, and every time I have been disappointed with the net results. No more for me, Specter was the last straw. From now on I only vote in state and local races and I don't care what letter is after the name as long as he or she addresses my concerns.
Ping
I believe that we have seen it. The elites won't allow a true conservative agenda.
He can be canned, the Senate rules call for re-election of committee chairmen at two year intervals.
However,conservatives should be content with the fact that they have moved 50 Senators to review the codes of gentlemanly conduct and parliamentary rules.
As for Senator Specter,he has had to beg publically and privately for the role and suffer the indignity of having to deliver a written pledge to the majority leader.
Then like a C student,his first pledge was deemed insufficient and he was sent away to rewrite it! The first time in Senate history a chairman has had to do this.
Conservatives have had their pound of flesh from Specter's
rear and while he chairs the committee, it will not be lack of preperation H that will cause the twitches.
Many posters write about the fact we are a Republic not a Democracy, well like it or not our representatives have spoken and its time to drop this issue.
"time to give it a rest man."
I'll give it a rest when Justice is served
to the 58,000 + Brothers and Sisters on the Viet Nam Wall
You have seen the light.
Then like a C student,his first pledge was deemed insufficient and he was sent away to rewrite it! The first time in Senate history a chairman has had to do this.
Conservatives have had their pound of flesh from Specter's rear and while he chairs the committee, it will not be lack of preparation H that will cause the twitches.
Your post says it all. He has suffered an indignity and had to agree to play by the rules as set by the refreshed senate Republicans. He can renege on his pledge only at his own risk. I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall during the Pubbie committee caucus. There are members on there who no doubt would have gone to the wall to have Specter dropped, but it was not necessary -- yet. We shall see whether the taking down of his ego in this committee post is permanent or only temporary.
Thank you, Potlatch!While I like what Cornyn says, we need to make SURE to keep Specter's feet to the fire!
SEN. CORNYN ON SPECTER FIGHT [KJL] From the Senate floor today: And I want to say something to my constituents and the people who may be listening who have contacted my office in very sincere concern for what they have seen played out here on the Senate floor and in the judicial confirmation process. I want to say to all of them, I appreciate your passion. I appreciate your concern. I appreciate your interest in the instruments of the government that ultimately the people of this country control. And we are going to need the involvement, the attention, the passion of all of the people.
And indeed, we are going to need to appeal to our better angels on the floor of the United States Senate and in the Senate Judiciary Committee when it comes to the next nominees for the United States Supreme Court. We all remember, whether it’s a confirmation process by which Judge Bork was blocked, by which Clarence Thomas was ultimately confirmed after going through a process that no one should have to go through, my hope is that we will have learned that that is not the way the Senate should conduct itself and that we will resolve among ourselves and resolve among the American people and to the people we represent that we will treat the President’s judicial nominees fairly, that we will treat them with dignity and that we will provide the up-or-down vote that the United States Constitution demands when it comes to the confirmation of the President’s judicial nominees.
I’m not suggesting for a minute that anyone violate their conscience. Indeed, any Senator with a sincere belief that an individual judge should not be confirmed should come to the floor, as no doubt they will, and explain to their colleagues why they feel so strongly, why they conscientiously object to this nominee and to vote their conscience. I think every Senator should do that, and I trust they will.
But no one, no Senator has a right, no group of Senators has a right, no minority has a right to tyrannize the majority of the United States Senate when we stand ready in a bipartisan fashion to cast a vote up or down for a judicial nominee. And I sincerely hope that we will not have only learned from the mistakes of the past when it comes to obstruction of the President’s judicial nominees, but we will conduct ourselves with the kind of dignity that the American people have come to expert from United States Senators and that we will conduct ourselves uprightly, with fairness and dignity and treat all we come in contact with exactly the same way.
"Hanoi Kerry STILL is in the US Senate."
I tend to side with you on this. This snake got stomped and wounded, but he ain't dead. A wounded snake can still bite. I would rest a little better if the stomping continued until the snake is dead.
"they will respect both the tradition and the people of PA who reelected him to office again,"
The people of PA might have reelected him to be their Senator, but the rest of us (or most of us at least) don't want him to be the Chairman of Judiciary (something a lot bigger than the state of PA).
This has nothing to do with representing the state of PA.
And the Senators can respect their "tradition" --at the same time we lose our respect for them.
Specter is the first test of the "Mandate" and " Capital". Specter doesn't need to be Chairman to help his state, but we need a Chairman to help America's unborn babies that are dying - 3000 a day.
When Specter made these statements he KNEW that he was firing a shot across the bow. He was Challenging the President. This is the perfect example of making an example, of setting a precedent, of showing congress WHO IS THE BOSS.
Specter gets the chairmanship and that will encourage and embolden more rebellion among the RINOs.
Yes, I think he knows by now that there will be a big uproar if he causes any trouble!!
Yep! Freepers need to make follow-up calls to make sure they
know we'll be watching and want Specter to tow the line.I hope Specter got the message.
>As one former president said, "There they go again". They
>have an increased majority in the senate, they have an
>increased majority in the House, and they retained the
>Executive branch. So what are they doing? They're rolling
>over
"Rolling over" has increased the majority, because the undecideds consistently see the liberals acting like brats.
AND ... we still have our dignity.
Sen. Cornyn's words are well spoken, but since he's the junior senator from Texas, I'd be very surpised if the senior senator for Penn. even listens to this...
BTT for justice.
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