Posted on 11/21/2004 9:34:52 PM PST by Jim Robinson
WASHINGTON -- Before Sen. Arlen Specter stood beside other Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday and pledged support as their chairman for any judge that President Bush nominates, he had been scared stiff by his colleagues and by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
It was close. As late as Wednesday night, his statement of party loyalty was rejected by Frist as inadequate. When the Judiciary Republicans caucused Thursday, two of them were not yet on board for Specter. To achieve the chairmanship that he has coveted for years, Specter had to promise he would seriously dilute the "independence" he brags about. The achievement suggests that Frist is getting the hang of being leader after a rocky first year in the job.
That offers hope for an end to recent Democratic success in using the filibuster to block every Bush judicial nomination deemed objectionable to liberal pressure groups. The stakes grow higher with the probability of Supreme Court nominations. But Frist will have four additional Republican senators, thanks to this year's elections, and enhanced confidence, thanks to the way he handled the Specter affair
~snip~
What to do with Specter, then, was explained to me by one of the committee's most politically astute Republicans, who asked that his name not be used: "We have to scare the hell out of Arlen before he gets to be chairman -- scare him so badly he will act properly as chairman."
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
"Scaring Spector straight"
Spector was gay?
That is a puzzler! The question now is: Why would the libs and rinos refrain from dropping the homophoed bomb on us? Or, did they drop it, only to discover that we at Free Republic are uneffected by it?
The chair controls all business that comes before the committee as to item ,and time.
He can look at the list of names and pick who and when, if ever, they get a hearing.
He can move them down the list or he can delay whoever he wants to indefinitely.
He can schedule other business or bills before them . His scheduling authority is absolute. No one on the committee can meet on anyone or anything that he does not want to.
When you here the phrase it "died in committee" that's because a chairman of that committee would not let that particular business or person even come before it.
That why these positions are so sought after.
That's why they where trying to get him to promise that the judges would get [1.] a hearing and [2.] it would be a quick one.
They know it's strictly up to him who, when and if ever they meet on.
All they got is his word.
Bork him
Robert Bork, Jeff Sessions and then he didn't have the power of the chair.
Take my word for it with that chair nothing or nobody will get through that committee that he doesn't want through.
Also what he can put through can hurt just as bad or worse.
A liberal judge, bad gun law, gay marriage, international criminal court, bad tort law all these things have to go through this committee to ever get to Senate floor.
| Well, I don't doubt it. It just seems like most of the opposition has been focusing on the threat of him blocking a SCJ nominee, and I just don't see him getting away with that very easily. We will just have to watch him like a hawk, and make his life miserable as chairman until he just gives it up. |
The Republicans will get one then the Democrats will get one but the balance won't change it will be liberal like it has been for the last fifty years.
They have to take the heat off themselves.
The Republicans have to look like they are doing something about the activists judges and the Democrats don't want to lose anymore seats for being obstructionists.
So they're going to swap judges and Specter is the Democrats guarantee that the balance won't change.
That's the only way they could get past the democrat's filibuster without a tough fight.
It's the only reason I can see that the Republicans would let him have that chair with so many calling for his head. It looks like they caved again.
At best what we will get are so more Sandra O'Connor a physical conservative yet liberal on social and moral issues.
At worst, well, they will be like those strict constructionists ,[sarcasm], icons David Souter and Anthony Kennedy both appointed by Republican presidents.
That's a fact you can count on. MRN
bingo
Specter is all about the "balance". He'll bork any candidate who threatens the "balanced" activist majority.
You're exactly right.
On December 7, a second committee organizing bill was passed (I assume to assign late-coming southern reconstruction senators). It did not change any chairmanships however.
Oddly, Sumner was again appointed chairman of the Committee On Privileges and Elections. He did not refuse- on the record- that time, however a biography of him says he did again refuse to serve.
A glaring example of a change in committee chairmanships during a session of course occured when Jeffords jumped. That isn't very instructive however since a rule was passed at the opening of that session specifically saying chairmen would change upon a change in majority party.
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