Posted on 01/26/2009 6:56:07 AM PST by Clinton's a liar
Dispirited Senate Republicans enabled Hillary Clinton to be confirmed to be Secretary of State by a vote of 94-2. Even conservative stalwart Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who had held up her confirmation because of the major conflict of interest posed by Bill Clinton’s foundation accepting millions in donations from foreign nations and interests, voted for Clinton.
Cornyn’s vote came after Sen. John McCain (RINO-Az) went to the Senate floor to call Cornyn’s objections “gratuitous.”
This week, Senate conservatives have another challenge to face: the confirmation of the radically-liberal Eric Holder to be Attorney General. It will be paralleled by votes in the House on the Obama-Pelosi economic “stimulus” package, which the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said last week won’t do much to stimulate the economy for more than a year.
The Holder nomination vote is the first tipping point in the 111th Congress: conservatives can either make a good fight and possibly defeat Holder, or they can earn a place of irrelevance for the next two years.
Unfortunately, their chances rest on the shaky shoulders of Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa), ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Specter is now the protagonist of a passion play directed by the hyperpartisan committee chairman, Pat Leahy (D-Vt).
Specter has made a career of what liberals warmly refer to as “moderation.” When he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee he catered to Democrats’ demands for time and other considerations. But when -- as ranking minority member -- Specter demanded a week’s delay in the Holder vote (to which the minority is entitled under committee rules) -- Leahy lashed out at him.
As reported by The Politico, Leahy said, “After Republicans lauded George W. Bush’s choice of Alberto Gonzales as the first Hispanic attorney general, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy told reporters: ‘It would look like a horrible double standard... to turn down or hold up the first African-American to be attorney general...’”
In short, Leahy implicitly called Specter a racist.
I’ve called Arlen Specter everything but a gentleman, because his actions are usually those of a liberal. But calling Specter a racist is outrageous and libelous: it is untrue. But that’s Specter’s payback for decades of coddling the liberals. Other Republicans must learn from Specter’s mistake. Even Specter might.
Will Specter announce he’s voting against Holder? Probably not. If he did, other liberal Republicans might follow suit, and Holder’s nomination could be defeated. But Specter -- and RINO-in-chief John McCain and his altar boy, Lindsay Graham -- will almost certainly fold and go along with the Democrats yet again. Conservatives can do that too, but, if they do, they will forfeit their principles and their ability to exercise political influence.
Holder is a radical liberal and clearly unfit to be America’s chief law enforcement officer. He is opposed to the Supreme Court’s decision in DC v Heller, which held that the Second Amendment preserves an individual’s right to keep and bear arms. At his confirmation hearing, Holder bobbed and weaved, never answering the question of whether he’d work to reverse DC v Heller, whether he believed the “Fairness Doctrine” of federally-regulating the media was Constitutional, and questions on his speeches to the liberal American Constitution Society.
In an August 2008 speech to the ACS, Holder spoke about the Supreme Court decision in Boumediene v. Bush, which granted habeas corpus rights to terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay. In that speech, Holder said, “The very recent Supreme Court decision, by only a 5 to 4 vote, concerning habeas corpus and Guantanamo is an important first step but we must go much farther.”
When asked what he meant -- what more should be done to protect the “rights” of terrorist detainees -- Holder said he didn’t know what he was thinking when he said “we should go much farther.” Neither do we, but his position bodes ill for the prosecution of the war we’re in.
The Holder nomination is an opportunity for conservatives that will not come again soon. Holder is vulnerable and should not be confirmed. Against this they must unite, and if they fail, they can still change the political dynamic.
President Obama apparently understands this better than the Republicans do. He is clearly frightened at the power conservatives retain. Think about this: Obama made a huge press event of his signing the executive orders on terrorist interrogation and closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. But -- days later -- Obama hid behind closed doors to sign the order reversing President Bush’s ban on funding of international abortion providers.
House Republican leaders continue to tell their members that Obama -- riding a 73% approval rating in the polls -- can’t be fought. But leaders who are dictated to by polls aren’t leaders, they’re followers. House Conservatives -- privately expressing consternation at the leaders’ statements after meeting with Obama on the stimulus package last week -- have asked for their own meeting.
In the meeting with House Republican leaders, Obama chastised them, saying, "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done." What he meant was, you can’t listen to Rush and accomplish a liberal agenda.
It is a fundamental mistake to wish President Obama success. We, as conservatives, want America to succeed. If the president takes actions that comport with conservative principles -- which we believe are the best means to help America -- Republicans should help him. When he does not, we must oppose him forcefully.
Obama may not agree to the meeting they’ve requested, but House Conservatives are coalescing around the idea that they will rebel against their leaders and fight the Obama-Pelosi package. They should, and they must. The “stimulus” won’t do anything to create jobs or push the economy to recovery for a year, perhaps two. It’s Obama’s package, not just Pelosi’s. The Republican Study Committee’s alternative -- based on a series of tax cuts and business tax incentives -- is much more likely to work and work fast.
This week, Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) will be faced with the choice of joining with Obama and Pelosi or -- despite the almost certain passage of the Obama-Pelosi package -- standing up to the new president. Unless they stand against the package -- and against Obama -- their ability to lead anyone in the 111th Congress will be severely damaged.
The Holder nomination in the Senate and the stimulus bill vote in the House are milestones: Republican members in both houses face the choice: stand for conservative principle against both, or forfeit your relevance in this Congress.
Neither Eric Holder’s nomination nor the Obama-Pelosi false stimulus package is in America’s best interests. Conservatives -- regardless of their leaders’ positions -- must stand fast against both. In these likely defeats, they can rediscover the road to victory.
Sheesh. Long time no see. Good to see you! Thanks for posting.
Finally, lowering corporate tax rates (I'd go down to 10%) would stimulate domestic corporate activity (more jobs created in part because consumers have larger disposable incomes) plus you'd find European and Pacific Rim countries opening plants here, too. The "make-work" New Deal crap Obama wants is a one-shot injection that disappears when the new highway is built or the old bridge is repaired. Stupid ideas...
People were concerned that if 0bama lost, there would be rioting in the streets. I fear that before the 0bama years are over, we will still see a revolt, but it won’t conducted by the usual people looking for a handout.
Since there appear to be very few Conservatives in Congress; It is no wonder that they fear anyone who might tell the truth about them. I can hear their sphincters clinch when they realize that 20 million contributors wallets may snap shut.
Right so they can off shore more jobs and money...American business has accountants to make sure they don’t pay too much taxes...one of the things that came out of the bailout is the offshore accounts...The tax code has to be reformed to close loopholes and discourage offshoring of jobs before a tax cut is granted.
A letter to the editor of the WSJ said we should all follow Geithner’s lead and not pay a part of our taxes,
that would stimulate the economy.
Government regulators have so regulated the practice of business, 'offshore' appears to have been their intent. Is it not the LAW that makes union dues tax deductible?
Can you imagine what would happen if there was no withholding of federal taxes and you had to actually write a check each pay period to the IRS? There would be a revolt in a matter of days! As it is, you are unaware of the tax bite.
Fighting for what's right in spite of their spineless fellow Republicans, we should applaud the only two Republican Senators who had the courage to fight the Clinton nomination:
But you can pick one fight to go all in. This positition, outside of a Supreme Court pick, is the one to go all in. Holder will probably get by, but at the very least, he needs to be bruised the same way Ashcroft was. With Holder being Reno's yesman, that won't be hard to do with the senate shows something I haven't seen in many, many, years. Guts.
I won. I'll trump you on that.
The bailout gamble that could ruin the country. Appointing an incompetent lying crook to the Dept of the Treasury
It's going to be a long rough ride.
That’s been proposed, and rejected of course, because those in charge don’t want the taxpayer to know and revolt.
Same thing would happen with a taxpayer holiday. If we received our full paycheck for any period of time, and then withholding was reinstated, people would realize how much was being robbed from their labor.
Agreed. Wholesale capitulation and bootlicking from the “GOP”
is at best galling and at worst extremely dangerous.I have faith,for now,in Eric Cantor; outside of him,i’m not very hopeful.
Is this for real? Obama actually SAID this? He is pretty stupid and it is frightening to think that someone who would say something this vacuous is now the Commander in Chief of the American military. This is really screwed up.
Sick beyond measure.
And, btw, who says TERRORISTS are right wing? LOL Terrorists are all for the Muslim religion controlling EVERYTHING...ie big government rule..the very MANTRA of today's American liberal.
I mean....I thought the terrorists, IE the now dead Arafat,Hamas etc LOVE that Obama won. I thought terrorists were left wing nut cases.
Obamah did say "Stop Listening to Rush Limbaugh".
Oh....LOL.....OK.....DUH! Didn’t pick up on the sarcasm aspect!
Yep...
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