Just vote on Estrada

Rapid City Journel ^ | The Journal Editorial Board

[11th_VA]

Senate Democrats have picked up where they left off before taking a week long Presidents Day recess: filibustering a vote on the nomination of Miguel Estrada to the federal appeals court. Republicans can count on enough votes from senators to confirm Estrada, but Democrats are refusing to end the floor debate - which takes 60 votes under Senate rules - and allow a confirmation vote. Their arguments against Estrada don't hold water, and Senate Democrats - including South Dakota Sens. Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson - should end the debate and vote on the Estrada nomination.

President George W. Bush on Wednesday called on Senate Democrats to allow a vote on Estrada: "Failing to allow an up or down vote - a vote which will pass - on Miguel Estrada's nomination is a travesty, an injustice being carried out by those responsible for helping to uphold justice in this country." We agree with the president.

Democrats say Estrada has no judicial experience and has not answered their questions and that the White House won't provide memos he wrote while he worked in the Solicitor General's Office under President Bill Clinton.

In a Feb. 24 letter to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Counsel to the President Alberto Gonzales answered the Democrats' charges. He noted that Estrada has argued 15 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, has received the American Bar Association's highest rating and that three current Supreme Court justices had never before served as judges.

Gonzales reminded Sen. Schumer that Estrada answered more than 100 questions during his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and another 25 follow-up questions. Seven former solicitors general, Democrats and Republicans, have said the Justice Department should not release confidential memos to the Senate. Moreover, Gonzales writes, the Senate has not asked for confidential memos from any of the previous 67 appeals court nominees since 1977 who have worked in the Justice Department.

The U.S. Constitution gives the Senate "advice and consent" in the appointment of federal judges. But Democrats are being unreasonable in their demands for documents that no president - not even a President Daschle - would release and in their unprecedented use of a filibuster to block a judicial confirmation vote.

Senate Minority Leader Daschle and his colleagues are wrong to needlessly waste Senate time to prevent a routine floor vote on Miguel Estrada. Just vote and move on to more important matters.

[11th_VA]

I wonder if this paper supported Dashle and Johnson?

[Boundless]

Just posted to another thread, but this one seemed
appropriate as well.

Notice that this new report fails to identify the
real reason for the filibuster. Indeed, although
someone in the press or talk radio might have come
to the conclusion below, I have yet to see it. So
if you agree, spead the word.
_________________

Having lost the House, the Presidency, and then the
Senate, all the Democrats may have left to shore up
(or regain) their power is rogue judges (like the NJ SC).
As any number of pundits point out, what they can't
get (or steal) at the ballot box, they will try to get
at the bar.

The Dem. future probably now relies more heavily than
ever on having activist judges in place to overrule
election law (a'la New Jersey/Lautenburg) or even
overturn actual election results (a'la Florida/Gore).

But they won't admit that this is real reason for
opposing Estrada, whose main threat, so far as I can
tell, is that he might restrict himself to applying
and perhaps interpreting the law, not inventing it
out of whole cloth.

You will not see this analysis in the New York Times.
So it's up to you to remind people when the issue arises.

[11th_VA]

I certainly agree. I thought after the last election I wouldn't have to worry about the Constitution being shreaded anymore - leave it to the RATs to prove me wrong...

[Political Junkie Too]

Another reason for the GOP to not back down.

No newspaper that I have seen has supported the Democrats. As long as the Democrats keep blocking the vote on Estrada, the newspapers will keep pounding them for their obstruction.

Time IS on the Republicans' side.

-PJ

[CyberAnt]

No matter - it doesn't look like they support them NOW!!! Media is getting upset by how the dems are acting - it's a good thing!!

[Cicero]

The more news articles like this, the better. This is hitting the Democrats right where it hurts. They get away with a lot of their shennanigans because they convince people that they hold the high ground on issues of social justice and minority rights. People will accept a little corruption and corner-cutting if they think the cause is just. This case is badly tarnishing their most valuable political asset.

[Charles Henrickson]

NO JUSTICES, NO PEACE!

[11th_VA]

NO JUSTICES, NO PEACE!

ROFLOL !!!

[Wife of D28Man]

Super bump for a great call to arms: No Justices No Peace!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thank you for posting the Estrada articles.

My latest and last letter to the Dems (mass e-mail and repeat...):

 

Dear Senator,

 

Where in the Constitution does it say that outside special interest groups are supposed to determine the course of our nation? Who elected Pfaw, NARAL, Sierra Club or Lawrence Tribe to run the Senate? Not America!

 

At  the end of the day,  your lies about Miguel -  your pretty charts and lengthy speeches, the dishonest Pfaw media campaign - are still lies.   There is no smoking gun. The gravitas and  credibility of the Democratic Party is shrinking by the day.

 

"We cannot ask a [judicial] candidate what he would do; and if we did and he should answer, we should only despise him for it." So sermonized President Abraham Lincoln to Rep. George S. Boutwell.."

 

LET MIGUEL HAVE HIS VOTE!

 

 

[votelife]

Check out this Pro-Estrada editorial in the Miami Herald (Graham's hometown!)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/5301721.htm

Bob Graham, ESTRADA deserves a VOTE!!!

Email Senator Bob Graham -- http://www.senate.gov/~graham/email.html

Write Bob Graham 524 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

Call Bob Graham Phone (202) 224-3041 --

Fax Bob Graham Fax (202) 224-2237

Just do it now!

[votelife]

"Being Hispanic for us means much more than having a surname," said New Jersey Rep. Bob Menendez, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "It means having some relationship with the reality of what it is to live in this country as a Hispanic American."

This is the Democrat case against Estrada...

[votelife]

FREEPers, I have created the ultimate Estrada activism thread. On it you will find ways to contact Senators, newsspapers, radio/tv people, organizations etc. Go there and help support Estrada. Keep the thread bumped until we get him confirmed.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/847037/posts