Powerful Reactions to Miguel Estrada's Withdrawal (Did the Left wake up a Sleeping Giant?)

Crosswalk ^ | 9/5/03

[truthandlife]

Twenty-eight months after being nominated by President Bush for a seat on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Miguel Estrada has had enough. The Hispanic attorney has announced he is returning to his law practice rather than put up with more months of Democrat demagoguery and stall tactics.

In a letter to the president announcing his intention to withdraw, Estrada said, "I believe that the time has come to return my full attention to the practice of law and to regain the ability to make long-term plans for my family."

Here are some quotes from news reports today regarding Estrada's decision to walk away from the fight, including a couple of quips from the Democratic side of the Senate (a.k.a. Filibuster Central):

• "I am a tremendous advocate for Miguel Estrada. I think he would have been an exceptionally great court of appeals judge. This is the reason why this process is absolutely broken, and [why] we cannot let this continue." -- Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice

• "His withdrawal should embarrass Republicans who have been outwitted on judgeships by Ted Kennedy and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who are orchestrating the first filibusters of appellate court nominations in American history." -- Wall Street Journal editorial

• "His name should be a rallying cry to describe the incivility of today's politics." -- C. Boyden Gray, Chairman of the Committee For Justice

• "Nominations for a lifetime appointment to the federal courts require the close scrutiny of the Senate. Planned Parenthood applauds those members of the Senate who stood firm in demanding nominees who hold mainstream American values on these important issues." -- Gloria Feldt, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America

• "The Democrats' character assassination of Miguel Estrada was a political hate crime." House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas

• "Without control of Congress or the White House, the left is playing hardball to maintain its stranglehold on our courts -- and they are winning." -- Gary Bauer, President of American Values

• "This nomination is another casualty of the White House's insistence on dividing instead of uniting the American people over the President's decisions for the federal courts." -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, ranking Democratic member, Senate Judiciary Committee

• "It's a terrible day for justice in America when a partisan minority of the Senate can obstruct an extremely well-qualified nominee to the federal bench, to the point of forcing Miguel Estrada to withdraw his nomination." -- Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution

• "Nothing would make us happier than if White House consulted with us; came up with nominees...who at least were somewhere in the mainstream." -- Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)

• "The treatment of this fine man is an unfortunate chapter in the Senate's history." -- President George W. Bush

• "In the history of this Republic we have never killed a nominee by filibuster ... It's an unprecedented obstructionist tactic that has really caused hard feelings in this body." -- Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

• "Instead of looking for candidates who are extreme ideologues, the president should work with the Senate in nominating individuals who have the highest qualifications..." -- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)

• "The idea that Ted Kennedy and Chuck Schumer and Tom Daschle would deny Miguel Estrada the vote which would lead to his confirmation -- since he does have more than 50 votes --- is a tragedy both for the nation and for Miguel Estrada." -- Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

• "The Democrats who participated in this filibuster have come in as bandits, taking away the right of the majority to vote for this fine man, and stealing away two years of Miguel Estrada's life and career as he waited for the up or down vote he deserved." -- Michael Schwartz, vice president for government relations at Concerned Women for America

• "I have never seen such shabby treatment of a nominee ... I decry this shabby treatment ... and I decry anybody who calls this a victory ... it's not a victory, it's a tragedy." -- Se. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah

[JediForce]

The GOP and its' allies in the Latino and Hispanic ranks, are already starting to put material together to use against the Demonratic Party. This act of left-wing arrogance will only serve to assist the GOP in its' outreach to the largest minority group. I wish I spoke spanish enough to understand the ads that are being prepared for this community come election time.

[Redbob]

Good, Good!

I'd far rather have Miguel Estrada as a rallying cry than as an actual appellate court and would-be Supreme Court justice.

Now let's have some actual conservative nominees.

[Chad Fairbanks]

"Nothing would make us happier than if White House consulted with us; came up with nominees...who at least were somewhere in the mainstream." -- Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)

Translation: "We mean mainstream, as in a White Liberal from NYC"

"Instead of looking for candidates who are extreme ideologues, the president should work with the Senate in nominating individuals who have the highest qualifications..." -- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)

Translation: "by 'Highest qualifications', I meant a white liberal from Massachusetts."

"This nomination is another casualty of the White House's insistence on dividing instead of uniting the American people over the President's decisions for the federal courts." -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, ranking Democratic member, Senate Judiciary Committee

Translation: "If he'd have sent us a White Liberal, none of this would have happened."

"Nominations for a lifetime appointment to the federal courts require the close scrutiny of the Senate. Planned Parenthood applauds those members of the Senate who stood firm in demanding nominees who hold mainstream American values on these important issues." -- Gloria Feldt, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Translation: "We wanted a White Liberal Abortionist."

[RonF]

Wake up a sleeping giant? Not likely. Hate to tell you, folks, but the voting public just isn't going to mobilize over a Federal judgeship nomination. It's not an issue that enough of them can get their minds around.

Note carefully I'm not talking about the true significance of the situation, but public response to it.

[Trueblackman]

Project 21 and the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary will hold a rally in front of the offices for People for the American Way, located at 2000 M Street, NW in Washington DC on Monday, September 8th at 10:00 AM EST to protest the appalling and unfair treatment of Miguel Estrada during his nomination to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Miguel Estrada was the first Hispanic nominated to the DC Circuit Court and was rated unanimously well qualified by the American Bar Association. Members of the coalition will meet at 9:30 am at Longfellow and Witherspoon Parks located at the corners of 18th Conn. Aves and M Street.

At 10:00am we will marry on the headquarters of People for the American Way.

[Solson]

The sleeping giant you refer too has been placed on a prescription of Prozac by the Dems.

The giant is now happily sleeping while his house is getting robbed.

[AD from SpringBay]

Did the left wake up a sleeping giant? No, the left woke up a sleeping sleepish sleeper.

[roses of sharon]

If this were a Republican filibuster against a Hispanic, the liberal media would sure be covering it as a racist story.

The media rules this country, make no mistake, they are the true enemy.

[Republic If You Can Keep It]

Translation: "We wanted a White Liberal Abortionist."

Actually, I don't think race matters to them. Any Liberal Abortionist would do.

But I take your point. And it is tragic.

[doc]

Blah, blah, blah, from the republicans. Who won? Republicans are given so much ammunition to fight with and they fail us every time.

[dorothy]

At 10:00am we will marry on the headquarters of People for the American Way.

Excellent. And then maybe after the ceremony you could march. (Sorry, coulnd't help myself.)

[Mr. K]

"..."Instead of looking for candidates who are extreme ideologues, the president should work with the Senate in nominating individuals who have the highest qualifications..." -- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)

Um...yeah- you mean like democraps do when they are in charge?

[Trueblackman]

D'OH

[austinTparty]

Estrada was supremely qualified. Boyden Gray's group did what they could, but the Senate Republicans need to get a backbone. I'm terribly sorry for Estrada for the treatment he's gone through, and sorry for America for being deprived of an excellent jurist.

[putupon]

"I have never seen such shabby treatment of a nominee ... I decry this shabby treatment ... and I decry anybody who calls this a victory ... it's not a victory, it's a tragedy." -- Se. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah

'RATs are 'RATs Orin, any idiot knows what they will do.

Frist, you, and the rest of the RINO Senators who let this crap go on for two years when you could have forced a true 24/7 filibuster are where the blame belongs.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I wish that were true. I suspect that Estrada is not any more well known in the Hispanic community than he is in the rest of the country.
Two years sitting in limbo will do that.

[Publius6961]

Response to your header: You gotta be kidding! The Senate Republocrats need a spine transplant instantly.

The little communist cells kept demanding and the Republicans kept sharing power in the misguided belief that they are resonable people.

I say kill 'em all (politically, of course). The answer is "NO!".

I keep hearing about the Republican "nukes". Time to takes the gloves off.

[brushcop]

You are absolutely right. The GOP is basically ineffective in fighting for anything. I have never seen such a group that rolls over at the least bit of difficulty.

The one thing I don't mind however, is the higher standard conservatives are held to but it's plain to see that something is sorely lacking with GOP leadership, except for our President and a number of his Cabinet.

The GOP has a history of giving up power when everything is really in their court. It's supposed to be in power across the country but they sure don't act like it. I'm not talking about arrogant, raw power, I'm talking about leadership--leading from the front.
RB