Posted on 11/18/2004 4:04:39 PM PST by conservativecorner
(CNSNews.com) - Pro-life activists, seeking to derail the appointment of Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter to the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will not get a chance to personally argue their case with Majority Leader Bill Frist.
A coalition of pro-life religious leaders did meet with Frist's aides Tuesday, but any efforts to persuade Frist about Specter's fitness to serve as Judiciary chairman will have to be done from afar.
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, said Frist's top aide cited scheduling problems that would preclude a meeting with Frist from taking place.
"It is deeply troubling that Senator Frist could not find the time to sit down and discuss the Arlen Specter situation with national leaders and clergy from the pro-life/pro-family community. It clearly shows a profound lack of respect and understanding toward the very people who re-elected President Bush and gave the Republicans majorities in both the House and Senate," Mahoney stated.
"The reality that Senator Frist must now understand is, don't dismiss and ignore us today and expect our enthusiastic support in 2008 if you decide to run for president," Mahoney added.
Despite initial concerns over whether Specter, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, would give President Bush's conservative judicial nominees fair hearings, Frist Wednesday sounded like the issue had already been decided.
"Today he had the opportunity to make some comments, which were received very well by members of the (Republican) caucus," Frist said, adding that he was anxious to resolve the issue over who will chair the committee.
In addition to handling the president's nominations to the lower federal courts, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee could soon be dealing with one or more Bush nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Frist still hasn't relesed the dem Judiciary Committee reports. My bet is that there is something on those tapes that would indict Frist, himself, and that's why he won't release them nor act like a Republican!!
What you have said about Specter and the bigger picture is true enough.
However, Frist's refusal to give an audience to pro-life leaders, where he had a chance to reach out to them and explain what the overall plan was: THIS is really bad.
Probably the Republicans in the Senate were destined to put Specter in charge, and if they can get him to do the right thing on the nominations, that's fine.
But the party has GOT TO reach out to the pro-lifers, because they feel very betrayed and angry about all of this, and if that persists, it probably spells disaster for the Republicans in two short years.
Meeting with the pro-lifers is exactly the sort of thing Frist should be doing, along with Bush, Cheney, other leaders. Refusing to meet with the pro-lifers is a disaster.
Of course, there is another possibility here, one we should consider.
We all saw how manipulative and deceitful the media was in the last election.
Anyone with a modicum of involvement in politics knows that the Congressional switchboard is lit up with pro-lifers incandescent about Specter.
And anyone with a brain can see that if the pro-lifers become turned off and angry with the Republicans at the outset, that the Republican coalition will be weakened, not strengthened.
So, are we REALLY SURE that Frist "REFUSED" to meet with pro-life leaders?
Is that REALLY what happened?
Or is what happened that they called and asked for an urgent meeting, and Frist's folks said they couldn't do it now, but did not foreclose a later meeting, not because the Senator intends to "dis" the pro-lifers, but because they are all caucusing and he really couldn't meet them then.
So, while I'll admit that seeing the headline of this thread, my blood pressure went way up and I said "Uh Oh, the Republicans are blowing it." I remember the source: the media. And I remember the way the media was lying about everything else Republicans said or did a day ago, a week ago, two weeks ago, a month ago.
If I was trying to stir up pro-life anxiety and fury, I'd tell the pro-lifers that not only was Specter going to get the chair, but that the Republican leaders doing it were telling them to pack sand.
So, you're right, Soul Seeker. The thing to do is to take a DEEP BREATH.
Maybe we really have lost, big time, and been played for rubes, big time, and were used like chumps for the Republicans to get power, and now they're going to protect Roe v. Wade.
Maybe.
But if that's the case, we'll know for sure in a few months when the judges go up.
If the judges aren't pro-life, if the party doesn't break the filibusters, we'll know.
And we'll have plenty of time to talk with each other and decide exactly how to not be fooled again.
But until that happens, we need to take media reports like this with a grain of salt. Did Frist REALLY flip off the pro-lifers? Or did the media just spin it that way to yank our chain?
When you're out riding and your mount sees a shadow and goes nuts, there are three words you need to remember: Calm, straight and forward. Keep calm - or the horse will sense your anxiety and get more crazed. Keep moving straight ahead: the horse won't run headlong into a tree.
Keep moving forward - because if he's going forward, he can't buck you off.
Calm, straight and forward.
If the GOP really did flip us the bird, they are dead meat and we will calmly, presently, and forwardly ride them down like lackeys before a cavalry charge.
They probably didn't flip us off.
Frist probably is really meeting with pro-lifers and talking with them, and can't get his message out through a media that hates him, hates Republicans, and will lie to us to divide us.
We'll know over the months ahead.
Calm, straight and forward.
And remember that God is on our side.
First doesn't give a damn. He's not running again. He said he would serve two terms in the Senate and that was all. Sounds like he doesn't care about the damage he may do in the mean time.
Frist has been planning for years to run for president. He has no intention of staying in the Senate. However, he just p*ssed away his chance of succeeding in the GOP primaries.
#43
BTTT
Specter has been effectively neutered. He won't be a problem with respect to nominees.
Or maybe you'd prefer they just STFU??
This is the usual modus operandi and arrogance of the RINO-centrist party in action. Screw ya -- the election is OV-ER. Christians are their black-Democrats.
If Frist, Dubya and GOP are willing to kiss the collective pimpled @ss of Vincent Fox, the AARP, Tedddy Kennedy's NEA, and Bubba Clinton (nice of W to pay such great homage to a scum-bucket), then hell yeah -- they ought to respect the people who contributed mightily in getting NOT ONLY Dubya over the hump, but GOP Senators.
Well .. then I guess they don't need my money either!!
Specter is a crack. A magic crack which goes many directions based on the many paths of least resistance.
I just heard recently that he wanted to return to medicine. I never heard he had plans to run for president. IMHO he didn't have a snowball's chance even before this debacle.
Look, our politicians are no different from their politicians--they're POLITICIANS. I voted for Bush because, living in NJ, I was under the impression that my vote mattered (NJ was declared a battleground state about 2 weeks before the election). I am not a Republican--I am an independent conservative Christian. I suffer no delusions. The Republicans are not the answer to America's government/political problems--true American constitutional conservatism is the only solution to our moral, economic, international problems. We won't get that with Bush or the Republicans--as long as they think they own our (your) vote. I contacted Frist and the leadership about not allowing Specter to have the Judiciary Chair...apparently, they are going to let him have it anyway. What I'm saying is this: let Specter have his chair...let Bush have his cabinet...let the Republicans have their chance to run things...but, know this, should they fail to live up to their promises, I will do whatever I can (yeah, albeit, limited--but maybe their are others feeling the way I do)...I will do whatever I can to hold them accountable--in Tennessee (You listening, Mr. Frist), in Utah (you listening, Mr. Hatch), in Arizona (You listening, Mr. Kyl), and wherever else those who fail to live up to their ideals and who fail to move this country in the direction it needs to go. If this means voting for Democrats the next time, I am willing to do it. I believe all this voting the Party Line is what's at the root or your and my problem...They take you for granted just the same way the Dems take the black vote for granted...I won't let that happen--ever again.
I'm concerned that many here on FR and many of the Senators on the Judiciary Committee are under the impression that the opposition to Specter is solely on a litmus test against pro-life judicial nominees.
Too many people - here on FR, in the Senate and in MSM have made this an issue of "religious fundamentalists".
For me, it is much broader. It goes to gun control, tort reform, affirmative action, committee staff and other issues.
We will have to be eternally vigilent and watch Specter every day. Unfortunately, as chairman and the controller of the staff, much of what he does will be behind closed doors and we'll never know.
Nope.......Governorships with proven records of state resurection and state policies which foster growth, economic stability, and budgetary restraint, are the ones who win the Whitehouse. I could never figger why the smartest woman in the world pirated Moynahan's seat? You'd think she'd have run for governor of somewhere that she could twist her way in.
This is about as useless as the UN resolutions sent to Sadaam.
I'm so mad I could spit. Wish the senate had some REAL men!
But I am going to be real busy in 2006
I bet we won't see the church ladies and other conservative, Catholic, Evangelicals, Presbyterians and other Christians making phone calls and walking precincts in 2006 and 2008.
I made at least 1,000 calls as a volunteer and watch people work their hearts out and many were church going folks.
The RNC is dumping on us with Specter and with open borders amnesties.
OK, lets talk about Specter and the 2nd Amendment. Let's talk about Specter and the World Court.
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