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Specter Fallout SANTORUM IN TROUBLE
American Spectator ^ | 1/24/2005 | The Washington Prowler

Posted on 01/24/2005 7:31:36 AM PST by AliVeritas

On Friday Republican staffers in a number of Senate offices were holding meetings to discuss how to proceed with Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter and his recent hire, Hannibal G. Williams II Kemerer, who until recently was the NAACP's assistant general counsel. Kemerer was hired by Specter against the advice of senior Republican Judiciary staff and was to serve as a key vetter of Bush Administration judicial nominations. As word of Specter's hiring decision leaked off Capitol Hill, Specter is said to have shifted Kemerer into a job that would not deal with judicial nominations.

"That is not true," says a Judiciary Committee staffer. "Kemerer may have a different stated responsibility, but we've been told he will be working with Specter on judicial nomination issues regardless of what his stated role is supposed to be."

More disturbing than the hiring itself was Specter's willful behavior in hiring the left-wing litigator. "I wish I could say this was a one time, freak event," says another Judiciary Committee aide. "But I don't think I can. We got the distinct impression that Specter is going to continue to hire people like this. If conservatives care, they need to mobilize now. Because it's largely out of our hands."

(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: arlensphincter; rino; santorum; scottishlaw; specter; williams
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To: MontanaCowgirlCop

His decision was a raw political calculation to advance himself and it backfired.

That is his 'mistake.'

Little Ricky made a calculated decision to back the liberal whose votes cancel out his own.

Little Ricky staked out the reputation of being 'the conservative Senator from PA' and Toomey -- a real conservative, threatened that. He had to stop him from winning because it just wouldn't do to be the '2nd most conservative Senator from PA.' He thought that it would undermine his run for higher office.

If there is a mistake, this is it:

He miscalculated the backlash from Toomey's supporters. If he had suddenly become the 2nd most conservative senator from PA, we would have two conservative senators and he would then be positioned as more 'reasonable' (earning him votes from pro life democrats) and would have earned the devotion of conservatives rather than their ire, and assuring his continued ascendency.

This assumes that he does hold conservative ideals and wants to see them advanced. I have serious doubts that this was anything more than a role that he was playing and that he couldn't care less about the issues that he claimed to share with conservatives.

Anyway, he is lost my trust and my vote.


101 posted on 01/24/2005 1:35:15 PM PST by Badray (Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown. RIP harpseal.)
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To: AliVeritas
What is it with the lame GOP that they can't get rid of this aging, senile pro-abortion wacko pervert clown, Specter? Are there no men left in the Republic?
102 posted on 01/24/2005 1:36:26 PM PST by HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity
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To: smokeyb

No, you wake up. This crappy hire was taken care of.


103 posted on 01/24/2005 1:36:42 PM PST by KC_Conspirator (This space outsourced to India)
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To: smokeyb
Unfortunately, Senate tradition and seniority. And the fact that likely replacements didn't want to give up their existing chairmanships.

-PJ

104 posted on 01/24/2005 1:37:43 PM PST by Political Junkie Too (It's still not safe to vote Democrat.)
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To: MontanaCowgirlCop
Santorum has done much more for the conservative agenda than Toomey ever has.

Like campaigning for a pro-abortion Senator? That was no mistake. We here in PA know a lot more about our fine senator than you do out there in flyover country.

105 posted on 01/24/2005 1:40:39 PM PST by smokeyb
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To: AliVeritas
I wonder if Santorum will learn anything from finding out he is Specter's used condom. If Santorum wants to avoid the consequences of what he did, he needs to work behind the scenes to get Specter out as Chairman.
106 posted on 01/24/2005 1:43:35 PM PST by Truth29
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To: txrangerette
Okay, remove that term and say "overthrow these laws by going against stare decisis" or even ignore it. It wasn't a straw man--Bush says he wants the Constitution interpreted, not have judicial lawmaking. Hellfire and damnation, if that change isn't "Judicial Revolution" from what we have, then I don't know what is.

"Political protocol" is just a rationalization for "conservatives" to justify what he's doing. And, doesn't following political protocol in this way fly directly in the face of the argument you just made about saying what he wants (or means)?

Finally, don't throw your own straw man in, which is what I think you did by dismissing the term Judicial Revolution. Just keep thinking Bush says exactly what he wants and keep arguing that. That's fine. I disagree, and more and more people are starting to agree with me. By 2008, even Bots will be disenchanted. But we won't know until then.

107 posted on 01/24/2005 1:44:57 PM PST by jammer
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To: KC_Conspirator
You know something the rest of us don't know? Are you an "insider"?

Isn't it funny that everytime Specter's actions are "taken care of" he goes against his handlers even further?

108 posted on 01/24/2005 1:45:56 PM PST by smokeyb
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To: KC_Conspirator

You are right. What has Specter done yet without Republican approval except open his big mouth? Did you see the speech he gave when he took the chair? Man, he did not write that!!! I think he is under more than one thumb right now.


109 posted on 01/24/2005 1:46:55 PM PST by FreedomHasACost
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To: smokeyb
Okay, tell me, what is flyover country???
I know we lost our house, senate, and governorship because we did not play together but rather beat each other up on stupid things like so-and-so supported so-and-so and therefore I can't support him. Maybe I do know the game.
110 posted on 01/24/2005 1:50:11 PM PST by FreedomHasACost
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To: Badray
Anyway, he is lost my trust and my vote.

This may sound crazy, but prior to Santorum supporting Specter, I would have walked across hot coals for the man, or at least done door to door campaigning for him - to me there's not much difference. He broke my heart when he supported Specter. I thought he was a true believer, only to discover he was just another power hungry politician.

I'd like to be able to say I won't give him my vote, but I probably will. And unless Toomey is running against him, I'll probably give financial support to him as well. Although I'm not going to give till it hurts, as he's proven he's just another Washington pol.

111 posted on 01/24/2005 1:53:02 PM PST by old and tired
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To: Badray
"to advance himself"

I see it as an attempt at keeping the senate. Everyone knew Toomey did not have a good shot and no one knew that we would keep the senate so big. If we had the senate by just holding Specters seat you would be singing a different tune.
112 posted on 01/24/2005 1:53:31 PM PST by FreedomHasACost
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To: Flux Capacitor

Nice argument, except that it was built on a faulty foundation.

The GOP control of the Senate was never in serious doubt.

A year before the race, all projections were for a 4 or 5 seat pickup which is what happened. Specter even said that his seat, if lost, would not switch control to the Democrats.

You may think that it puts you in good company, but you, Ricky, and Bush and the apologists are the only ones making that argument.


113 posted on 01/24/2005 1:55:02 PM PST by Badray (Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown. RIP harpseal.)
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To: smokeyb
Look, Arlen Sphincter is a total backstabbing SOB. He will continue to be. However, we know that we need his vote from time to time, although his influence is waning because of the GOP takeover - again.

I am not an insider, but with a couple of calls, I could find out what is going on down there. However, my info may not be any deeper than the Prowler.

114 posted on 01/24/2005 1:56:34 PM PST by KC_Conspirator (This space outsourced to India)
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To: KC_Conspirator
Look, Arlen Sphincter is a total backstabbing SOB. He will continue to be. However, we know that we need his vote from time to time, although his influence is waning because of the GOP takeover - again.

This sounds like "eating our own"

115 posted on 01/24/2005 2:01:19 PM PST by smokeyb
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To: Badray
The GOP control of the Senate was never in serious doubt.

I agree with you. Are you familiar with Steve Freind? He's the former PA legislator from Havertown who wrote the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act. He actually campaigned for Spector once the primary was over. I asked him if he would still be campaigning for Specter if he thought the Senate would hold its GOP majority. He refused to accept the premise.

It was another heartbreaking but eyeopening moment for me when I realized Steve Freind was also just another power hungry pol, looking to make a buck. I actually felt like vomiting that night and when I came back home and logged onto FR I jumped down the throat of some poor guy who came to FR to rally Catholics for Bush. The whole Toomey wound was still too raw for me to be feeling kindly towards Bush, who had propelled Arlen to victory.

116 posted on 01/24/2005 2:04:25 PM PST by old and tired
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To: BigSkyFreeper
Start supporting your fringe candidate. Stop waiting until the last minute.

Don't interrupt their group therapy session with reality.

They might bite.

117 posted on 01/24/2005 2:10:29 PM PST by af_vet_1981
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To: MontanaCowgirlCop
"Good folks need to stick together to prevail."

Funny. That was our argument to Santorum for why he should back Toomey, but he chose to actively support a liberal POS who opposes the values that are important to us good folks.

He had a chance once to do the right thing but tradition, party politics, and expediency won out. Now, to win reelection and resurrect any hopes of winning the WH, he'll have to do more than make nice sounding speeches.

Personally, I think that he rolled the dice and crapped out.

118 posted on 01/24/2005 2:11:25 PM PST by Badray (Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown. RIP harpseal.)
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To: KC_Conspirator
This crappy hire was taken care of.

Is this how it was taken care of?

From The Legal Intelligencer:

Partner Quits to Work for Senate Committee:

Carolyn Short, one of the chief litigators in Reed Smith's Philadelphia office for more than a decade, has left the firm to become general counsel for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, which is now chaired by Arlen Specter, R-Pa. Short resigned last Tuesday from Reed Smith, her professional home for the past 16 years, and was sworn in Thursday. Short said she only views it as a temporary position, being that she and her husband, former U.S. Constitutional Center executive director and Democratic congressional candidate Joseph Torsella, live with their four children in Flourtown. She said her chief motivation for accepting the position and giving up what is believed to be a seven-figure book of business was the chance to work with Specter. She said the senior senator from Pennsylvania called her shortly after he was named chairman of the Judiciary Committee. "I don't think I would be doing this if it wasn't for [Specter]," Short said. "He's a brilliant lawyer in his own right and we come from similar backgrounds. We both were DAs who worked in private practice. "But how could any lawyer say no to an opportunity like this? It's an important time for the judiciary, and I'm really looking forward to it."

119 posted on 01/24/2005 2:16:26 PM PST by smokeyb
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To: old and tired

I believe in redemption, even for politicians, but it will take more that saying the right thing. He must vote to advance our causes and block anything that doesn't. He can't sit on the sidelines and avoid the hard issues and tough decisions.

I don't think he has it in him though. I'll be looking for a challenger to support instead.


120 posted on 01/24/2005 2:19:48 PM PST by Badray (Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown. RIP harpseal.)
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