Specter Fallout SANTORUM IN TROUBLE

American Spectator ^ | 1/24/2005 | The Washington Prowler

[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."

[marty60]

Well that's great, but I would rather have Santorium. Mr. Casey should switch party.

[Barlowmaker]

Flux Capacitor is correctamundo.

[Barlowmaker]

How many Pubbies will just stay home?

None. Losers will stay home. Malcontents will stay home. Moby trolls will stay home. RATS masquerading as conservatives on an internet message board will stay home. The mentally ill and shut ins will stay home. Those too stupid to warrant the responsibility of voting will stay home.

All good in my opinion.

[FreedomHasACost]

Yes, he does have a chance IF all those who claim to be conservatives vote for him instead of protesting Specter and letting another creep in.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

As much as I love the President and Senator Santorum they both screwed up here, IMO. President Bush will skate but Santorum won't as easily... it all comes down to campaign money. Who scratched whose back and when. Toomey would have been great. I have questions about Santorum now.

[FreedomHasACost]

"He'll have to do more than make nice sounding speeches."

He's done that. He has sponsored pro-life bills and promoted them. Name one time you did not like the way he voted.

"I would never vote for Kerry, but I would love to rescind my vote for Bush."

Now I know you are rather wacky. A vote that was not for Bush was in this election a vote in effect for Kerry.

[FreedomHasACost]

My definition of we is the conservatives of the state of Montana. The candidates spent so much time and money on negativity that in this very last election we lost the house, senate, and governorship.
Those who are on the side of good need to unite and share a cause rather than bicker and fight and vote against someone who has done nothing but good. (except for one thing)

[Kozak]

I have never understood what voodoo Specter has over everyone in the Senate.

Something about a "magic bullet".....

[FreedomHasACost]

Right on! I am done with this conversation. No point arguing with fools. Anyway I need to work now.

[Thebaddog]

Campaign money rings a bell.

[Biblebelter]

Gradually, it looks like Bush's and the Republican's victory will mean very, very little. There looks to be a lack of leadership, discipline, and committment to purpose. The truth is, if any real conservative won a second term with a majority in both houses, the boys and girls in the federal bureaucracy would be getting very nervous. If Reagan would have had a majority in both houses, the Department of Education would have been history immediately.

[Political Junkie Too]

Everyone knew Toomey did not have a good shot

Oh, I don't know about that.

He scared Specter to the point of making Specter appeal to Democrats to switch parties during the primary just to vote for him, and then switch back during the general election.

-PJ

[pilgrim]

Interesting this is from Human Events. Not trying to start an argument, just trying to see  the truth.  Somehow I do believe Bob Smith.   

 

Smith Didn't Get Specter Treatment

by John Gizzi
Posted May 7, 2004

(snip) "The President typically campaigns for senators who support his policies," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told me two days after Sen. Arlen Specter (R.-Pa.) staved off a stiff primary challenge from conservative Rep. Pat Toomey (R.-Pa.). ......

 

........"The President supports incumbent senators," Duffy concluded. "He wants to build on the Republican majority in the Senate and the first step toward doing that is to protect your incumbents."

Smith has a somewhat different recollection. In a call from Longboat Key, Fla., where he now lives, he said of Duffy's account: "You'd have to have a real good sense of humor to take that seriously. I did not get the support of President Bush in the primary, nor from the Vice President or any of the Cabinet--not in any way, shape or form."

Smith said he told Rove at a luncheon of the Senate Republican Policy Committee in 2001 "that I need the President to campaign for me." "He said 'Yes' but that the President would appear only after the filing deadline. Karl said the President did not want to appear as though he was chasing Sununu out of the primary. Well, Sununu did file and the White House never delivered on its promise of a Bush campaign appearance," Smith said, noting that Bush never signed a letter or issued a statement supporting him in the primary.

But, Smith said, "Karl did appear at a fund-raising event for me at the home of a friend. But that same day, he appeared at another function where my primary opponent was." As for Duffy's claim the White House helped secure Giuliani for a Smith television spot, Smith said, "They had nothing to do with it. We had close connections on our own with people in New York who knew Rudy."

 

 

[Spirited]

All thanks to W for the whole. I wonder who is giving W the orders to Socialize government.

[smokeyb]

The candidates spent so much time and money on negativity that in this very last election we lost the house, senate, and governorship.

You should have witnessed the Toomey/Specter race. Specter got in the gutter and dragged Santorum with him.

[penowa]

Hoeffel doesn't have a prayer of beating Casey for the Democratic nomination unless Fast Eddie fixes it for him in Philadelphia. Saw an article today from yesterday's Tribune-Review that said Harry Reid has been to see Casey to beg him to run with all the $ of the party behind him because they know Santorum will lose to him.

[penowa]

The only way Specter will be removed as chairman is when the Republicans lose control of the senate in '06. I think besides Santorum in jeopardy, there will be some others who pay the price of the pro-life voters sitting on their hands.

[Uncle Vlad]

The G.O.P. needs to have a shot fired across its collective bow. There should be a concerted effort in Pennsylvania to have Republicans show up to vote, but leave the Senatorial ballot blank. If Santorum lost, it would send a strong message to the G.O.P. not to take its base for granted.

[Bushbacker]

Yo may be right about Casey beating Hoeffel. Joe ran against Specter to give him a statewide identity, but he's a colorless candidate...Trouble is, PA is a blue state because of the the huge
turnout in Philadelphia and the fact that the suburbs of Philly are going D now....Santorum is too
conservative for the state.

[N. Beaujon]

Spector had the Republicans over a barrel and they knew it. He's another Chaffee and Jeffers who was, I'm sure, blackmailing the powers that be with a trip across the party aisle if they pulled his chairmanship.

He should never have been allowed to get into any position of power; this is where Republicans really dropped the ball. They think they can deal with these sleazy liberals when everyone should know by now that liberals are all congenital liars who will do or say anything to stay in power. After all, the ends to a liberal always justifies the means.

This was always a losing proposition, the only questions are how much will we lose and can the rules of the Senate get him thrown out for ethical violations? (Don't forget the rules are written by congress, untouchable/unreviewable by the judiciary.) If there is a rule on the books that he has violated, and I'm sure they can find one, I'll bet they can at least paralyze him for a few years with investigation if not impeach him for some breach of ethical violations, in total. One can only hope the Republicans will do whatever they can to make him, literally or figeratively, just disappear.