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."

[Polyxene]

My apologies to the haggis! (I always heard it was disgusting, therefore, the analogy!)

[eno_]

Amen. Casey will beat him. Rick ticked off a lot of people in the primary. They will stay home, vote Casey, or vote 3rd party. Combine that with Philly, and that seat goes Dem.

Well now, I thought RINO appeasment was supposed to keep Republicans in power. Another "How's that workin' out for ya?"

[Flux Capacitor]

----Well now, I thought RINO appeasment was supposed to keep Republicans in power. Another "How's that workin' out for ya?"----

When it comes to the notion of kicking out a conservative Republican senator in favor of a Democrat, for no other reason than that Republican made a difficult choice in the interest of keeping the President's party in power, we're no longer talking about "RINO appeasement". We've gone straight out to proposing cutting off our noses to spite our faces because our tunnel vision won't let us do anything else.

When taking your ball and running home results in a Harry Reid-controlled Senate, maybe then you can ask yourself how that works out for you.

-Dan

[snopercod]

It's pretty clear that in exchange for Santorum's support of Specter, Rick is being groomed for the republican nomination in 2008.

As evidence, I offer the fact that Santorum's face was prominent in the TV coverage of Bush taking the Oath of Office on July 20.

Camera angles like that don't happen by coincidence.

[FreedomHasACost]

Anyone who stays home or votes for anyone other than Santorum is a royal jerk who does not know good when he sees it, it is not about appeasement.

[smokeyb]

Yeah, and if we all start blackmailing our own, before we even know it, the Democrats are back in power.

The party should have thought about this too. That's what they did to US!

[sady]

I smell a spectre sunday talk show marathon

[smokeyb]

Problem is, Toomey isn't running for political office these days.

Problem is, the party screwed us when he did and we are still supposed to lick their boots.

[smokeyb]

Exactly! I sent the same back in one of their postage paid envelopes begging for money.

[Badray]

" He is no doubt being blackmailed himself. Else why go into the tank on the impeachment?"

He wasn't blackmailed.

He was bought.

Just prior to the impeachment vote, his wife (IIRC) got some plum job handed to her by the clintons. I saw the news report on it recently, but can't remember the details off hand.

That, plus the fact that he is a liberal POS.

[Badray]

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize he had passed. Is the Son similar to the Father?"

Mr Casey, the younger, is pro life and pro gun. I am not sure of the elder's position on guns.

[tang-soo]

I smell blackmail or money - or both.

[smokeyb]

Anyone who stays home or votes for anyone other than Santorum is a royal jerk who does not know good when he sees it, it is not about appeasement.

Anyone who thinks that Santorum is a principled conservative now is a royal jerk who does not know a power-hungry politican when they see one.

[txrangerette]

"You may want to check your facts on Smith vs. Sununu - I believe it was the other way around..."

I found this from National Review by "Googling" Smith vs. Sununu:

{"There are signs President Bush also hopes Sununu will emerge the winner on September 10. Although he issued a blanket endorsement of all Republican incumbents this year, he has made no effort to contain the pro-Sununu overtures going on around him. After adviser Karl Rove attended a fundraiser for Smith in New Hampshire, chief of staff Andy Card went to the state and personally endorsed Sununu. EPA director Christie Whitman attended a May 31 fundraiser for Smith in Boston, but HUD secretary Mel Martinez visited New Hampshire with Sununu in July. Bush's father hosted a New Hampshire fundraiser for Sununu in 2001, and both he and Barbara Bush wrote $1,000 checks to his Senate campaign this June. Even Dan Quayle has jumped into the fray and endorsed Sununu over Smith."}

For fairness and clarity's sake, I post it ALL, but some of this is pure drivel. Bush endorsed all incumbents, including Bob Smith. That was the official WH position. The President himself campaigned for neither man. Funny how this article tried to paint him as being responsible for his parents' and others' support of Sununu. But then, National Review having a need to present everything through a conservative prism, and having journalistic a need to involve the WH in controversy, had to juice up the political angle just a bit.

[Political Junkie Too]

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

Razor-thin margin in the Senate. Now that the GOP has a little breathing room, Specter may not have the influence he once did by threatening to leave the reservation.

-PJ

[Area51]

19 posted on 01/24/2005 8:01:18 AM PST by txrangerette
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---

Spector is a Democrat by any other definition.

[KC_Conspirator]

I agree that Specter is a bad liberal and that Santorum made a mistake backing him but we can not turn on the good guys the minute they make a mistake.

Shame on you for injecting commonsense into this arguement.

Arlen Sphincter is one of the worst Republicans ever, but now we have to deal with him. The saving grace is that the GOP took the senate handidly and Sphincter has to play ball to some degree in order to keep his power.

Remember Jim Jeffords? He predicted Bush would be a one term president.

[smokeyb]

Razor-thin margin in the Senate. Now that the GOP has a little breathing room, Specter may not have the influence he once did by threatening to leave the reservation.

That was their excuse. Even Specter said his election would in no way affect the majority. We were expecting a pickup in the Senate. And if that was their excuse then what is their excuse for putting him in the SJC throne?

[FreedomHasACost]

Well, maybe we are all royal jerks.
Santorum has done much more for the conservative agenda than Toomey ever has. We all make mistakes in life, I have made my share, but to throw a guy who does take a stand on important issues to the dogs because he supported Specter is a nuts. You are trying to give the country back to the Dem's when you attack your own. Good folks need to stick together to prevail.

[smokeyb]

The saving grace is that the GOP took the senate handidly and Sphincter has to play ball to some degree in order to keep his power.

Wake up KC. It seems that Arlen has the ball and all the other equipment.