Leahy Raises Questions Over Specter Subcommittee Chairmanship (No Gavel For You!)

Roll Call ^ | 5-07-2009 | Emily Pierce

[My Favorite Headache]

Leahy Raises Questions Over Specter Subcommittee Chairmanship By Emily Pierce Roll Call Staff May 7, 2009, 12:43 p.m.

Leahy Raises Questions Over Specter Subcommittee Chairmanship

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday appeared to throw a little cold water on the Democratic leadership’s plan to give recent party-switcher Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) a plum subcommittee chairmanship.

Though Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced earlier in the day that he would relinquish the Crime and Drugs subpanel and take over a reconstituted Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, Leahy told reporters, “Nothing’s been worked out.”

Leahy indicated that he does not know how he will fund the new subcommittee, which existed in the 110th Congress but was disbanded this year. “Maybe the leader has some money,” Leahy said referring to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

In a statement, Leahy added: “I value the contributions of all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, including the longstanding service of Senator Specter. I am consulting with Senator [Jeff] Sessions, our Republican Ranking Member, in light of our recently revised Committee membership to consider any necessary adjustments to Judiciary Committee subcommittees. I hope to have a decision by early next week.”

Specter, however, said he talked to Leahy Thursday morning and feels secure that he will chair the subcommittee. He plans to hold his first hearing on imposing tougher penalties, such as jail time, on individuals convicted of Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Perhaps the position of Chief Commode Scrubber is available?

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Specter sees himself as a $1000 an hour escort, the dems see him as a crack whore. And the dems are calling it right.

I couldn't agree more. Like all cowardly traitors, he is a man without a country, so to speak, and a pathetic, contemptible loser.

[BlueStateBlues]

It gets worse and worse for Specter, and he not only deserves it but he’s still aware (at least medically) of what’s happening to his reputation. Down the drain. Our resident RINODINO now prowls his own land-between-idealogies, searching, forever searching, for a like-minded hand to hold.

[April Lexington]

You would think that a 29 year veteran of the Senate would be smart enough to know how that snake pit works, and not get himself screwed like this (not that I care - I like seeing him get it in the shorts). You seriously have to wonder if Specter’s not getting senile, or at least losing some of his political acuity.

Age limits AND term limits in Congress and the Senate. There comes a point when you are either clueless or someone's fool. I think poor Arlen needs to join the ol' shuffleboard league!

[P-Marlowe]

You would think that a 29 year veteran of the Senate would be smart enough

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
- Mark Twain, a Biography

[Theodore R.]

And I thought VT people were the “most tolerant” on earth. Guess Arlen found out they are not

[Theodore R.]

Yes, when one starts listing states with a majority of stupid voters, the list has no limits.

[Theodore R.]

Also, Murtha and Obama made the PA people look dumb too.

[GOPologist]

This is some “spectacle.” har har

[NFHale]

“...I agree that the voters of PA are stupid, but..”

We’re not stupid - we’re as VOTE-FRAUDED as the rest of the country. And the A GOP does NOTHING to challenge the fraudulent votes because they’re afraid of being called racists...

Also the GOP does NOT do walking tours of the neighborhoods. The Dimrats DO. I can point out at least four Dimrat politicians that went through my neighborhood, knocking on doors, introducing themselves and glad-handing the folks.

Guess who those folks voted for? Hint: It wasn’t the GOP incumbents. It was the last face they saw knocking on their door, Joe Dimrat from the neighborhood...

Remember - a large percentage of the folk are NOT day-to-day immersed in this, as we are. They know only what they glean out of 10-20 second news bites, in between running the kids to baseball/soccer, making dinner, etc.

The Dimrats know this; the GOP hasn’t figure it out yet. Talking about “deficits” and “fiscal responsibility” blah blah blah cause most folks’ eyes to glaze over and say “Wha???” IOW, THEY DON’T CARE because they think it doesn’t affect them.

So keep the “state-x voters are stupid” insults to a minimum. We’re on the same side. We’re ALL being screwed, and until we have a political party with balls to point it out and FIGHT BACK, this will continue.

[murron]

The man is 80 years old and has had several bouts of cancer. They’re probably figuring that he’s not here for the long haul.