Don't be daft. You haven't heard the Dems talking about gun control much lately, have you?! They aren't anxious to hand us another issue.
Posted on 07/23/2002 9:52:20 AM PDT by gubamyster
Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings for Priscilla Owen, President Bush's choice for a place on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, opened this morning with Democrats questioning whether Owen "stretches and goes beyond the law" in the opinions she has written as a justice on the Texas state supreme court.
California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, who is chairing the hearings, pledged to "keep an open mind on this nominee," but told Owen she was concerned about the "feeling among some that you are, in a sense, a judicial activist."
Other Democrats have made clear they plan to oppose her on issues including abortion, civil rights, and consumer protection. "I am greatly troubled by her near-unwavering support for positions of businesses and corporations over that of injured individuals," said Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy. "I am equally troubled by Justice Owen's opinion over the important questions of a woman's right to choose."
Utah's Orrin Hatch, the ranking Republican on the committee, pledged to fight what he called the "deceptions, distortions, and demagoguery orchestrated against [Owen's] nomination." As he has in the past, Hatch singled out liberal activists, who oppose the Owen nomination, and who in Hatch's words, "think that mainstream thought is more likely found in Paris, France, than Paris, Texas."
Indeed, liberal interest groups, such as People for the American Way, the Alliance for Justice, and NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League) have all compiled detailed reports attacking Owen's record. The Senate hearing room — the same room in which Democrats nearly derailed the nomination of Attorney General John Ashcroft — was filled with representatives from those groups.
In a recent letter to Leahy, People for the American Way president Ralph Neas calls Owen "a judicial activist with a disturbing tendency to try to rewrite or disregard the law in order to achieve particular results." On abortion, which is likely to be the key issue in the fight, NARAL's report says, "The Fifth Circuit's record on reproductive rights, together with Owen's support for greater obstacles to obtaining an abortion, would place a woman's right to choose in serious jeopardy if Owen is confirmed."
But Republicans say they are prepared to fight on Owen's behalf — far better prepared than they were during the confirmation battle for Charles Pickering, whose appeals-court nomination was killed by Democrats last March. GOP supporters have come up with a detailed rebuttal to the charges in the various anti-Owen reports. "Our team is three miles ahead of where it was with Pickering," says one Republican aide.
Still, it might not be enough to win. "This one could go down," says another Republican. "But it's not going to go down without a huge fight."
Because of the way the hearing had been scheduled — it conflicts with another Judiciary Committee hearing on an unrelated topic — there had been fears among Republicans that Democrats had planned to hold a short session for Owen and then demand that a second hearing be held, a tactic that was used in the Pickering battle. But this morning, Democrats announced that they planned to have the hearing continue through the day and no one has mentioned the possibility of a second hearing.
I tell ya, they ought to rename the Party name, to Cheese eating surrender Monkeys, or Neutered.
I know this isn't your title, gubamyster. But something doesn't seem right (and I've not read any other posts in this thread yet).
"Another Battle Begins - The Democrats work to kill another judicial nominee nomination"
There. That's better.
At least this is what I hope is the deal. Killing the nominee would be over the top. ;-)
President Bush can go atop the Sears Tower in Chicago butt boonky naked on worldwide live television and say how good his next nominee will be. It won't matter.
Why?
Who controls the Senate Committee on the Judiciary?
Nuff said.
Sad, but true.
Surely you jest. The GOP's had issue after issue handed to them on a silver platter and the spineless fish never capatilize on it. They didn't even have the will to remove President Treason after he was impeached.
Why would the Dims be afraid to "hand them a campaign issue" now?
Don't be daft. You haven't heard the Dems talking about gun control much lately, have you?! They aren't anxious to hand us another issue.
What a relief! Usually the demoschmucks take about a month to slice the skin of judicial nominees off a ribbon at a time. It gets so tiresome, watching them laboriously construct a parody, and then torture their fictional character to death over a grinding span of weeks.
Now they're going to just kill em outright, quick and clean.
Whew
Actually, I haven't. Okay - I'll take your word for it that they're avoiding giving the GOP any more ammunition. I'm just frustrated that (it seems to me) they haven't gone for the jugular despite numerous chances.
And one other thing. It is disgusting that "Leaky" Leahy, the Chappaquidick Kid, Joe "Can I quote you on that" Biden, John "the AMbulance" Edwards," are sitting in moral judgment on anyone.
Republicans aren't playing smashmouth. They are practicing judo (i.e. use the opponent's own moves and energy against himself).
For the most part, right now that means "give the man enough rope to hang himself, then give him enough time to do so".
If Bush did anything at all like that he would justifiably take heat for intolerably undermining the federalist principle of legislative advice and consent. OTOH the Senate's practice of bottling up nominations and avoiding votes by various devious means is even more intolerable. The president should therefore establish some criteria to decide when a candidate has experienced clearly excessive delay or avoidance of Senate confirmation, and then appoint any and all such (whatever the number and whatever the office) during each recess.
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