Posted on 11/04/2004 3:57:05 PM PST by doug from upland
I spoke with Sen. Rick Santorum's officer earlier today, and the press sec. just sent me this email ---
Comments from Senator Santorum on Senator Specter's comments on the judicial nomination process:
"Recent news articles have reported comments made by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) about the judicial confirmation process. Earlier today, I asked Senator Specter to clarify his comments, which he did in a statement. In that statement, he clarified that he does not support a litmus test for nominees with regard to their stance on abortion.
"Senate Republicans are committed to approving all of the President's judicial nominations, despite the Democrats' rhetoric that they are committed to block judges who fail their litmus tests. This week's election increased the number of Republican Senators to 55. I am hopeful that with this increase we can overcome the Democrat's filibustering tactics.
"In the new Congress, I look forward to working with Senator Specter to guarantee that every judicial nominee put forth by President Bush has an up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate."
So did I.
I called and emailed Frist. I figure as majority leader he's more open than most to listening to non constituents on procedural issues. (Sadly I have 2 Dem's as my senators so I don't have anyone who'll listen there.)
It took a couple of times to get through on the phone, so I suspect the lines were pretty busy. Might be fun to know how many calls they did get over this.
Our FReeper Activist thread on this subject is located HERE. You'll find several articles about Specter's comments from yesterday and prior as well as some about attempts from last year to keep him out of the chairmanship. You'll also find contact information and a little bit of coordination of our efforts.
Did he say that was just his belief of what would happen or that it would happen based on his talking with the leadership?
bet there will be 5 conservative dems OR 5 who see the 'handwriting on the wall' for their next election try with the mood of the people this time (moral values)--as you well know, it is hard to come out and stand up for your beliefs the first time but gets a good deal easier from then on--I predict the majority of conservatives and especially people of faith who showed up and put Bush in office again will be with us from now on to protect the investment thay have in this Nation
Rick is carrying Snarlin' Arlen's water because Rick wants to be Vice President (the next time around).
He talked about it being from inside sources.
Staff maybe?
You're right.
Adulation of their peers.
Have you seen Jeffords lately?
Threat of a primary opponent.
Why would we do that? They don't have to worry about that until we have 60 seats in the senate
Their constituancy doesn't care if they are D or R as long as they have some influence. As a memeber of the minority party, they have NO influence.
That is one current the cross current is that being in the minority is no fun, I wouldn't be suprised if Ben Nelson of NE or someone else doesn't switch over to the good guys.
As Charles Kruathammer reminded me this afternoon, Spector was one of the people who Bork'ed Judge Borke.
RE #60:
"...And what on earth would their incentive be to leave the majority party to join the minority?"
To hand the majority back over the the abortion on demand Party, like Jumpin' Jimmy did for them some years back, given sufficient incentive.
And that incentive could be in the form of plumb Committees, grants to key constituent groups, or, I would not be at all surprised, keys to a nice fat Swiss Bank Account...
I'm pretty sure that the UN has plenty of real pretty ones they'd be willing to share whith a "special friend" or two - even George SOROS might be able to come up with a little such "incentive", don't you reckon?
And that kind of money can buy a politician a lot of power - or a nice cushy retirement with full pension over in Europe somewhere.
Whose interests and agendae, at home and abroad, would be well served by a Congress that could and would reliably hobble and obstruct our President's every initiative for the duration of his second term?
What kind of resources might some of those interests have access to?
Go figure, then.
You want "incentive"; how's that for starts?
It he Dems can't win or steal an election, they can and I'm pretty sure will at least try to buy the Senate.
It's what they do.
So how many left-leaning (more popularly known as "moderate") RINOS are there who might be pursuaded somehow to jump, given the proper "incentive" and some less than PC action by the POTUS that would give them occasion for feigned "outrage" and a public excuse for a group abandonment of the Republican Party in response?
Instead of just one traitor to flip the Senate, they need what - five now?
Count up the two-faced RINO hypocrytes lurking around the Senate now whose loyalty to Ted, Hillary, and the abortion industry (not to mention affinity for "incentive") could possibly trump any residual loyalty they might retain for the President or the Republican Party; Then do the math.
Don't forget; to reverse a 5-seat majority, they only have to flip 3 Senators, as each loss to the Rs is a pickup for the Ds.
By flipping technically as an "Independant", Jeffords only half betrayed us, I suppose, as it wasn't a gain technically for the Dems, was it? (at the time I don't think they really needed it, since Jumpin predictably votes with the Dems).
Correct me if I'm wrong here, (as I well may be) but if 3 Rinos bailed, it would become a 51 - 52 Dem majority, wouldn't it (assuming that the Dems retain 49 seats)? My figures might be off here, but you get the idea.
For a while during the last term, I fully expected Olympia Snowe to jump after we got a slim majority back.
But as a more politically savvy Friend pointed out, she weilds a lot of power right where she is, as a Member of several key committees, and chair of some of them.
So she can advance the cause of liberalism and the leftist agenda over the American culture and economy a lot more efficiently right where she is behind Republican lines than she likely could over cuddled up next to Hildabeast, Uncle Teddy and Komrades.
I personally opine that this is probably the main if not only only reason why she and probably a few of her fellow RINOS still tote that "R" around behind them down in Washington.
As an aside, who was it that held the Federal Budget hostage until the Presiden't proposed tax cut was CUT IN HALF?
Could she have done that from the other side of the isle?
I don't think so.
So I rest my case for the practical utility of RINOS to the left.
That same political mentor also suggested that neither Snowe nor Collins ever need one Republican from Maine to vote for them in order to keep their incumbancy just as long as they want it.
And you know, I have come to believe that he's right about that!
I certainly know of at least One Maine Republican who won't be holding his nose to support or vote for either one of them again, majority or no majority.
A Freshman Democrat in the Senate would probably be much less usefull to Uncle Teddy and Aunt Hillary than a Senior RINO firmly ensconced behind our lines, even if it gave them a slight majority. Heck; the GOP has been acting as if the Dems still had a 6 or 7 seat majority over us ever since the last election - so what would change, anyway?
So yes; I submit that there is plenty of "incentive" available - but will the Dems play it or leave it on the table to maintain a fairly comfortable status quo?
If and when said incentive is cast, will our RINOS rise to the bait?
Sen. McCAIN seems to have been offered some pretty choice worms lately (like a chance to be Kerry's VP running mate for instance) but even he could smell the hook in that one.
Who needs baseball when you've got politics to follow, eh?
Certainly the stakes are a lot higher, aren't they?
Who cares about 55 vs 60. Let them filibuster! We'll see how long they last. When the Republicans bust the filibuster, it will only take 51 votes.
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