If you didn't know--the man is a Squash fanatic. He has to play every day or he gets rather pissy.
Posted on 11/12/2004 5:39:50 AM PST by Jeff Blogworthy
Q: Have you spoken with the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee about your statements?
A: I have talked to members of the committee, I'm not going to name names. (I have) spoken to most (of them). Some are traveling out of country.
Q: What is your sense from them?
A: The sense is once they know the facts, there is a generally favorable response. These men all know that I have voted for all the President's nominees in committee and on the floor... and we counted the number of floor statements I made during filibusters, 17 in total ... and they also know that the controversy has arisen as to whether I would block pro-life nominees. And they know that I haven't on the facts. And they know as to (Robert) Bork it was not a question of pro-life, it was a question of original intent and so when I talked to them it was generally favorable.
Q: Are the members satisfied ... that you have clarified your statements?
A: No, I'm not going to use words like satisfy or clarify. I'm not going to overstate it. I'm very cautious here. I'm not going to count any chickens until the eggs are hatched. The response has been generally favorable when they hear the facts. That's as far as I'm going to go.
Q: Some of the response reminds one of the opposition from conservatives you battled against in your presidential campaign ... it's almost like a conservative jihad against you, rekindling that same animosity.
A: I would not go so far as to call it a jihad. I think that being the only pro-choice Republican on the Judiciary Committee makes me suspect. And it makes me suspect without cause on this issue of whether I would block pro-life nominees on a litmus test. And it's been difficult for pro-choice Republicans in the Senate because there are so few of us. And I think the party has more than 50 percent in favor of a woman's right to choose, with some limitations. But that branch of the party has never been vocal. So that as the party has tilted more to the south and west, the pro-choice Republicans have been in a distinct minority and there's been a concern about having a pro-choice Republican as chairman of the (committee). Listen, you saw it all during the primary, that was their mantra, their bugle call. The same people that are after me now were after me in the primary.
Q: Are these people fighting the primary all over again?
A: I wouldn't put it quite that way. But I would identify the people who fought me in the primary are the same ones who are fighting me now.
Q: Is the Club for Growth behind any of this? (The Club for Growth is a conservative Washington group that worked to derail Specter's re-election.)
A: I haven't seen the Club for Growth here. That's what made the primary so tough. It was a combination of the club and the people who are against me on the choice issue.
Q: Moderate Republicans have a role to play in the Senate despite all we've been seeing about values voters?
A: I think that is so. There's no doubt I'm a pro-choice Republican and there's no doubt that I'm prepared to speak up on it. And there's no doubt I keep articulating the view for a Big Tent. The exit polls showed what, about 20 percent of people who left the polls who voted for the President talked about moral values. Either 20 or 21 percent. That still leaves you with 80 percent of the people who supported the President more concerned about other issues. Now I believe that the people who stressed moral values were indispensable to the President's victory, but so were others in the party. No one group elected the President by themselves. And when you talk about the moderates, the moderates are very important to give the party balance. So that it's important for the party but it's also important for the country that the Republican Party has balance. And there are a lot of independents and swing Democrats who look to see that there are moderate voices in the Republican Party.
Q: Has the party tilted more to the right (from this election) and moderates essentially have more work to do?
A: I would say that is so because the one faction has stepped forward to claim credit and nobody else has. Then this issue came up as to my statements and that was an occasion to try to defeat me again as they tried in the primary. There really is an urgent need for more vocal participation by moderates and pro-choice Republicans. I think the statistics are that at least half or slightly more than half of Republicans favor a woman's right to choose, subject to some limitations.
Q: And they need to get more vocal?
A: Absolutely. I had no illusions about winning the Republican nomination ... when we went to Manchester and there were nine of us and I was the only pro-choice Republican (Pete Wilson dropped out).
Q: Have you sought out fellow moderates in the Senate? Recently?
A: Yeah ... sure I have. (He would not talk about his conversations with them.)
Q: This is like a 100 Years' War, but this is just a skirmish?
A: I think it's a very important battle. And it's really a battle for balance in the party and it's really a battle for balance in America.
Q: Is there a meeting set up for next week for Judiciary members?
A: There's no meeting set up. There's been some conversation about it, but that's up to Sen. (Orrin G.) Hatch.
Objective journalism. However, the interviewer was actually doing us a favor by laying the bait for Specter, although he was too smart to take it.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh.
Phrasing his anti-Bork vote as "original intent" is a safe way of voting for the abortion crowd.
When Specter votes against a pro-life nominee he'll be sure to couch it in "safe" language.
You nailed it!
If you didn't know--the man is a Squash fanatic. He has to play every day or he gets rather pissy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.