The Corner at NRO pessimistic about Specter.

NRO ^ | November 16, 2004 | NRO

[urbanrepublican]

ALSO HEARING [KJL]
from a Senate staffer:

the caucus and leadership meetings were not love fests. Specter was forced to address the issues and his leadership of the committee, and to defend himself. Hatch in fact did exit the meeting and put his arm around Specter and endorsed him.

Conservatives are livid about Hatch's actions, but now feel there is little that can be done. The old guard is backing him, and some more endorsements are expected tonight and tomorrow. The way it was put to me is that barring a last minute surprise, Specter has the job.

[Catholic and Conservative]

I don't think it is a done deal quite yet. There was only one member of the Judiciary Committee at the meeting (Kyl), and there is only one (Hatch) that I know has come out for Specter.

Hatch called a Judiciary Committee meeting today (Tuesday), and only Specter showed up. As long as things remain unsettled, I think we should keep trying.


Judiciary Committee Members

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa
D.C. Office: (202) 224-3744
Main District Office: (515) 284-4890
Fax: (202) 224-6020
E-mail form:
http://capwiz.com/fof/mail/?id=248&type=CO&state=IA

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
D.C. Office: (202) 224-4521
Main District Office: (602) 840-1891
Fax: (202) 224-2207
E-mail form:
http://capwiz.com/fof/mail/?id=203&type=CO&state=AZ

Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio
D.C. Office: (202) 224-2315
Main District Office: (614) 469-5186
Fax: (202) 224-6519
E-mail form:
http://capwiz.com/fof/mail/?id=456&type=CO&state=OH

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.
D.C. Office: (202) 224-4124
Main District Office: (334) 244-7017
Fax: (202) 224-3149
E-mail form:
http://capwiz.com/fof/mail/?id=269&type=CO&state=AL

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
D.C. Office: (202) 224-5972
Main District Office: (864) 250-1417
Fax: (202) 224-3808
E-mail form:
http://capwiz.com/fof/mail/?id=531&type=CO&state=SC

Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho
D.C. Office: (202) 224-2752
Main District Office: (208) 342-7985
Fax: (202) 228-1067

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.
D.C. Office: (202) 224-3521
Main District Office: (770) 763-9090
Fax: (202) 224-0103
E-mail form:
http://capwiz.com/fof/mail/?id=197&type=CO&state=GA

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas
D.C. Office: (202) 224-2934
Main District Office: (512) 469-6034
Fax: (202) 228-2856
E-mail form:
http://capwiz.com/fof/mail/?id=31770&type=CO&state=TX

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
D.C. Office: (202) 224-5251
Main District Office: (801) 524-4380
Fax: (202) 224-6331
E-mail form:
http://capwiz.com/fof/mail/?id=586&type=CO&state=UT

[PennsylvaniaMom]

No way they would deny Arlen his chairmanship. But the good news is he got the message. And I don't think he'll try to double-cross us. He will give President Bush's nominees a fair hearing.

Double crossing is what the Snarlin' one does best. Heck, he is so good, I bet he can quadruple cross too....My condolences that you have to deal with Boxer and Fienstien...but for 24 years, we in PA have had Arlen. Magic Bullet Arlen, Scottish law Arlen, the abortionist best friend Arlen. Now we have Supreme Court Legacy Arlen. Just wait...its not just abortion he has a litmus test for...he is anti-gun, pro-gay agenda, anti-military (yes, the Senior Senator from PA voted to have the UN sanction US military personnel for 'war crimes.')...the list just goes on and and on. So, when the double, or quadruple cross comes, it may not be aimed at the right to lifers...who knows what goodies Arlen has waiting to make his 'mark' on the Supreme Court for the next 30 years.

[Sir_Ed]

Yup...I called my Senator today, Gordon Smith. His aide said he is "listening and taking notes of his constituent's opinions" then I read in the Medford Mail Tribune that he heartily endorsed Spectre today.

Yeah, he really took note.

Ed

[Sir_Ed]

"...the people who have Irritable Bowel Syndrome will have something else about which to bitch about Republicans on this forum. And, that's really the goal isn't it?"

You must really hate Pro-Lifers.

I have rarely read such bilge about Christian Conservatives on a Conservative website.

You should join the Dorchester Conference and invite Chaffee, Snowe, Bloomberg and Pataki...you'd fit right in there, but your position's way extreme for Freep.

Ed

[Thorin]

>>>>>>>Anyone that thought RoeVWade would be overturned in their lifetime is dilusional. Bush never said it, never promised it, won't waste his time on it.

Trying to overturn Roe v Wade isn't a "waste of time." It's the best thing Bush could do in his second term, and one he could accomplish, if he gets the chance to replace 3 of the 6 liberals currently on the Supreme Court (most of whom were appointed by Republicans, by the way).

But Bush, apparently, would rather have Arlen Specter vet his judicial appointees. After all, Bush campaigned for Specter against a pro-life, conservative opponent in the primary, and could have stopped Specter's becoming Judiciary Chairman with a phone call. I guess helping pro-lifers isn't part of the "political capital" Bush intends to spend, even though it was social conservatives who reelected Bush.

[mississippi red-neck]

Hope you don't mind a repost of your most excellent post.

Thank you for your kind remarks.

You or anyone else are welcome to do what ever you feel the need to do with anything I have written if you think it will help.

I have been writing and calling everyone I can to try to get them to support us on this vital issue.

I think it will be decided today.

The vote in Jan. is mostly a formality to confirm what takes place this week. Got to hit them one more time.

[jammer]

They know what they are doing. I think they don't care that much.

Bingo! They talk one position to us, they think another. Arlen gives them--and Bush--cover to say, "oh, oh, how terrible, but there's nothing more I could have done."

...And Bush saved this guy...

[jammer]

I agree with you until the last paragraph, with which I strongly disagree. RR had NO Limbaughs, no bloggers, etc. He had National Review and the American Spectator. He won the political war alone, against an unremittingly stacked deck...well, he DID have Jimmy Carter, his most valuable asset.

I also think that to deny Klinton's political gifts is to make the same mistake that Dems made with Reagan (the "Great Communicator") and in this election. Face it: you hated Klinton (I think), I hated Klinton. But Klinton was LOVED by a lot of people. He had the charisma of JFK without the class. Perhaps more charisma.

[WildTurkey]

President Bush won and the GOP broadened its majority specifically because their Christian, conservative base supported them. They have more than enough reason to petition the leaders they elected in the hopes of advancing their conservative agenda.

I am not knocking anyone's right to petition. That is how our system works, in part. What I am knocking are the zealots that would rather kick the "RINOs" out of the party so that we can be back in the minority again. Don't they realize that means that some liberal democrat would head the judiciary committee?

[mwl1]

Today is the day that the GOP caucus chooses between Norm Coleman and Elizabeth Dole to head up the NRSC for the 2006 cycle.

I hope everyone is calling their GOP senators to support Norm Coleman. Dole would be a disaster.

[WildTurkey]

I guess helping pro-lifers isn't part of the "political capital" Bush intends to spend, even though it was social conservatives who reelected Bush.

Social conservatives are realists, apparently you are not.

[jackbill]

The Chair isn't king.

Don't bet on it. He selects the committee staff and can stack it against every one of the president's agenda items. And you won't even know it because it will be done behind closed doors.

Specter has to go - PERIOD.

[TOUGH STOUGH]

Arlen Specter IS a liberal democrat. If we can't get conservative justices passed, we lose domestically.

[WildTurkey]

Arlen Specter IS a liberal democrat. If we can't get conservative justices passed, we lose domestically.

AS will not hold up Bush's nominees.

[TOUGH STOUGH]

Your delusional. Sorry.

[TOUGH STOUGH]

We should keep trying. Agreed.

[WildTurkey]

Your delusional. Sorry.

You're delusional. Sorry.

[Tribune7]

I loved Reagan so I won't argue with you about him :-)

I didn't hate Clinton i.e. I didn't want to see him killed or made to suffer. I just wanted him to go away. I don't have a high opinion of Clinton's political skills. If the media was even-handed -- much less honestly responsible -- he would never have been president.

I will concede that Clinton had two very substantive accomplishments -- he got a Republican congress elected and he shut up the feminists. :-)

[WildTurkey]

Amazing that no one on FR cares a whit about discussing the DeLay issue.

[Thorin]

>>>>>Social conservatives are realists, apparently you are not.

If it's "unrealistic" to think that we can overturn Roe v Wade, then I suspect many social conservatives won't bother to turn out to vote for Republican candidates who give them nothing but rhetoric. Maybe watching a large part of the base walk away will give Republican politicians a new idea of what they can accomplish.

I agree to this extent: until social conservatives are willing to demand results from Republican politicians, they will continue to get exactly what they're getting with Specter's becoming Chairman of the Judiciary Committee--betrayal.

By the way, your faith that Specter won't block conservative judicial nominees is touching. Apparently just because Specter killed the Bork nomination and told Pennsylvania newspapers this fall that he'd block any "extremist" nominated by Bush is no reason to expect him to do just that.