JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Arlen Specter CHAIRMAN, PENNSYLVANIA
Orrin G. Hatch UTAH- up for re-election
Charles E. Grassley IOWA
Jon Kyl ARIZONA- up for re-election
Mike DeWine OHIO- up for re-election
Jeff Sessions ALABAMA
Lindsey Graham SOUTH CAROLINA
John Cornyn TEXAS
Sam Brownback KANSAS
Tom Coburn OKLAHOMA
Patrick J. Leahy RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER, VERMONT
Edward M. Kennedy MASSACHUSETTS- up for re-election
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. DELAWARE
Herbert Kohl WISCONSIN
Dianne Feinstein CALIFORNIA- up for re-election
Russell D. Feingold WISCONSIN
Charles E. Schumer NEW YORK
Richard J. Durbin ILLINOIS
Update [2005-7-1 11:31:29 by BooMan]: I notice there is only one woman from either party on the committee. Does that seem right?
makes my blood pressure rise… He has never been one of those elected officials who listens to his constituents. He tries too hard to be the anti-McCain so usually votes with the far reaches of the Right. Ugh.
need to get organized and make it clear to Kyl that he will not get their votes in 2006 if he approved an anti-Roe judge. He needs to have the piss scared out of him.
How is Specter’s health? Is he up for this?
Graham: Sometimes he says harsh things about his party/Bush. But does he always vote “to go along”?
I sure hope Specter is up for this. I think he will keep any true wingnut from going to the full senate, despite the fact that he may let a pro-lifer through.
His interview here from a few months ago leads me to believe that he will not let someone who he doesn’t think will get 60 votes through to the Senate.
That would prevent Frist from going nuclear.
What about Grassley? He seems to be somewhat more sane than the usual Republican nutjob.
Kyl is hopeLESS in Arizona…
And I say that with great love and affection because typed on a blog that may come off as nasty, and I’m not trying to be.
But you can forget any help from those two. Kyl is an empty-headed wingnut who plays “the other white meat” to the much better known John McCain. And DeWine is fiercely anti-choice, just less obnoxious in his approach than that Santorum jerk. (Damn…just the thought of that loud-mouth hypocrite makes you wanna just slap the smirk off his face.)
is that there is NO HOPE.
That is probably true. However, Kyl and DeWine are the only two Republicans that are facing re-election AND that come from what could be considered swing states.
They are the only two votes on the committee that actually could lose their seats if they antagonize enough women.
It has nothing to do with their personal beliefs, and everything to do with their political calculations.
Lindsay Graham is arguably the most reasonable member on the right (after Specter), but he faces the opposite problem. If he gets in the way of outlawing Roe, he will have a nasty primary on his hands.
Kyl and DeWine needs to feel the full wrath of their female constituents, NOW.
That’s exactly how I feel. And I feel stupid and hopeless, because I knew this day was coming on the night of Nov 2, 2004. I had hoped (Lord, there’s that word again!) that we wouldn’t have this fight until next year. But here we are.
Now, I haven’t looked at their numbers as they head into their races. The strategy could work. But on the basis of ideology, it’s a steep, steep, steep climb.
Kyl…he wants you to know that there IS another Senator from AZ. (Oh, their delegation meetings must be a hoot. To constantly play second fiddle to someone not as right wing as he must certainly chafe his ass.) DeWine, however, might be open to discussion on a nominee if that person is especially ho-ish to economic/business interests, he still being from OH. And perhaps you can make a case to him if a nominee is especially egregious on civil rights so as to not arouse the African-American vote next year.
But he is fiercely anti-choice and has been for quite some time. And even if either of them actually give thought to what they are doing, the WH enforcers will be out in force, either promising smooth sailing for their races or a storm of Biblical proportions.
BTW, you’re absolutely right about Lindsay. He’s already skating on thin ice because he actually had the temerity to hit Rummy w/ a clue stick as to the talk in SC. He’s in no position to exercise independent thought either.
I think the situation is a hopeless one, I really do. But we have to try.
I notice there is only one woman from either party on the committee. Does that seem right?
….unsuprising.
What you mean is that there is NO HOPE.
For Roe? “No hope” would be correct. Same for low income women.
The women that Kyl and DeWine would antagonise are the exact same women many, many Democrats have no difficulty in pissing off because they appear to share the pathetic belief that they can do so with impunity and without damage to the electoral prospects of the Democratic party. The fact that they’re just as wrong about that as they’re wrong about other aspects of centrist ‘strategy’ dows not appear to matter. After all they get paid for their work.
on the “faithfully interpret” test?
Fifty buck says they pick some kid closer to the Constitution-in-Exile crowd than to right-to-life (though they could easily get both).
“DeWine and Kyl Are Our Only Hope”
We’re screwed.
Though I can fantasize about a filibuster until 2009 or impeachment, can’t I?