The Dems have thrown Arlen Specter a crumb:
Senate Democratic leaders have reached agreement with Sen. Arlen Specter to partially restore the party switcher’s status on the Judiciary Committee, by granting Specter the chairmanship of the Crime and Drugs Subcommittee.
Under the deal, which Senate Democratic aides outlined this morning, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) would give up the gavel of the prestigious post, which holds jurisdiction over most Justice Department activities. Durbin would take over a newly restored human rights subcommittee, which was dissolved at the beginning of the current 111th Congress because none of the committee members were available to run it.
This might seem like an inconsequential thing, but take a look at the jurisidiction of the Crime & Drugs Subcommittee.
Jurisdiction: (1) Oversight of the Department of Justice’s (a) Criminal Division, (b) Drug Enforcement Administration, (c) Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, (d) Office on Violence Against Women, (e) U.S. Marshals Service, (f) Community Oriented Policing Services and related law enforcement grants, (g) Bureau of Prisons, (h) Office of the Pardon Attorney, (i) U.S. Parole Commission, (j) Federal Bureau of Investigation, and (k) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, as it relates to crime or drug policy; (2) Oversight of the U.S. Sentencing Commission; (3) Youth violence and directly related issues; (4) Federal programs under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended (including the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act); (5) Criminal justice and victims’ rights policy; (6) Oversight of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; (7) Oversight of the U.S. Secret Service; (8) Corrections, rehabilitation, reentry and other detention-related policy; and (9) Parole and prohibition policy.
We just went from having one of the most progressive Democrats in the entire caucus, Dick Durbin, overseeing these things to having Arlen Specter overseeing them. This, at a time when the Arnold Schwarzenegger is discussing legalizing pot and Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) is trying to tackle prison reform. I’m sorry, but this is too high of a price to pay to avoid a little disgruntlement from Specter.
Hmm, should make it easier for Obama, who won’t have to confront his own position against legalization of marijuana. Coordinated?
nah, it’s more banal. Durbin is part of the leadership, so he had to take the haircut. No one else signed off on any deals.
Wait. Didn’Specter just vote against everything so far-budget, cramdown,etc etc.?????
So now the dems are REWARDING HIM? At Durbin’s expense? The same Durbin who stood up and said the banks own the Senate??? Because Specter is a whiney butt?
GIVE ME A FRIGGIN’ BREAK. This is all getting ridiculous.
At last, we have found bipartisanship. On what issue? Weapons acquisitions, of course.
link
So it harshed Leahy’s mellow, too.
Specter should just be an independent, he’s only a Democrat in name. I have yet to hear Sen. Specter say he loves Al Franken.
According to news reports, Leahy has blocked the switch.
Any links other than to FOX News? That’s the only place online that I’m seeing it being reported right now.
nothing but smoke there, reid and leahy’s already signed off on the deal:
and according to durbin, it’s a done deal:
bad form all ’round on this.
More on this at The Hill:
So the fix was in as soon as Specter announced his move. It wouldn’t have mattered if the caucus had decided to give Arlen his seniority or not – Durbin had already decided to hand the gavel over to Specter. Possibly because he knew that there was no way his fellow Dems were going to let Specter line jump in the seniority rankings and wanted to make sure Specter had something to save his bruised ego.
There’s also this bit:
So there’s nothing that Leahy can do to block it either. The most he could do is tell Durbin “no subcommittee chairs for you” and it sounds like he’s decided not to go that route (though it sounds like he might have considered it for a bit).
Why? The other day we had folks explaining how pragmatism has to trump ideology or “perfection” sometimes. OK, so what did the Dems get out of giving Specter this or anything else? Other than not having somebody of no importance be mad at them?
As of now I don’t give a shit whether the Dems get 6 more seats or 10 more seats or 40 more seats next time. Nothing will change them. (Well, MAYBE if they had 99 Senate seats AND a 200-year contract AND an iron-clad guarantee that nobody would say bad things about them. Maybe.) Once again, you choose: incredible stupidity, cowardice or corruption. Those are the only possible explanations I can think of.
It would be really interesting to hear another possibility. Any other ideas?
Sestak in ’10.
This whole thing just goes to show how the Democrats are just as paid off, campaign-finance-money-up-the-wazoo as the Republicans are.
We’ve known that here in Illinois for quite a long time.
Didn’t Specter cosponsor Webb’s bill to study the US justice system?
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/03/a_push_for_prison_reform.php
I think Specter is a good choice to head up that committee. Durbin might be a better choice – it’s hard to say without taking a close look at their records (which neither the author nor any of the commenters here have done). But, I’m OK with this compromise. All that said, I still want Sestak to crush Specter in a primary in 2010.
On the other hand, Scrapple is going to have to toe the line on his one committee with everyone watching him very closely.
It could turn out OK in the end. If not–he’s outta there.
“Jurisdiction: (1) Oversight of the Department of Justice’s (a) Criminal Division, (b) Drug Enforcement Administration, (c) Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys,“
Does this mean he is in a position to cover up the USAs crimes AND a host of other crimes?
They shouldn’t give Specter SHIT.
Not one frigging thing.