The Robert’s Showdown Is About To Begin

Posted on September 11, 2005

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Today is the day the battle begins. We will keep you updated as best we can. So lets start off getting you informed on the direction the MSM will be taking on this.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Specter, Leahy are Dead Heads, (Grateful Dead fans), and they will avoid partisan fights in run-up to hearings.

And if the hearings, expected to last about a week, defy expectations and unfold in a fairly civil manner, it will be in large part because of the unlikely friendship between the independent-minded Republican and the Democrat who professes a love of the Grateful Dead.

It goes on to describe the cozy relationship between Leahy and Specter, how they scratch one another’s backs, and all. It then goes on to highlight all the liberal groups wanting tough questions, especially in the area of a women’s right to kill her unborn baby. This is very important to these groups, since it is a lucrative business that keeps many of them afloat.

Specter will stay away from the abortion questions. It doesn’t really matter that he won’t be the one asking, since he won’t be limiting any queries. He has decided to focus on Robert’s view on the right to privacy.

The Washington Post Headlines with Roberts’s Character Is Central At Hearing
Senators Will Weigh His Possible Influence

Analysts from both parties say the Judiciary Committee’s toughest questions — and Roberts’s likeliest risk of a slip — will center on a few issues that have dominated liberal-conservative judicial debates for years. Many will touch on the balance of power between Congress, the executive branch and the courts. Others will resonate more viscerally with ordinary people: abortion rights, voting rights and questions of balancing environmental protections against jobs and property development.

And in the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, concerns about the treatment of poor people and minorities could heavily influence the thrust of some of the questioning.

“Americans will have the opportunity for the first time to hear Judge Roberts’s views on the major issues,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), the committee’s most senior member, said in an interview. Katrina’s devastation underscores the hearing’s importance, he said.

I’m still in awe the democrats are going to use the Katrina catastrophy in this.

The Dallas Morning News reports that this is just practice. Apparantly the democrats are more worried about who will replace O’Connor, and today’s grilling will simply be practice for the big time later.

“Roberts is going to be hard to oppose, on a principled basis,” said Marci Hamilton, author of “God vs. The Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law.” “The next nominee is going to make someone unhappy.”

That’s because he or she would replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, often the swing vote on cases involving abortion, affirmative action and religious symbols in public places.

The Minneapolis Star headlines with Abortion: A question Roberts may not answer

Ben Ginsberg, the group’s legal counsel and an attorney for the Bush campaign in 2000 and 2004, said that even though Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a controversial pick for Republicans, “there was a recognition about the proper scope of questions that should be answered.” He said Republicans disagreed with her positions but knew she was qualified and treated her with respect.

“Our message is simple,” he said. “Doesn’t John Roberts deserve that same respectful consideration?”

He said Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had worked for the American Civil Liberties Union, declined to answer questions dealing with public education, a proposed balance budget amendment, gay rights, abortion or labor laws. Roberts’ supporters note that she set the tone in her opening statement, telling senators: “You are well aware that I come to this proceeding to be judged as a judge, not as an advocate

The abortion question, on whether women have the right to kill babies seems to be the central cry from all the far left organizations. My opinion is that it will get really ugly. The Ginsburg standard will not be applied to Roberts, but he is a smart man, and won’t stumble under the heat. We will do our best here to keep you updated as things take place. Get ready for an ugly fight.