God I love Sen. Harkin

[ashling]

Harkin: DOJ Civil Rights Nominee Would Have Been Confirmed If He Was White

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/05/tom-harkin-doj-civil-rights-nominee_n_4907866.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000013



"Here's the message we sent today," Harkin said. "You young people listen up. If you are a young white person and you go to work for a law firm … and that law firm assigns you to a pro bono case to defend someone who killed eight people in cold blood … my advice from this, what happened today, is you should do that … Because if you do that, who knows? You might wind up to be the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court.

"However, if you are a young black person and you go to work for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund … and you're asked to sign an appeal for someone convicted of murder, what the message said today is, 'Don't do it! Don't do it.' Because you know what? If you do that, in keeping with your legal obligations and your profession, you will be denied by the U.S. Senate from being an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice," Harkin said.

"What about that guy sitting over there -- the chief justice of the Supreme Court -- defended a person who killed eight people?" Harkin asked, pointing toward the nearby court building. "Maybe we should institute a -- an impeachment process? Maybe that's what we ought to do. Maybe my friends on the Republican side did not know this about John Roberts, that he had defended a mass murderer. Maybe that's what we've got to do, bring up an impeachment process. Let's impeach the chief justice because he had fulfilled his legal obligation to defend a murderer. Well, I hope that you see the ridiculousness of that argument."

[madaboutharry]

1. He knows they're a bunch of bigots.

It's so sad he is retiring.

[freshwest]

2. Thanks Senator Harkins and to you, ashling, for bringing this here. It's important. n/t

[progressoid]

3. Rec!

[bullwinkle428]

4. This cannot be recommended enough.

K&R.

[Cha]

5. KICK!

[WillyT]

6. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[JI7]

7. a bunch of other things also if Obama was white

[Jenoch]

8. I think both Harkin and especially Grassley

should have been out of office many years ago. I believe one of the major problems in the political process in he U.S. is entrenched politicians.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

9. Once upon a time, I had frequent contact with Iowa pols ...

... because of my job (I wasn't in politics).

Harkin, Grasserly, then- and again-Gov. Branstad, about half of the Reps in the U.S. House at the time and a whole slew of pols at the state level and local level, some of whom moved on from there to D.C. or Des Moines.

It was quite a mix, some bright, some engaging, some constantly campaigning, some so dim it was just sad. Harkin stood out. He was bright, humble, engaged and more than once came back to a meeting to ask more questions (which his staffers seemed to expect and dislike, trying to keep him on schedule). He wasn't schmoozy or pandering or preachy - he asked questions, listened and asked more based on what he *heard*.

Sometimes you get lucky. We did - we had Harkin. Got lucky again with Wellstone and now Franken. But Harkin holds a special place for me.

[merrily]

10. "....let's impeach the Chief Justice.... Sounds good to me, but why stop with him?

Scalia should go, too.

And not because they defended an accused with a Constitutional right to defense counsel either, but because they are slippery, dissembling, partisan Justices.

[ReRe]

11. K&R

I just love hearing truth coming out of the mouth of a Senator. He will be sorely missed. Shame on those 10 "democrats" who voted with the Republicans.

[adirondacker]

12. K&R. Sad day for the judicial system in this country. nt

[JDPriestly]

13. K&R. Thousand times K&R.

[bearssoapbox]

14. "Well, I hope that you see the ridiculousness of that argument."

No. They don't see how ridiculous it is.

That is what's so infuriating.

And sad.