Sen. Leahy: Roberts Ads a Waste of Money

[DoYouEverWonder]

August 11, 2005, 5:27 AM EDT

MIDDLESEX, Vt. -- Advocacy groups running ads for and against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts are wasting their money, the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat says.

The Roberts nomination is seen as a mini-presidential campaign, with organizations on both sides expected to spend millions of dollars fighting or endorsing him. The abortion rights group NARAL Pro Choice America started running television ads opposing Roberts this week, while the conservative Progress for America has begun a counteroffensive.

"These outside lobbying groups, whether on the right or the left, have become, for me anyway, basically irrelevant," Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy said. "They will probably be offended by that and I am not saying they shouldn't do what they do. I just wish they didn't."

Leahy, who has met privately with Roberts, called him extremely bright, very pleasant and "definitely somebody who has a very clear philosophical legal view."

"There are two kinds of very clear philosophical legal view," Leahy said in an interview this week with The Associated Press. "One that totally shuts out the possibility that you can even consider anybody else's view. The other says I have a clear view, convince me of yours; that says I have my own philosophy but I will listen to arguments."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-leahy-roberts,0,5052573.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines


I wonder if Leahy thinks Roberts is a Souter or a Scalia?

[izzie]

1. I am not for MY govt. to pay for ads. Govt. is a service not a business

Get my tax money out of ads. It is also like buying news stations to buy time for these ads by the govt.

[Olney Blue]

2. I think he is talking about advocacy groups, not the govt....

in this case. However, the government does have an active propaganda machine that uses taxpayers money and I agree with you that it is wrong.

[mom cat]

3. Sounds like the ads are making him nervous...Keep them up!

[DrZeeLit]

6. Leahy is about as liberal as one can get. He's not nervous. He's smart.

I agree with him. It's a waste of money.
Nobody pays attention to the ads. It's not a voting campaign. It's not that the general public is going to have a say. Sure, you can call or write your Senator. But then, that's it.

Two camps, no middle. Nobody putting out the ads, either camp, is going to sway a vote from the other side. Not gonna happen.

These confirmations are pretty much set by the hearings. The only way anything would change is if something damaging is found during the hearing. Then * would have to pull his nominee (or have his nominee withdraw). And... may I say... pigs are not flying over DC.

p.s. Senator Leahy is my Senator. He is an amazing man. He's totally accessible. I can walk into his office here in Vermont any time. Same with all our representation in DC -- which is one terrific reason to live in this state.

[beam me up scottie]

14. Hey, thanks, Doc.

I feel the same way.
I'm from Highgate and I miss my Senators.(living in red state now):cry:

[quiet.american]

4. Can I have the job?

Condoleeza Rice is often described as being "very bright, too."

If all it takes to be seriously considered for one of the most vital jobs in the country is the ability to be extremely "bright," very pleasant and to have one's mind made up about how the world works -- can I have the job?

[beam me up scottie]

5. What did you expect him to say?

That Roberts was the anti-christ?

Sen. Leahy has more class than that and I commend him for speaking his mind.
We need more politicians like the three from Vermont.

[quiet.american]

10. I understand your comment, but that wasn't my point at all.

Just making the point that often, when it comes to nominations from this administration, the most that can be said about the nominee is that they're "very bright."

If the Bush administration were not always predictably denying access to requested information on the nominee, maybe we could get past being "pleasant" and "very bright" as the primary qualifications and understand in depth exactly why the person is right (or more often than not, wrong) for the job.

[beam me up scottie]

11. Oh, sorry about that.

I'm originally from Vermont and I miss knowing that Pat Leahy, Jim Jeffords and Bernie Sanders have my back.

[quiet.american]

13. No prob! :) They are great representatives. n/t

[SuperWonk]

7. Well,

If Leahy is speaking out against the NARAL campaign... you know they are in trouble.
Whose genius idea was this commercial in the first place?

[ecoalex]

8. Roberts is a shoo in with the DLC Dems

[SuperWonk]

9. Right....

And one reason why we need to make our focus on bigger issues.

NARAL is just kicking a dead horse, and looking bad at the same time.

[beam me up scottie]

12. Knowing Leahy, he probably

is just trying to remind people that commercials don't have any influence on him.
And they really shouldn't.

[SuperWonk]

15. It is good advice...

But especially in a case this like that is really a blatent smear.

I'm glad he spoke out.

[Vogon_Glory]

16. Roberts Is Small Beer Compared To What's Next

John Roberts is small beer compared to what the USA is facing after Judge Rehnquist leaves the Supreme Court. I'm sure that Gee Dubya and Karl Rove already have someone in mind for Rehnquist's slot.


:scared:

[SuperWonk]

17. I hope NARAL -

Doesn't get involved with another SCOTUS candidate. It seems they are only good at valadating them with their errors.