Schumer To Fight New Bush High Court Picks

[DeSwiss]

Schumer to fight new Bush high court picks
Schumer said his “greatest regret” in the last Congress was not doing more to scuttle Alito

The Politico
By: Carrie Budoff
Jul 27, 2007 05:33 PM EST

New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a powerful member of the Democratic leadership, said Friday the Senate should not confirm another U.S. Supreme Court nominee under President Bush “except in extraordinary circumstances.” “We should reverse the presumption of confirmation,” Schumer told the American Constitution Society convention in Washington. "The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We cannot afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Roberts, or Justice Ginsburg by another Alito.”

Schumer’s assertion comes as Democrats and liberal advocacy groups are increasingly complaining that the Supreme Court with Bush’s nominees – Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito – has moved quicker than expected to overturn legal precedents.

Senators were too quick to accept the nominees’ word that they would respect legal precedents, and “too easily impressed with the charm of Roberts and the erudition of Alito,” Schumer said. “There is no doubt that we were hoodwinked,” said Schumer, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee and heads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

A White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, said Schumer's comments show "a tremendous disrespect for the Constitution" by suggesting that the Senate not confirm nominees.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0707/5146.html

*** - After reading this, I had to wait a moment to collect myself before I could type again. I still can't believe that Perino had the audacity to say that Schumer's showing a "tremendous disrespect for the Constitution?????" WTF!!!! The WH is worried about the CONSTITUTION?!?!? Since when? Damn, these people make me sick....

[annabanana]

1. Dana Perino clearly doesn't understand that tough questioning and

the real and ever present possibility of refusal to confirm is exactly what the Constitution calls for.

[DeSwiss]

4. Everyone in the WH.....

....starts from the assumption that Congress is going to do exactly as they're told. The results of November 2006 still haven't sunk in yet.

Denial is a river that runs through the White House....

[dflprincess]

2. Too little too late Chuck

better work on a way to impeach the ones already on the court. Or borrow a page from Rove, dig into their pasts and blackmail them off the court - it'd probably be quicker.

[burythehatchet]

6. yeah, better luck next time. day late and a dollar short

what marroons.

[DeSwiss]

8. Well, aside from your perfectly acceptable....

...suggestions on how to deal with the Supremes, I suppose I'm just glad he has regrets. And has at least voiced them. I've learned that to bear all that has happened to this country since Bush, I had to significantly lower my expectations of Congress. Now how sucky is that???

[mmonk]

3. Schumer has a conscience bite he wants to scratch.

[ninkasi]

5. Why is it

that our Democratic leaders couldn't see the dangers of confirming those two right-wing hacks, when the vast majority of us here at DU could? We urged them to vote against confirmation, and they disregarded our wishes, and bowed to Bush's wishes.

What happens to people once they are voted into office? Are they struck deaf, dumb, and blind? I'm a 64 year old high school dropout, and I saw the dangers of confirming these men, but politicians with extensive educations, and years of experience were fooled? Disgusting.

[mmonk]

7. One word.

"strategists"

[DeSwiss]

13. Or as Bush would say....

"straterigists"

[mmonk]

15. That's it.

[ninkasi]

17. I think you're right

What a pity for all of us.

[DeSwiss]

10. What happens???

I think they develop the absurd notion that they've been elected because of their superior intellect and that they know better than us what's good for the country.

"Now if you'll just stand aside and let a professional handle this. Oh and vote for me come election time. Thank you very much. Now sit down and shut up."

How's that sound???

[ninkasi]

18. It sounds like garbage

and that's pretty much what they've been feeding us. "Now sit down and shut up." is right, but they also add, "Send me your money!"

[VP505]

12. I am inclined

to think that in their wildest imaginations they probably never thought anyone would EVER see an Admin like this one. Hell I never thought I would see a President and Admin like this one. We peons are probably much more skeptical about others than those who roam the halls of power and higher income. People with power and money don't get screwed over and taken advantage of like ordinary people.

[ninkasi]

19. As a native Texan

I knew Bush would be a disaster. It was really surreal for awhile, to talk to friends from other states, who all bought into the whole "guy you'd like to have a beer with." For one thing, I don't drink beer, but more importantly, I knew that Bush was a lightweight, and limited in the brains department.

I want a SMART president. I want a man who can process information, and make informed decisions. I don't want some idiot who can't speak a coherent sentence, and who makes decisions based on his gut, or the voices he hears.

It's going to take a long time to recover from the disaster that is Republic rule. I hope it's something we can do.

[VP505]

20. I agree

what I was trying to say was that Senators don't see things the way we ordinary folk do, now ( too late) Schumer and a few others realize what a mistake they made by confirming Alito and Roberts. We knew what they were going to give us by comfirming them, but they seemed to be clueless and did it anyway. One would think they were smart enough to know better, guess not, anyway Schumer ain't gonna score any points with what he is saying now.

[Canuckistanian]

9. Oh, high court PICKS. I thought it said something else.

And anyways, it's BUSHCO that's showed disrespect for the Constitution by sending only the most hardcore partisans they can find.

Roberts and Alito have shown themselves to be nothing more than conservative lackeys, overturning hard-fought decisions and established precedent.

Those two, combined with the already disgraceful Scalia and the doormat Thomas ensure that NO progressive or enlightened decisions will become law. They've already shown a remarkable contempt for basic civil rights and universal justice.

But I'm at least glad that Schumer is showing some fight.

[DeSwiss]

11. Yes, and Kennedy....

...is now the fulcrum upon which the balance of the court now depends. And he's been leaning far too much to the right of late.

[VP505]

14. This is really rich!

Would be hilarious if it weren't so arrogantly hypocritical. A White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, said Schumer's comments show "a tremendous disrespect for the Constitution"

[Nite Owl]

16. As I recall when they were up for

a vote we were calling, faxing and emailing like crazy to try to get them to block the vote but they just couldn't seem to understand enough to get 40 votes to do that. Now they complain, they should have listened to us then like they should be listening now about bringing this WH to accountability.

[rndmprsn]

21. Good for you, f#ck 'em up Chuck!

[Swamp Rat]

22. Thank you Chuck Schumer!

[malaise]

23. Dana should read it

the President nominates; the Senate confirms or rejects.