Convicted Felons Elected Al Franken
Showing posts with label U.S. Senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S. Senate. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Kagan Not Qualified for the Supreme Court
Elena Kagan has had many notable stops along the way in her legal career. Namely, she was a University of Chicago Law School Professor, Dean of Harvard University Law School, Associate White House Counsel, and most recently Solicitor General of the United States.
However, no where in her impressive career will you find Elena Kagan in a Judicial position. Other than Judicial clerkships, Elena Kagan has never been a Judge. Not only has she never been a Judge, she has never tried a jury trial in her whole career. In fact, she only gained experience in federal appellate practice litigation when she was appointed the Solicitor General in January of 2009 by President Obama.
How can we be assured that Elena Kagan will be a competent Supreme Court Justice when she has never been a Judge and only has limited actual litigation experience? Will her academic career be enough to provide her with the foresight to effectively serve on the Supreme Court?
These are the questions that Elena Kagan will have to answer in her confirmation hearings which began on Monday. She will have to respond effectively to questions from Republican Senators who want to know where she stands on the most pressing judicial issues of the day.
At the end of the day, Kagan will likely be confirmed because the Democrats have the Majority in the U.S. Senate.
But, this should not be a partisan issue. Prior Judicial experience should be a prerequisite for serving on the Supreme Court. You could argue about President Bush's nominees Justice Samuel Alito and and Chief Justice John Roberts' judicial philosophies. You could also argue about President Obama's first nominee Justice Sonia Sotamayor's judicial philosophy.
But no one could ignore the fact that both Alito, Roberts and Sotamayor all had several years of prior judicial experience which seems to me should be a requirement to even be considered for the Supreme Court.
Now, the Senators and the rest of the legal profession will only be in the position to surmise the kind of Judge Elena Kagan will become rather than have a past record to base its decision on whether Kagan has the credentials to be on the Supreme Court.
This flimsy evaluation that the Senators now have to rely upon because of the choice that President Obama has made in picking Kagan does the American people a disservice because it potentially could put someone on the Supreme Court who does not have the background to adequately assess the most important issues of the day.
The Supreme Court is the deciding factor on issues raging from civil rights, political controversies, criminal rights, abortion, marriage, among other hot topics.
For all we know which is scarce at this point, Kagan could rely on her liberal philosophy rather than any judicial framework when serving as Supreme Court Justice which is a frightening proposition.
We therefore should at the very least expect that the President of the United States will select a nominee who knows how to be a Judge to avoid any attempt by the nominee to wholly push his or her political philosophy on the American people. That should be the very minimum requirement. Otherwise, the Supreme Court will become another Congress rather than the distinguished judicial institution that it is now.
Unfortunately, Obama chose again to put his own liberal agenda ahead of the desires of the American people.
However, no where in her impressive career will you find Elena Kagan in a Judicial position. Other than Judicial clerkships, Elena Kagan has never been a Judge. Not only has she never been a Judge, she has never tried a jury trial in her whole career. In fact, she only gained experience in federal appellate practice litigation when she was appointed the Solicitor General in January of 2009 by President Obama.
How can we be assured that Elena Kagan will be a competent Supreme Court Justice when she has never been a Judge and only has limited actual litigation experience? Will her academic career be enough to provide her with the foresight to effectively serve on the Supreme Court?
These are the questions that Elena Kagan will have to answer in her confirmation hearings which began on Monday. She will have to respond effectively to questions from Republican Senators who want to know where she stands on the most pressing judicial issues of the day.
At the end of the day, Kagan will likely be confirmed because the Democrats have the Majority in the U.S. Senate.
But, this should not be a partisan issue. Prior Judicial experience should be a prerequisite for serving on the Supreme Court. You could argue about President Bush's nominees Justice Samuel Alito and and Chief Justice John Roberts' judicial philosophies. You could also argue about President Obama's first nominee Justice Sonia Sotamayor's judicial philosophy.
But no one could ignore the fact that both Alito, Roberts and Sotamayor all had several years of prior judicial experience which seems to me should be a requirement to even be considered for the Supreme Court.
Now, the Senators and the rest of the legal profession will only be in the position to surmise the kind of Judge Elena Kagan will become rather than have a past record to base its decision on whether Kagan has the credentials to be on the Supreme Court.
This flimsy evaluation that the Senators now have to rely upon because of the choice that President Obama has made in picking Kagan does the American people a disservice because it potentially could put someone on the Supreme Court who does not have the background to adequately assess the most important issues of the day.
The Supreme Court is the deciding factor on issues raging from civil rights, political controversies, criminal rights, abortion, marriage, among other hot topics.
For all we know which is scarce at this point, Kagan could rely on her liberal philosophy rather than any judicial framework when serving as Supreme Court Justice which is a frightening proposition.
We therefore should at the very least expect that the President of the United States will select a nominee who knows how to be a Judge to avoid any attempt by the nominee to wholly push his or her political philosophy on the American people. That should be the very minimum requirement. Otherwise, the Supreme Court will become another Congress rather than the distinguished judicial institution that it is now.
Unfortunately, Obama chose again to put his own liberal agenda ahead of the desires of the American people.
Monday, May 31, 2010
The Feinstein Disappointment
As President Obama prepares to welcome Israeli Prime-minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Tuesday in an another attempt to repair strained relations with the Israeli leader, Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) is urging Obama to pressure Israel to stop so-called settlement activity in East Jerusalem.
Feinstein, who was not one of the seventy six Senators who signed a letter urging President Obama to ease tensions with Israel in April, is now formulating a letter calling on the Obama Administration to ante up the pressure on the Israeli government.
It remains unclear whether Feinstein will be able to obtain co-signatories in an election year where Jewish support for the Obama Administration and the Democrat Party is at an all time low. Feinstein's letter would only add fuel to the fire.
In a letter to her constituents last month, Feinstein wrote "I have grave concerns about the expansion of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and I believe that this issue is a major stumbling block to a peace agreement. In my view, settlement activity should be halted until an agreement is reached.”
The indisputable fact remains that the Arabs vowed to destroy the State of Israel and the Jewish people long before the 1967 war when Israel captured Jerusalem. There were homicide bombings which killed innocent Israelis long before Israel controlled Judea and Samaria. The Arabs were even eager to kill Jews before Israel became a state.
Feinstein is unwilling to accept the reality that even if Israel stopped all so-called settlement activity tomorrow, the Palestinian Authority will never give up on their desire to rid the Middle East of the Jewish people.
Despite the fact the Prime-Minister Netanyahu instituted a 10 month moratorium on so-called settlement activity in the West Bank at Obama's urging which is due to expire soon, the Palestinian Authority has been very reluctant to pursue peace and never misses an opportunity to blame the stalemate on Israel without making any concessions of their own.
While the Palestinian Authority remains indifferent to the notion of peace, it should also be duly noted that they openly glorify terrorists, brainwash their children to kill Jews, and form alliances with Hamas and other terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza region.
Feinstein's views on Middle East peace are clearly not logical. She is either delusional or has succumbed to her radical leftist ideology which is hostile to the Jewish state.
Indeed, it is mind boggling that Feinstein has no qualms with the Palestinian Authority naming a square after a terrorist who murdered a dozen Israelis. Yet, she has a conniption when Israel builds bathrooms in a Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem.
The senior Senator from California is a big disappointment.
Feinstein, who was not one of the seventy six Senators who signed a letter urging President Obama to ease tensions with Israel in April, is now formulating a letter calling on the Obama Administration to ante up the pressure on the Israeli government.
It remains unclear whether Feinstein will be able to obtain co-signatories in an election year where Jewish support for the Obama Administration and the Democrat Party is at an all time low. Feinstein's letter would only add fuel to the fire.
In a letter to her constituents last month, Feinstein wrote "I have grave concerns about the expansion of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and I believe that this issue is a major stumbling block to a peace agreement. In my view, settlement activity should be halted until an agreement is reached.”
The indisputable fact remains that the Arabs vowed to destroy the State of Israel and the Jewish people long before the 1967 war when Israel captured Jerusalem. There were homicide bombings which killed innocent Israelis long before Israel controlled Judea and Samaria. The Arabs were even eager to kill Jews before Israel became a state.
Feinstein is unwilling to accept the reality that even if Israel stopped all so-called settlement activity tomorrow, the Palestinian Authority will never give up on their desire to rid the Middle East of the Jewish people.
Despite the fact the Prime-Minister Netanyahu instituted a 10 month moratorium on so-called settlement activity in the West Bank at Obama's urging which is due to expire soon, the Palestinian Authority has been very reluctant to pursue peace and never misses an opportunity to blame the stalemate on Israel without making any concessions of their own.
While the Palestinian Authority remains indifferent to the notion of peace, it should also be duly noted that they openly glorify terrorists, brainwash their children to kill Jews, and form alliances with Hamas and other terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza region.
Feinstein's views on Middle East peace are clearly not logical. She is either delusional or has succumbed to her radical leftist ideology which is hostile to the Jewish state.
Indeed, it is mind boggling that Feinstein has no qualms with the Palestinian Authority naming a square after a terrorist who murdered a dozen Israelis. Yet, she has a conniption when Israel builds bathrooms in a Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem.
The senior Senator from California is a big disappointment.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Republican Group: GOP will take over the House
In an exclusive interview with Kauffmans Commentary, the Senior Administrator of the Young Republican Network Ira Geiger stated that the GOP will likely take over the House in the 2010 elections.
YRN's Ira Geiger pictured with New Jersey's Lt. Governor
Geiger is less certain about the Republicans' chances of gaining control of the U.S. Senate. At the current moment, Geiger believes that the Republican party has a 50% chance of regaining the Senate.
According to Geiger, the prospect of the GOP gaining control of the Senate all depends on whether the Republican Party can win Senate seats in New York, Connecticut, California, and possibly Wisconsin and Washington. Republican Senate candidates in Delaware, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, Nevada, and Colorado are all expected to win in November which means that the Republicans will pick up eight seats and would only need to win at least three more seats to win back the U.S. Senate assuming that the Republicans can retain Florida and Ohio.
Ira Geiger also told Kauffmans Commentary that he believes young Republicans between the ages of 18 to 40 will have a greater influence in this year's election than in previous elections. "People have woken up. They took 2008 for granted," explained Geiger. He also reported that he has received emails from Democrats who are now supporting Republican candidates which is a new phenomena.
Geiger has been active in Republican politics for many years and has worked on the former Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich's gubernatorial campaign in 2006 and most recently on Chris Christie's successful gubernatorial campaign in New Jersey.
The Young Republican Network was originally founded after the 2008 election. It currently serves as a grassroots website which reaches out to young professionals, students, entrepreneurs, and young business leaders informing them of the different Republican campaigns in the 2010 election cycle.
An estimated 25,000 people a day log onto the Young Republican Network's website to learn about the Republican candidates who are running in this year's election.
Geiger is less certain about the Republicans' chances of gaining control of the U.S. Senate. At the current moment, Geiger believes that the Republican party has a 50% chance of regaining the Senate.
According to Geiger, the prospect of the GOP gaining control of the Senate all depends on whether the Republican Party can win Senate seats in New York, Connecticut, California, and possibly Wisconsin and Washington. Republican Senate candidates in Delaware, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, Nevada, and Colorado are all expected to win in November which means that the Republicans will pick up eight seats and would only need to win at least three more seats to win back the U.S. Senate assuming that the Republicans can retain Florida and Ohio.
Ira Geiger also told Kauffmans Commentary that he believes young Republicans between the ages of 18 to 40 will have a greater influence in this year's election than in previous elections. "People have woken up. They took 2008 for granted," explained Geiger. He also reported that he has received emails from Democrats who are now supporting Republican candidates which is a new phenomena.
Geiger has been active in Republican politics for many years and has worked on the former Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich's gubernatorial campaign in 2006 and most recently on Chris Christie's successful gubernatorial campaign in New Jersey.
The Young Republican Network was originally founded after the 2008 election. It currently serves as a grassroots website which reaches out to young professionals, students, entrepreneurs, and young business leaders informing them of the different Republican campaigns in the 2010 election cycle.
An estimated 25,000 people a day log onto the Young Republican Network's website to learn about the Republican candidates who are running in this year's election.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Senators sign letter to Obama
76 Senators signed a letter to President Obama urging him to ease recent tensions with the State of Israel.
The letter stated: "We write to urge you to do everything possible to ensure that recent tensions between the U.S. and Israeli administrations over the untimely announcement of future housing construction in East Jerusalem do not derail Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations or harm U.S.-Israel relations. We also urge you to reaffirm the unbreakable bonds that tie the United States and Israel together and to diligently work to defuse current tensions. The Israeli governments and U.S. governments will undoubtedly, at times, disagree over policy decisions. But disagreements should not adversely affect our national interests."
The letter can be seen in full here.
Of the 76 Senators who signed the letter, most who signed the letter were Republican with a significant amount of Democrat Senators not signing including Harry Reid and John Kerry.
Here are a list of the Senators who did not sign the letter.
1)Max Baucus (D- MT)
2)Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
3)Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
4)Robert Byrd (D-WV)
5)Bob Corker (R-TN)
6)Chris Dodd (D-CT)
7)Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
8)Richard Durbin (D-IL)
9)Michael Enzi (R-WY)
10)Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
11)Judd Gregg (R-NH)
12)Tom Harkin (D-IA)
13)Edward Kaufman (D-DE)
14)John Kerry (D-MA)
15 Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
16)Richard Lugar (R-IN)
17)Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
18)Jack Reed (D-RI)
19)Harry Reid (D-NV)
20)John Rockefeller(D-WV)
21)Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
22)Mark Udall (D-CO)
23)Tom Udall (D-NM)
24)Jim Webb (D-VA)
[Ed. Note] If you are a constituent of any of the above Senators who did not sign the letter and want to voice your displeasure to them for not doing so, contact their Washington DC offices via phone or fax. The more calls or faxes that they get, the quicker they will get the message that supporting Israel is a requirement for getting re-elected in the next election.
The letter stated: "We write to urge you to do everything possible to ensure that recent tensions between the U.S. and Israeli administrations over the untimely announcement of future housing construction in East Jerusalem do not derail Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations or harm U.S.-Israel relations. We also urge you to reaffirm the unbreakable bonds that tie the United States and Israel together and to diligently work to defuse current tensions. The Israeli governments and U.S. governments will undoubtedly, at times, disagree over policy decisions. But disagreements should not adversely affect our national interests."
The letter can be seen in full here.
Of the 76 Senators who signed the letter, most who signed the letter were Republican with a significant amount of Democrat Senators not signing including Harry Reid and John Kerry.
Here are a list of the Senators who did not sign the letter.
1)Max Baucus (D- MT)
2)Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
3)Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
4)Robert Byrd (D-WV)
5)Bob Corker (R-TN)
6)Chris Dodd (D-CT)
7)Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
8)Richard Durbin (D-IL)
9)Michael Enzi (R-WY)
10)Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
11)Judd Gregg (R-NH)
12)Tom Harkin (D-IA)
13)Edward Kaufman (D-DE)
14)John Kerry (D-MA)
15 Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
16)Richard Lugar (R-IN)
17)Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
18)Jack Reed (D-RI)
19)Harry Reid (D-NV)
20)John Rockefeller(D-WV)
21)Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
22)Mark Udall (D-CO)
23)Tom Udall (D-NM)
24)Jim Webb (D-VA)
[Ed. Note] If you are a constituent of any of the above Senators who did not sign the letter and want to voice your displeasure to them for not doing so, contact their Washington DC offices via phone or fax. The more calls or faxes that they get, the quicker they will get the message that supporting Israel is a requirement for getting re-elected in the next election.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Bleak future for the dems
Here is a tentative list of the top Democrats so far not running in the 2010 elections
1) Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut
2) Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota
3) Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois ( Well he did not have much of a shot anyway)
4) Arkansas Congressman Marion Berry
5)Arkansas Rep. Vic Snyder
6) Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee
7)Rep. Dennis Moore of Kansas
8)Rep. John Tanner of Tenessee
9)Rep. Brian Baird of Washington
10)Sen. Ted Kaufman of Delaware
11)And, now Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana
And for all of the resignations, there are several Democrats who are running like Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas who are in danger of losing their seats to Republicans.
2010 is not looking like it will be a good year for the Democrats. The Republicans surely know what its like to not have a good year after President Obama was elected in 2008. But 2010 may end up being a recovery year for the Republicans.
1) Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut
2) Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota
3) Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois ( Well he did not have much of a shot anyway)
4) Arkansas Congressman Marion Berry
5)Arkansas Rep. Vic Snyder
6) Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee
7)Rep. Dennis Moore of Kansas
8)Rep. John Tanner of Tenessee
9)Rep. Brian Baird of Washington
10)Sen. Ted Kaufman of Delaware
11)And, now Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana
And for all of the resignations, there are several Democrats who are running like Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas who are in danger of losing their seats to Republicans.
2010 is not looking like it will be a good year for the Democrats. The Republicans surely know what its like to not have a good year after President Obama was elected in 2008. But 2010 may end up being a recovery year for the Republicans.
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