Roberts's Hand in Home Rule

[maddezmom]

Nominee's Memos Shielded Reagan In D.C. Battle

By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 20, 2005; Page A04

Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. played a backstage role in a landmark home-rule fight in the District in the early 1980s, displaying a keen political sense for shielding his boss, President Ronald Reagan, during a controversial battle to roll back the power of D.C. officials.

In eight memos written during the 1983-84 episode, Roberts, then 28, emerges as a savvy White House associate counsel who helped guide a Justice Department push to limit D.C. officials' ability to change criminal statutes. He lobbied to camouflage White House involvement, softened the administration's rhetoric, headed off confrontation and fretted over leaks to city officials.

During a 15-week debate, Roberts's memos did not make explicit his views on home rule or the era's raw racial politics. His memos also offer no clues about how he might decide the current question of whether the District can obtain a vote in Congress without a constitutional amendment.

~snip~
A 1983 U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Congress's legislative veto powers triggered the District debate. The home-rule charter that established the city's locally elected government in 1973 included such a veto provision, and the Justice Department argued that the charter had to be amended. When Congress moved to fix the problem by loosening its control over the District, the Justice Department intervened with the White House's backing.

more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/19/AR2005081901559.html?nav=rss_metro/dc

[EST]

1. Never before have I been one to make blanket, tarring with

big brush, statements, but... Republicans equal crooks and liars-period.

[magellan]

2. "Republicans equal crooks and liars - period."

Wish I could argue with you. But I don't know one Republican I'd trust to walk my dog without winding up with a dead dog.

[acmejack]

3. Someone once observed here that

Liberals treat their dogs like people and cons treat people like dogs. I like it, it seems to me to be the truth.

[EST]

5. Its a horrid state of the world wherein I have become,

in the last nine months, somewhat satisfied, nay, actually sordidly pleased, that Kerry did not ascend to the presidency, that the great election frauds of the last twenty five years have occurred. I have come to believe the only way that the crooks and liars crowd can be thrown out, with any chance of actually keeping some of them out, is for them to so thoroughly and disastrously screw up everything that even the borderline psychopaths will vomit them up.

[Voltaire99]

8. Well, given Kerry's promise...

...to escalate the Iraq war, I hardly care that he lost.

I do agree that the bottom is where we must go, economically, politically, indeed culturally, before there can be hope of rebirth. And this is so because our institutions are too dysfunctional, too deeply broken, for a change in party control to mean much in practice apart from (admittedly pleasant) superficial and stylistic differences. Corporate rule is corporate rule.

As before in US history, emergency socialism will be needed to bail out irresponsible capitalism. And perhaps in retracing such steps we as a people shall be reconnected with our better hearts, even after so much time and sorrow have divided us from them.

[EST]

4. There is such a battle in my universe between pathetic,

powerless outrage and a gigantic sadness at the inability of the human creature to come within a country mile of our ethical ideals (If I can only find ten righteous men...)
Forty years ago I was so smugly and sincerely convinced that my generation, with its advantages, open mindedness, intelligence and education, would, in nearly a single stroke, fix all the stupid problems that have beleaguered the human race throughout recorded history. Only to find that such wonderful inspiration dies with maturity and, in the end, cupidity, evilness and thoughtless greed always wins. Oh,well, back to the trenches--did I really expect to live forever?

[acmejack]

6. I know what you mean

Most of us blew off those grand ideals of the late 60's & decided we needed to be into the material world. Sad...

[EST]

7. Ain't it hell to be old?