Howard Dean chose a Republican for Chief Justice of Vermont

[wyldwolf]

In 1997, Dean hoped to tap his administration secretary, William Sorrell, for the chief justice slot but couldn’t convince the board that Sorrell’s lack of experience as a judge didn’t disqualify him.

Dean ultimately chose Republican Attorney General Jeffrey Amestoy, and Sorrell became attorney general, a post he’s held ever since.

http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/News/Story/68525.html

If elected president, will he choose Republicans for federal courts?

[stickdog]

1. You realize, don't you, that Jim Jeffords passes for a Republican in VT?

And you also realize that this is the same guy who wrote the opinion legalizing civil unions?

[Jackson Smith]

7. Agreed. A republican in Vermont is like John Breaux.

[ozone_man]

24. That's right Jeff Amestoy, a Republican

in the Liberal Vermont Republican tradition was an incredibly popular attorney general, to the point that the Dems did not bother running a candidate against him. In the same way that the Dems do not bother running a candidate against Bernie Sanders (our lone Socialist congressman).

We tend to vote on a persons's character and sometimes cross party lines in Vermont, e.g., Amestoy(R), Jeffords (R), Sanders(S), Leahy(D), Aiken(Republican and another Republican Senator from many years ago) are some examples.

And yes, there are good Republicans out there.

[lurk_no_more]

37. I thought I had read here on DU, that dean and Jeffords traded votes

while jeffords was still a Republican running for Senate and dean was running for Governor, and that Jeffords even had dean signs on his front lawn.

So appointing a Republican doesn't surprise me any more than the Moderate/Centrist way he ran Vermont.

However, appointing one to the high court does raise questions.

Voting Republican for President and letting the voters decide IMO isn't quite as bad as putting one in office bypassing the voters completely, this I do find especially disturbing since if he should become president, he would have the ability to do so again through a recess appointment.


And then there were none!
” JAFO”

[Cuban_Liberal]

2. Forbid it, Almighty God!

God forbid that he would name a *shudder* Republican to the bench. We all know no Republican should EVER be on the bench. We need good Democrats like Earl Warren! errr.... never mind. :P

45. exactly what I was going to say

Earl Warren

[Sandpiper]

3. With judges, party affiliation matters a lot less

Than judicial philosophy. Every judge has a paper trail of judicial opinions that can be used to gauge where they stand on important issues.

If you don't believe me, consider that two of the most liberal members of SCOTUS, Stevens and Souter, are both Republican appointees.

[dsc]

4. Brennen Warren and Blackman were all Republicans

and were much better than the Democratic White. That Republican authored the civil unions decision and a decision requiring equal funding for schools.

[liberalmuse]

5. Good for Dean...

This justice helped author the civil unions bill and is a proponent of civil liberties.

[hellhathnofury]

6. David Souter

[JaneQPublic]

8. Bill Clinton chose a Republican for Defense Secretary

So what's your point?

[wtmusic]

9. Wow, bipartisanship

If this is supposed to be a scathing indictment you're going to have to do better :eyes:

[1floridademocrat]

10. OMG..

He choose a republican??

Why that... I mean WHAT WOULD CLINTON DO??

Oh wait.. he appointed a Republican to his cabinet..

Damn it.. facts always getting in the way

[KittyWampus]

11. Vermont Also Got Tougher On Drugs & Crime

and as the population soared he had to build a prison to accomodate the offenders.

[Cuban_Liberal]

13. You say that like it's a bad thing.

:shrug:

[DaisyUCSB]

12. the problem people have is he talks like being a moderate is a bad thing

when he himself is a moderate

right?

[Armstead]

16. No he talks like being a wimp is a bad thing

Dean has never painted himself as the epitopmie of a leftist. What has has said is that Democrats need to be more assertive and fight back, instead of trying to be Republicans.

Vermont is a very bi-partisan state. Appointing a Republican thereis not like appointing Tom DeLay.

[Bozola]

14. In Washington, one of the best administrators ever was a Republican

Ralph Monroe, Secretary of State.

Of course, ol'Ralph could hardly be compared to what passes as a Republican these days.

Intelligent, kind, and competent; he serve his state exceptionally well.

You've got to look at the person, not the label. Geez.

[AntiCoup2K4]

17. I can tell you for a fact that Ralph attended as many if not more

Democrat fundraisers as he did Republican ones. The only Republican I ever voted for in a general election, actually. It was speculated he retired because he didn't recognize his own party any more. Don't blame him. I almost did the same after the 2002 election, and will do so in 2004 if the DLC forces us to lose this one.

[Bozola]

39. I loved Ralph & I miss the ol'Guy

[AntiCoup2K4]

15. Wesley Clark raised money for Republicans in 2001

And said that PNAC was a great team that we needed to have in Washington. Even after that he praised Junior as "commander in chief".

Does that mean he would appoint Republicans??

[Jackson Smith]

18. Lovely, the Dean banner juxtaposed with the Bush-Hitler reference

I'm not surprised.


Keep bashing Clark though.

[AntiCoup2K4]

28. What bashing?

It was a fair question. Clark has far more Republican ties than Dean does. How would that effect his future appointments, if he were to be elected?

[wyldwolf]

34. So it becomes a matter of how many?

Clark has far more Republican ties than Dean does.

So, who decides how many is too much?

[wyldwolf]

19. What is funny about your post here is...

..the fact that mine is in response to this constant charge.

So, in effect, you're side is going, "Clark raised money for Republicans...

I say, "Dean appointed them..."

You say, "Yeah... well... Clark raised money for Republicans...!"

We keep hearing revelations about Dean's republican-like actions yet you and yours fall back on the same things as though they're new news.

Agree that since they both have had friendly relations and kind words to say about Republicans that they cancel each other out? Or is Dean's cases just "different?"

[returnable]

22. Kicking for the irony...

...or is it hypocrisy? I get so confused here :hi:

[funky_bug]

25. Kicking again

'cause Wyld beat me to the punch.

[wyldwolf]

30. Let's kick again like we did last summer!

[lurk_no_more]

38. And dean said cheney was his model VP

does that mean we can look for a howard dean/zell miller ticket should he get the nod?


And then there were none!
” JAFO”

[mandyky]

20. Dean does not use litmus tests or party politics

He looks at cases they've tried. I don't mind republican judges as long as they don't belong to the Federalist Society and such. There are pro choice republicans ya know.

[sangha]

46. That's a big mistake for Dean

We want Democrats!

[Sly Kal]

21. So?

I like Clark and I like Dean. I hope Clark wins and I don't have a problem with either having republican associates and friends. I have republican family and people I work with. Is this a crime in Liberal circles?

[IndianaGreen]

23. President Clinton nominated William Weld as Ambassador to Mexico

and he did this shortly after Weld lost to Kerry. Clinton also had a Republican as Secretary of Defense, William Cohen.

And your point was????

[Feanorcurufinwe]

26. I'd much rather see them in Mexico than on the Supreme Court

[IndianaGreen]

32. That's the State Supreme Court

Issues involving reproductive rights are decided at the federal level.

[dsc]

36. I would take Brennan and probably Blackman over any person on

the current Court and over White and Fortas.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

27. Dean almost always chose Prosecutors and Repubs over Defense Attys

http://www.talkleft.com/archives/003739.html
July 21, 2003

I was a public defender in Vermont during part of Dean's tenure. He was openly hostile to the defense function. He once addressed a meeting of defense attorneys by stating that "my job is to make your job as difficult as possible." He is a man of his word, at least on this campaign promise. He did not want to fund public defense.

……Dean has made no secret of his belief that the justice system gives all the breaks to defendants. Consequently, during the 1990s, state’s attorneys, police, and corrections all received budget increases vastly exceeding increases enjoyed by the defender general’s office. That meant the state’s attorneys were able to round up ever increasing numbers of criminal defendants, but the public defenders were not given comparable resources to respond.


http://sandiego.indymedia.org/en/2003/10/101621.shtml

In a 1997 Vt Press Bureau interview, Howard Dean admitted his desire to appoint judges willing to subvert the bill of rights. Dean stated that he wanted to appoint to the Vermont Supreme Court a justice who would consider "common sense more important than legal technicalities" and "quickly convict guilty criminals". …. it is only these "legal technicalities" that shield a citizen from unconstrained acts of a powerful government. Dean's rush to convict "guilty criminals" is a call to quickly convict the accused without regard for constitutional protections.

........Commentators have universally condemned Dean's policy: "he has casually trashed several hundred years of legal safeguards", Richard Cohen, and, Dean's stance is "anti-due-process", William Saletan. Dean's desire to appoint judges willing to overlook "legal technicalities" (i.e. the Bill of Rights) and his success in appointing such judges should cause concern.



http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles7/Frank_Dean-Death-Penalty.htm

(Dean appointed) state judges who were willing to undermine the Bill of Rights. In a 1997 interview with the Vermont News Bureau, Howard Dean admitted his desire to expedite the judicial process by using such justices to "quickly convict guilty criminals." He wanted individuals that would deem "common sense more important than legal technicalities." Constitutional protections (legal technicalities) apparently undermine Dean's yearning for speedy trials.

[depakid]

31. Haven't I seen that EXACT same post before?

I guess it must be like stock footage- trot it out for a little generic Dean bashing at any point where it might be sort of related to the topic....

[bushclipper]

29. Since I know you personally, I know this doesn't matter at all to you...

But congratulations once again in showing the hypocrisy of the people who fault Wesley Clark for certain things.

[wyldwolf]

33. Yes, politics as usual, but for those keeping score...

Clark has admitted voting for Nixon and Reagan. But since then he voted for Clinton, Gore, and democrats in the last mid term. He has since become a strong democrat.

Dean was a supporter of Barry Goldwater and attended the Republican Convention that year. He has since become a strong democrat.

Clark had kind words to say about the current administration on several occasions - once at a Republican fundraiser. However, as a paid speaker, he spoke at a Democratic fundraiser later that week.

Dean has had kind words to say about the current administration - including that "Bush is doing a fine job in the war on terrorism" and that Cheney is a "model VP."

I could go on but what would be the point? Dean's actions will just be rationalized and Clark's demonized.

[KaraokeKarlton]

35. I'm a Vermonter, and our Republicans here are like Democrats

There's really very little difference. Many, many Vermont Republicans supported and voted for Civil Unions. Do you have a problem with Republicans who would vote in favor of Civil Unions? I sure don't!

[sangha]

41. If they're alike, then why not a Dem?

.

[blm]

42. Because Dean says one thing in this campaign and did another as governor.

That song remains the same.

[dsc]

44. Who was better Justice White or Justice Brennan?

defend your choice if it is White.

[LuminousX]

40. Will he consider republicans for courts? If they are qualified, yes.

As well he should. As well any President should. Qualification is not defined by party affiliation.

[kiahzero]

43. Not an issue

New England Republicans are OK, especially at the state level.

Sorry, wolf... I normally agree with you, but this is ridiculous.

[ecstatic]

47. Clark used to be a Republican

Will he help out his old Republican friends if elected president?

[wyldwolf]

48. #8 rule violation

If you make a factual assertion about a candidate that is not generally accepted to be true, you must provide a link to a reputable source to back up your claim.

So... link?