Kerry: American People Must Know Roberts’ Record on Civil Rights

[kerrygoddess]

Kerry: American People Must Know Roberts’ Record on Civil Rights
July 22nd, 2005

As Ron noted in his post below, Supreme Court nominee John Roberts is considered by some to be a friend to business. However, civil rights activists are concerned about his stance on many civil rights issues. (See my post earlier today for links to Senator Kennedy’s press conference yesterday regarding John Roberts.)

John Kerry released a statement today regarding the new reports that Robert’s civil rights records may be withheld from Congress.

“Our country has traveled an incredible journey in the fight to guarantee civil rights to all Americans. From the days when Thurgood Marshall took Brown vs. the Board of Education to the Supreme Court through the present, an important part of this battle has taken place in the federal court system. The American people should know whether John Roberts will protect their consitutional rights if confirmed as a Justice to the Court.

I hope that both Judge Roberts and the Bush Administration will release all documents related to his professional record, including memoranda written during his time in the Justice Department. These documents should be released to the Congress in their entirety. The Senate has a challenge to meet its constitutional responsibility in the months ahead, and we can not do our duty if either Judge Roberts or the Bush Administration hides elements of his professional record. The Senate,and the American people, need to know the truth about Judge Roberts’ record to make a proper judgment.”

Kerry’s statement has hit the MSM with coverage from AP reaching the news wires a short time ago…

Kerry Seeks Release of Roberts’ Documents

“We cannot do our duty if either Judge Roberts or the Bush administration hides elements of his professional record,” said the Massachusetts senator who was his party’s presidential candidate last year.

Opening what is expected to be a broader attempt by Democrats to pry loose documents, Kerry issued his statement as Roberts made the latest in a series of courtesy calls on senators in advance of confirmation hearings.

Democratic officials also said Friday they want access to all material regarding Roberts at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. Roberts served in the White House counsel’s office from 1982-1986. He was principal deputy solicitor general in the administration of President George H.W. Bush.

The Reagan Library, in Simi Valley, Calif., holds an unknown number of documents relating to Roberts, arranged by subject matter. While material in some subjects are designated on the library’s Web site as available to the public, most is not.

MORE & LINKS -
http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=43

[KoKo]

1. I missed Kerry today at the joint Senate/House Hearings on Plame/Gate.

Also, I missed why he voted "Against" the Boxer/Coburn Amendment to deny loans to China for 5 Billion Dollars to loans to Westinghouse (Brit Owned) to build Nuclear Plants there....Giving away our own technology in a boondoggle that Santorum said would create 5,000 jobs in his State of Pennsylvania. Boxer said ..."With this amount of money we could create MILLIONS of JOBs in the US" so said our wonderful Democrat, Barbara Boxer.

Kerry voted against this...Kerry didn't show his face at the "Durbin/Waxman Dem Hearings today on Plame/Gate. I get his e-mails for action...but I don't see him out there fighting for me. :shrug:

[Mass]

2. Two things

I agree with you on Boxer (though I still wonder what Coburn was doing here). I am still trying to understand. (it is not so much the technology I am worried about given that China has the technology already, but it is the loan).

As for the hearings, what senators other than Dorgan (not Durbin) and Schumer did show their faces? Is it possible that the hearings were intended for the witnesses to testify rather than for senators to make a show (Dorgan and Schumer testified - this was enough - adding more senators and congresspeople to testify, as Conyers said, would have be useless. I do not know. I know Kerry is fighting for us. May be he is not doing the way you want. It does not mean he is not.

[TayTay]

3. I've been thinking about that myself

Don't know why on the loan to a Brit company for a Chinese plant Kerry voted to guarantee. I have a letter in to him asking why.

I originally thought Sen. Kerry might show for the CIA disclosure hearing today. He did publicly and loudly call for Rove to be fired over this. But after the hearing, I think he made the right decision not to show.

The Dems were not the stars at this hearing. The witnesses were the stars. The Dems just had to ask a couple of questions and let those guys go. Kerry being there wouldn't have sharpened their anger, changed their stories or brought out any more details than these guys were already straining to tell.

The Rove/Libby Traitor-Gate story is huge and, potentially, dwarfs Watergate in it's significance. Wilson worked for Kerry (albeit, unpaid, I think) on the last campaign. Now I think Kerry is as good a questioner on hearings as the Dems have, but why introduce a possible distraction if you don't need it? So, I'm glad he stayed on the bench at this particular hearing in this particular circumstance. The story spoke strongly on it's own, without any distractions or possible distractions that could be used to obfuscate what went on and is going on now.

[kerrygoddess]

4. I'm not sure why...

With the Chinese Economy being far stronger than ours at this point that they need a loan from the U.S.

Oh well...

[Mass]

5. delete

[kerrygoddess]

7. There's a Foreign Relations Committee Meeting

acheduled for next Tuesday that might have something to do with this issue:

Energy Trends in China and India:Implications for the U.S.
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2005/hrg050726a.html

Just guessing...

[KoKo]

23. Good point on why Kerry wasn't there. Makes sense...

Having too many Senators would have distracted from the witnesses.

It's so frustrating hoping for a leader to emerge from the Senate who is consistent. I judged him harshly about not showing up. But, I still don't get his not supporting Boxer/Cobern. :shrug:

[kerrygoddess]

6. Maybe Kerry being in the Pan-Asian FR Committee...

Knows something we don't know. Not sure. But that vote was not today.

As to whether Kerry is out there fighting for you, WTF do you think this statement was about.

Kerry made this issue with Roberts frontpage news today. Read the entire post.

[blm]

8. I missed you on all the Kerry threads where HE is proactively working to

counter BushInc. Seems you never have anything to say about Kerry's work on healthcare, DSM letter, opposition to key nominations, his full page ads, attacking Bush, Frist and DeLay....etc.... so you come on to these proactive Kerry threads and hit at him on some other topic.

Kerry can't BE everywhere. He can't be leading every battle and if he votes a way you don't want, he likely has reasons you didn't pick up on that have a legitimacy for something he believes.

Kerry can't distract on the Wilson case because part of the RNC strategy is to make Wilson sound like a Kerry operative who exaggerated and lied about Bush for the Kerry campaign. But, Kerry and alot of his team have been supporting Wilson from the beginning. Kerry also released a statement questioning BUSH'S involvement in the Plame case - he was the FIRST to do so publicly. You had NOTHING to say about that.

I wouldn't think in a million years to get on positive thread on Byrd and start dumping on his votes for an immoral bankruptcy bill or his praise for the Roberts nomination. I figure that Byrd has other great qualities and he is probably being true to something he believes in his own set of values that are different from mine. Doesn't make him a monster.

[Mass]

9. You are right. I forgot this aspect

The Repugs are already trying to show Wilson as a Kerry surrogate and to explain he was lying in order to help Kerry.

It was probably not the best thing for the investigation if Kerry was front and center in the hearings. He called for them, asked loudly for Rove to resign, and questionned Bush. More would probably have been counterproductive.

[Pryderi]

18. I'm getting really irritated with Kerry. He's weak. He had a chance

to really mop the floor with Bush in the debates, but backed off without going completely for the jugular.

He also allowed Swiftboat Vets impugn his reputation. If Kerry can't fight for himself, why would he fight for anything?

[politicasista]

21. I smell some good Rovian talking points.

:rofl: Yawn. :boring:

[Pryderi]

27. I supported and voted for Kerry! I was angry that he didn't fight harder.

[politicasista]

29. You need to get over your anger. It's not healthy

Like somebody else would have fought harder. Give the repukes credit. They know how to fall in line while Dems trash other good dems who are trying to make a difference. Stop eating your own.

[blm]

24. Kerry wacted like a PRESIDENT during the debates. Bush acted like a fool

a fascist fool.

The media allowed the constant LYING from the Swiftvets, bevause it was their job to keep the fascist fool propped up.

[Pryderi]

26. Whoever ran Kerry's campaign should have fought back immediately and hard

[unfrigginreal]

10. Oh God! Not another Kerry thread

What's he got some little fan club here to promote him. Don't know anyone in the real world with any affinity for this guy.

[Mass]

11. SO may be you do not know the real world.

Or the position of Roberts on affirmative action or abortion is just OK with you, I do not know.

[NMDemDist2]

13. I support Senator Kerry as do many of my fellow DUers and lots of

folks in my real life speak often of how he would be doing such a better job as POTUS than the idiot in chief.

Perhaps you should avoid the Kerry threads if you think so little of him?

There are plenty of alternative topics to read and comment on here :shrug:

[blm]

25. Yeah, but how many people in your world understand BCCI? Those who don't

are pretty clueless in MY world where only FACTS and SOLUTIONS matter.

[globalvillage]

28. You would think the word "Kerry"

in the subject line would be a dead giveaway.

Just sayin.

[welshTerrier2]

12. it was starting to look like the Roberts' hearing was just a formality

Byrd made some positive comments about Roberts today ... then there's the "gang of 14" ("we'll only object in extreme circumstances") ... and there have even been calls from the left to just approve Roberts so we can keep the focus on the Plame business ...

it's all madness ... it's wrong to "make nice" when we're talking about a lifetime Supreme Court appointment ... Democrats don't need to block every nominee bush sends them but they do need to do a damned good job getting all the facts ...

this guy's civil rights record, his past actions on the abortion issue and his ties to the Federalist society are red flags that require due diligence by Democrats in the Senate ... to do anything else, for any reason, is unconscionable ...

kudos to Kerry for raising the issue ...

[kerrygoddess]

14. Kennedy is on this too...

There's some links here - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=38

[welshTerrier2]

19. i saw Kennedy on C-Span today

missed his speech though ...

the "common knowledge" is that Roberts was the perfect choice because he's conservative enough to please republicans but too clean for the Democrats to attack ... i've heard this repeated over and over and over in the MSM ...

what's sickening about this, of course, is that Roberts has a controversial history, to say the least, and should get a very thorough examination by the Judiciary committee before the MSM starts all their ridiculous speculation ...

[AuntiBush]

15. Well, Hell.... Kerry can now use the PATRIOT ACT, right!

Library records, etc.

[journalist3072]

16. Anyone know where....

I can find the full transcript of Senator Kerry's comments?

Thanks!

[kerrygoddess]

17. The Press Release

This is what was in the press release:

“Our country has traveled an incredible journey in the fight to guarantee civil rights to all Americans. From the days when Thurgood Marshall took Brown vs. the Board of Education to the Supreme Court through the present, an important part of this battle has taken place in the federal court system. The American people should know whether John Roberts will protect their consitutional rights if confirmed as a Justice to the Court.

I hope that both Judge Roberts and the Bush Administration will release all documents related to his professional record, including memoranda written during his time in the Justice Department. These documents should be released to the Congress in their entirety. The Senate has a challenge to meet its constitutional responsibility in the months ahead, and we can not do our duty if either Judge Roberts or the Bush Administration hides elements of his professional record. The Senate,and the American people, need to know the truth about Judge Roberts’ record to make a proper judgment.”
http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=43

[journalist3072]

20. Thank you!!

I wasn't sure if that was the entire statement, or just a portion of it!

Much appreciated!

[kerrygoddess]

22. Kennedy not ready to roll over on Roberts Nomination

Kennedy is "not ready to roll over on this nomination and today John Kerry went to bat for one of the sticky issues that has got Democrats riled up…

Democrats, including both Senators Kennedy and Durbin, continued to warn that they might seek to block Judge Roberts if he was not forthcoming about his legal thinking or if the White House declined to provide documents from his past legal work for Republican administrations."

http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=46

[mvd]

30. Right on

I think we should keep the filibuster option in place. When has something Bush* did ever been better than expected? The Roberts nomination seems to me no better than Bush's "compassionate conservatism." If Repukes don't allow us to ask direct questions about abortion and how he'd handle other cases, filibuster for sure.