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Sen. Arlen Specter said Tuesday he regrets his vote against Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) two decades ago that helped kill his nomination to the federal bench.
Sessions, who has now assumed Specter's former position as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, was nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 to be a federal judge — but Specter provided a key "no" vote after allegations were made that Sessions had a poor record on race relations as Alabama attorney general. Sessions has called those allegations false and unfounded.
Just to be clear -- Jeff Sessions IS a racist. He was a racist before he was nominated to be a federal judge, he was a racist as Attorney General of Alabama, and he's a racist in the Senate.
Want proof?
Prior to being nominated to federal court, Sessions had unsuccessfully prosecuted three civil rights workers (including Albert Turner, a former aide to Martin Luther King, Jr) on a scant case of voter fraud. Sessions had spent hours interrogating black voters in predominately black counties, which produced only 14 allededly tampered ballots out of the more than 1.7 million cast in the 1984 election. The three men were acquitted in four hours. Civil rights groups accused Sessions of aggressively looking for voter fraud in black communities while overlooking any violations among whites.
During his nomination to federal court, it was revealed that Sessions had once labeled the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) "un-American," "Communist-inspired," and that they "forced civil rights down the throats of people." At his confirmation hearings, Sessions claimed that the groups could be un-American when "they involve themselves in un-American positions" in foreign policy.
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Hebert testified that the young lawyer (Sessions) tended to "pop off" on such topics regularly, noting that Sessions had called a white civil rights lawyer a "disgrace to his race" for litigating voting rights cases. Sessions acknowledged making many of the statements attributed to him but claimed that most of the time he had been joking, saying he was sometimes "loose with [his] tongue." He further admitted to calling the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a "piece of intrusive legislation," a phrase he stood behind even in his confirmation hearings.
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If that weren't enough, a black former assistant US attorney, Thomas Figures, testified that Sessions had called him "boy", and that he had joked about the Ku Klux Klan in ways that implied he wasn't particularly appalled by their appalling tactics. UPI reported during the hearings on Figures's testimony.
"Mr Sessions ... stated that he believed the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Operation PUSH and the National Council of Churches were all un-American organisations teaching anti-American values," Figures testified. "The statement clearly was not intended as a joke." Figures also said he was present when Sessions said he believed the Ku Klux Klan was OK until he learned its members smoked marijuana – a statement Sessions has said was clearly made in jest. "I certainly took it as a serious statement," Figures said.
So, Specter now regrets his vote against Sessions for a federal judgeship. Given Sessions' blatant racist attitude, I think Democratic leaders who brokered the Specter defection may soon regret their actions, too.
1) Voted with the Repubs on his first 4 votes after his switch
2) On MtP and FtN, he denied that he ever pledged loyalty to the Democratic party or Obama's agenda
3) He said that MN courts should serve JUSTICE and send Coleman back to DC
4) apology for Sessions opposition
5) claims Reid OWED him full Democratic seniority. (Full conference voted that down, saying he MIGHT earn it in the next 18 months)
Sestak's looking better and better. Specter's serving up the attack ads - ready made! Take the straw poll to show support - PA voters a plus (or use a 190xx or 191xx zip code)
;o)
From what I can remember, Specter only broke with the GOP party line once, every few years - and each time, the party came down on him like a ton of bricks! Anyone remember when he stated, after his 2004 reelection, that he would do his due diligence on Bush's judicial picks? The made him announce, publically, that he - and the SJ committee the chaired - would rubber-stamp ALL Bush nominees!
After his stimulus vote, I happened to listen to some RW radio. Amid screams of "Benedict Arlen" by the hosts, and callers bragging about the DEATH THREATS they made to the 3 "wayward" Repubs!
..