While following the Sotomayor hearings today, keep this article in mind. Ronald Reagan nominated Sessions to the Federal bench in 1986 and the nomination was killed in committee because Sessions was not qualified. How ironic that he is now the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee. I wonder why that experience with the committee is not included in his biography on the committee's Web site?
Live and archived Webcast here
SCOTUS live blog here
Judiciary Committee Web site here
And if you've got a couple of days, Sotomayor's answers to the committee questionnaire with all appendices are here
10 comments:
Great question about Sessions who has made me sick through the process thus far. Apparently the Royal Order Of Douche Bags who run the Judiciary Committee (our "guys")were afraid that if they rubbed his nose in his own failure that he would act like a bigot and an asshole at Sotomayor's hearings. As you can see THAT did not quite work the way I sensed they played it. After all what do Republicans know about fair play anyway???
I found it more than a bit amusing that the MSM consistently reported (with a straight face) that, due to his experiences before the JC, Sessions might have some - dare I say the word? - EMPATHY towards Sotomayor.
Do we want a Senator with empathy?
Hey Bob and Kirby,
We're looking for a CT-based writer to share reflections on your memories of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon.
The Stamford Advocate and CT Post are both looking for contributions, and the best piece will be selected for print publication.
No costs to participate, and a great way to extend name recognition, link to your website and just have some fun:
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com
Warm regards,
Barbara
Barbara, I plan on writing something for my blog over the weekend, so I'm sure it would be much too late for your deadline.
And thanks so much for publicly acknowledging that we're obviously plenty old enough to have detailed memories of the first moon landing!
LOL!
Barbara -
Why don't you supply an address or site for people to contribute?
According to his official Senate biography, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III was born on Christmas Eve, 1946, in Selma, Alabama. Selma!
He was raised in Hybart, about 30 miles from Selma and slightly more from Montgomery. Selma and Montgomery are iconic places in the Civil Rights movement.
The Selma to Montgomery marches were major events (see http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214523/selmamarch.htm and others), and little JBS3 would have been nineteen years old. The first march ended at the Edmund Pettis Bridge, "When ordered to end the march by state troopers, the marchers were given three minutes, but within one and half minutes they were attacked by dogs, beaten with billy clubs, tear gas, and chased by posses." This was how Jeff's world responded to change.
He came of age at the time that the old plantation social structure was being destroyed, white men were losing their prerogatives and Southern blacks were becoming very politically active. I'm sure JBS2 and JBS1 would have had much to say.
He watched his world crumble. Is there any surprise that he carries a lot of resentment and anger?
oldswede
Oldswede - interesting. I didn't think to examine Session's roots in looking at his motives.
Barbara - yes, would you include an email address or contact info for my dozens of readers? Thanks!
We Northerners tend to think of the culture wars of the sixties as being between hippies and the establishment, peace advocates vs. Viet Nam hawks.
In the South, there were also the civil rights struggles. Many whites felt the Civil War was still on. Even today, some think that. Notice all the threats of secession.
Many of the Southern Republicans, the new Confederacy, were in their teens during this time and it is big part of their backgrounds.
oldswede
And, Oldswede, imagine the threat of a black man in the Oval Office to folks of that mindset.
Yes, of course. Their absolute worst nightmare come true. To cap it, the Attorney General is also black.
oldswede
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