Feinstein Faces Dem Censure After Backing Mukasey
Now, at last, the worm has turned and a group of Democrats are moving to censure Feinstein for her almost constant support of Bush's most controversial policies, the most recent of which are her plans to support the granting of legal immunity to telecom companies that shared customer email and phone messages with the federal government as part of the warrantless surveillance program.One day after voting to elevate a divisive conservative judge to the federal appeals court in New Orleans, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the president's guest aboard Air Force One. She had been invited to survey the damage from the recent spate of Southern California wildfires.
The senator later remarked privately that she found her conversation with Bush aboard Air Force One "illuminating," a source close to Feinstein told the Huffington Post.
Two weeks later, Feinstein was one of two Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee to vote to send Michael Mukasey's nomination to be the new attorney general to the full Senate. Her support helped turn the tide in favor of a nomination that faced an uncertain future after Mukasey refused to say whether waterboarding was torture.
When the full Senate voted, Feinstein was one of only six Democrats to vote in favor of confirming Mukasey.
"Dianne Feinstein does not listen to the people of California," said Rick Jacobs, president of the Courage Campaign, a progressive organization in California. "She supports George Bush's agenda time after time."I have long regarded Feinstein as a Republican wolf in Democratic sheep's clothing, the new Joe Lieberman of the Democratic party. And she has certainly acted as the person who will ensure that the Democratic majority is worthless, as she can always be relied upon to help push this President's most controversial policies and appointments through.
The censure may well come to nothing and will be portrayed by Republicans as an attack by the Democrats on the more "reasonable" elements of the Democratic party, by which they mean the Democratic members who constantly back Republican policy.
But, if nothing else, the censure will make it more difficult for someone like Feinstein to continue to do what she does, without at least having to justify her continual toadying to the Bush camp to her own party.
Here's the resolution:
Whereas Senator Dianne Feinstein voted to support the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey as United States Attorney General, thereby elevating to the highest position in law enforcement a man who refused to renounce the right of the President to resort to torture and who refused to recognize waterboarding as a form of torture, and by this action Senator Feinstein failed to oppose President Bush and failed to stand for the ideals of the Democratic Party, which abhors torture and stands firmly against its use by the United States at all times and places; andClick title for full article.
Whereas Senator Feinstein voted to confirm Judge Leslie Southwick for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit despite his clear record of racism and gender discrimination, thus failing to stand firmly with the Democratic Party, which supports gender equality and opposes racism in any of its manifestations; and
Whereas these examples are far from the only instances where Senator Feinstein, after seeking and securing the support and endorsement of the California Democratic Party, has failed to support the policies and principles of our party
Therefore be it resolved that the California Democratic Party expresses its disappointment at, and censure of, Senator Feinstein for ignoring Democratic principles and falling so far below the standard of what we expect of our elected officials.
4 comments:
Diane Feinstein is a hardcore liberal, as an examination of where she stands on issues will bear out. She's also a lackey of the liberal Hollywood and media elite.
She stated her reasons for voting to confirm when she said: "I believe that Judge Mukasey is the best we will get and voting him down would only perpetuate acting and recess appointments, allowing the Administration to avoid the transparency that confirmation hearings provide and diminish effective oversight by Congress."
But if it bothers you that much, move to California, try to obtain US citizenship, and vote for someone else. Personally, I don't care for her and far be it for me to even appear to be defending her.
Diane Feinstein is a hardcore liberal
Yeah, right, Jason. That's why some Democrats are moving to censure her.
But then you regard every Democrat - apart from the six who voted for Mukasey's appointment - as "the radical wing" of the Democratic party. So it's really no surprise why an independent like you always appears to be defending the Republican party position, as you regard the vast majority of the Democratic party as "radicals" and Feinstein as a "hardcore" Liberal.
I'll take it then that you did not examine where she stands on the issues. The record over time speaks for itself and quite frankly is indisputable, regardless of whether or not people think she should have voted to confirm. She stated why she did, but I notice nobody argues against her reasons.
Secondly, I never claimed she was a "radical" liberal. I claimed she was a "hardcore" liberal. Radical liberals generally take the position of the extreme left of the party, whereas a hardcore liberal is one who deeply represents the tenets of liberalism. But as I said, based on her record, that's kind of hard to dispute.
I'll take it then that you did not examine where she stands on the issues. The record over time speaks for itself and quite frankly is indisputable, regardless of whether or not people think she should have voted to confirm. She stated why she did, but I notice nobody argues against her reasons.
Her record does indeed speak for itself:
"Two months ago, Dianne Feinstein used her position on the Senate Intelligence Committee to enable passage of Bush's FISA amendments, granting the President vast new warrantless surveillance powers.
Last month, Feinstein used her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to ensure confirmation of Bush's highly controversial judicial nominee Leslie Southwick, by being the only Committee Democrat to vote for the nomination:"Sen. Dianne Feinstein had emerged as a linchpin in the controversial nomination").
This week, Feinstein used her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to enable confirmation of Bush's Attorney General nominee by ensuring that the frightened Chuck Schumer didn't have to stand alone:"Schumer's and Feinstein's support for Mukasey virtually guarantees that a majority of the committee will recommend his confirmation.
And now, Feinstein is using her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee -- simultaneously -- to single-handedly ensure fulfillment of Bush's telecom amnesty demands."
Secondly, I never claimed she was a "radical" liberal. I claimed she was a "hardcore" liberal.
I never said that you did.
I did, however, point to your description of what a "radical" Democrat was. You said that the people who did not support the Iraq war and the FISA amendments represented the "radical wing" of the Democratic party.
I pointed out that most of the Democratic party and, indeed, most US citizens share that view, so it's hardly surprising - considering that you regard most of the Democratic party and most Americans as "radicals" - that you will fail to understand the Democratic party's anger at Fienstein's most recent behaviour.
I do agree that she votes in favor of the standard Democratic agenda on issues such as the environment, gun control and the Military Commissions Act; but it is undeniable that she has singlehandedly enabled some of Bush's most recent and most controversial legislation.
That is why people want he censured.
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