Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), who is challenging Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary next week, is quick to embrace the nomination of Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court — and to use it against the ex-Republican Specter, who voted against Kagan last year when she was nomination for solicitor general and he was still in the GOP.
“My opponent, Senator Specter, has already made his views about the President’s nominee clear by voting against her confirmation to be Solicitor General, even as seven of his fellow Republicans approved her nomination,” Sestak said in a statement. “I expect Senator Specter may backtrack from his earlier vote on Ms. Kagan this week in order to help himself in the upcoming primary election, but the people of Pennsylvania have no way of knowing where he will stand after May 18.”
The TPM Poll Average gives Specter a lead of 45.0%-39.1%, with Sestak gaining fast in the last several weeks. The most recent polls have shown Sestak taking the lead.
Joe Sestak Statement on the Nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court
MEDIA, PA - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Congressman Joe Sestak released the following statement today on President Obama’s nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court:
“I applaud President Obama’s selection of Elena Kagan to serve as our next Supreme Court Justice. The President’s background as a Constitutional law professor served him well in selecting Justice Sotomayor, and I believe it has again in this case.
“Ms. Kagan’s qualifications as both a respected legal mind who rose to be Dean of Harvard Law School and a key domestic policy adviser for President Bill Clinton, who helped formulate and implement policies in areas including education, crime and public health, will allow her to bring a breadth of experience to the bench.
“My opponent, Senator Specter, has already made his views about the President’s nominee clear by voting against her confirmation to be Solicitor General, even as seven of his fellow Republicans approved her nomination. I expect Senator Specter may backtrack from his earlier vote on Ms. Kagan this week in order to help himself in the upcoming primary election, but the people of Pennsylvania have no way of knowing where he will stand after May 18.
“Senator Specter’s fitness to evaluate Supreme Court nominees is a matter of serious concern. He overstepped the bounds of decency in his persecution of Anita Hill in order to put Clarence Thomas on the court. While campaigning for the Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee in 2004, he indicated he would provide swift confirmation of President Bush’s nominees and, just recently, former Senator Rick Santorum confirmed that he extracted an explicit quid pro quo from Senator Specter that Specter would ‘fight for and defend’ anyone President Bush nominated in exchange for a political endorsement.
“Senator Specter has rightfully said that confirming nominees to the Supreme Court is one of the most important duties of a Senator. The people of Pennsylvania and this country deserve someone they can count on to be objective and act in the best interest of the nation — not to exploit such an important process for their own political gain.”
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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