Political Quotes

“I say to my colleague from New Mexico, I would say that it has been very disturbing to see these very capable women whom you have mentioned not be able to get an up-or-down vote. Indeed, our chair of the Judiciary Committee Senator Leahy held a press conference to make this very concern known, that it seemed as if there is one process for men and a different process for women. I am going to defer to his judgment on that because I have not been part of the Judiciary Committee. I would like to think that in this day and age there is not that sort of gender bias. That is what I would like to think, but I will let Senator Leahy's commentary and his concerns in that area speak for themselves. It is clear, though, that fundamentally the situation is this: These women were highly qualified. They did not get up-or-down votes. I have in my hand a memo from April 25, 2005. It is titled ``The Senate's Power to Make Procedural Rules by Majority Vote.'' It consists of arguments made by the Republican majority in 2005 that nominees should get up-or-down votes for the judiciary. There are many quotes from colleagues who still serve in this body who said in 2005 that regardless of whether they were in the majority or the minority, they felt nominees deserved an up-or-down vote, that the Constitution demanded it, and that the balance of powers between the branches demanded it.…”