Sean Rushton Quotes (18 Quotes)

If the left wants to argue that the president needs to be weaker when it comes to protecting this country from terrorist cells, I think that's the kind of debate where we probably won't have to say a whole lot to undercut their argument.

They want him to all but commit to vote in certain ways, and when he won't answer those questions, they'll claim he's not being forthcoming and that they have no choice but to vote against him.

It is a rare instance of the base being displeased with a major decision of this president.

Nothing better exemplifies the chasm of difference between how the left and the right think about the courts. The wisdom we want is the wisdom to defend the structure of our system for everyone. What they're really saying is that the judge should bend or break the law in order to achieve a favorable short-term result.

Liberal groups have been allowed to determine the terms of the debate, ... We are pushing back.

We're attempting to drive a wedge between red state senators and liberal interest groups.

This shows the degree to which liberal Hollywood is financially supporting the leading groups attacking the president's court nominees.

a problem for the liberal groups and senators who want to turn this into a spectacle. . . . When the media have other serious things to focus their attention on, they tend to spend less time and less ink on the tit-for-tat, he saidshe said elements that frequently accompany a confirmation hearing.

I expect it to be rough. We're taking nothing for granted. I think he will be confirmed, but he will be confirmed because the Republicans have the majority.

It is sickening that some in Washington would politicize a national tragedy.

But Nan Aron of the liberal Alliance for Justice said that Roberts's involvement doesn't say anything about his judicial philosophy. ... a red herring meant to divide the right.

The people who would know have not been talking to anybody but each other. The message broadcast by the White House up to this point has just been to focus on an orderly process for Roberts.

I don't think that's in the president's character. Do you expect him to reject his conservative supporters These are people the White House has built the entire administration around.

His poll numbers didn't slip in the last number of months because Democrats decided they didn't like him any more. The numbers slipped with Republicans and moderates. And my view is that this is the first day of the repair of that.

It certainly sounds as if he's getting pulled into Chuck Schumer's demands for unprecedented specificity in case law. To discuss recent cases and controversies and to have the Senate attempt to reject or confirm nominees based on a checklist of how they would rule on individual cases is clearly an attack on the judiciary's independence.

Steve understands the campaign-like nature of current judicial confirmations, and that the day-to-day pushback and defining the nominee can make all the difference between success and failure.

I'd imagine it will be similar to last time. The president will say 'What do you want us to know' 'Are there any names you'd like to suggest' or 'Do you especially oppose anyone' But I don't think the president is going to tip his hand.

We don't tell the White House who they should consider, but our organization is close to the White House. Historically, we have been a source of strategic advice to the White House in defending it's nominees.