With John Ashcroft’s contentious Senate confirmation hearings underway in the nation’s Capitol, reactions among Oregon’s political leaders and organizations range from anger to contentment.
AshcroftÕs nomination has drawn the ire of abortion rights activists and civil rights leaders, but has received approval from many conservatives and anti-abortion activists.
Critics of Ashcroft claim his conservative voting record — including opposition to gun control, school desegregation and abortion rights bills — makes him too biased to serve as an objective law enforcement officer. But AshcroftÕs supporters argue the former Missouri senator, who has also served as the stateÕs governor and attorney general, is a man of honor and is committed to upholding the law.
Despite the clamor, neither of OregonÕs senators publicly plans to block the confirmation of Ashcroft or any other of President-elect George W. BushÕs Cabinet nominations.
Ò[Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore.] is going to vote for all of them, unless something significant and catastrophic comes up to lead him to do otherwise,Ó Smith spokesman Joe Sheffo said.
Lisa Finkel, a spokeswoman for Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wouldnÕt say whether Wyden would oppose a confirmation, but said the senator is looking forward to giving all nominees a thorough review.
At a local union luncheon last Friday at the University, Wyden said he isnÕt likely to vote against a nominee for ideological reasons.
ÒI donÕt think you can run government if you donÕt put people in positions just because you donÕt agree with them,Ó he said.
Wyden went on to say that nominees of AshcroftÕs political stripe are the result of having a Republican in the Oval Office.ÒElections have consequences,Ó he said. ÒLast fall, people kept saying thereÕs no difference between the candidates. I was one of the people saying there is a difference. If Al Gore won, he would not have nominated John Ashcroft for attorney general of the United States.Ó
Bob Avery, chairman of the Lane County Republican Central Committee, said area Republicans are more optimistic about AshcroftÕs nomination.
ÒIÕm very excited about John Ashcroft,Ó he said. ÒI donÕt think thereÕs ever been a candidate for attorney general with as much depth of experience. This is one of the most diverse and qualified Cabinets IÕve seen.Ó
But area Democrats and liberal activists are skeptical about Ashcroft and the new administration.
ÒIt isnÕt just that John Ashcroft is a conservative, but this is a person who is a far-right extremist,Ó said Kitty Piercy, Planned Parenthood spokeswoman and former Oregon House of Representatives Democratic minority leader.
Though Ashcroft said during his confirmation hearings this week that he aims only to uphold the law as it is written, Piercy said he would have considerable power to implement his social beliefs in the Department of Justice.
ÒIf he uses an anti-choice litmus test to nominate federal judges, that could make an extraordinary difference in a womanÕs right to choose,Ó Piercy said. ÒI believe that his nomination is a big payoff to people in the far right for their support.Ó
On the other side of the debate over abortion rights, Gayle Atteberry, executive director of Oregon Right to Life, said Ashcroft will not change laws surrounding abortion rights.
ÒI believe Ashcroft is a man of the law, and heÕll enforce the laws fairly and as theyÕre written,Ó she said. ÒI donÕt think thereÕs anything abortion rights people have to fear, and we donÕt have anything to fear.Ó