By Brian Bohl
OLD WESTBURY, NY- The Democratic Party needs to gain majority control of Congress to exert more influence on the confirmation of federal judges, Sen. Hillary Clinton said Friday.
Clinton, the junior New York senator, also criticized the White House during her remarks at the Glen Oaks Club. The event was sponsored by the Planned Parenthood of Nassau County Action Fund.
With midterm elections on Nov. 7, Clinton stressed the need for her party to gain six seats in the upper house to acquire control from the Republicans and swing the balance of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which currently is comprised of 10 Republicans and eight Democrats. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) is the chairman of the standing committee that is responsible for conducting hearings prior to the confirmation of Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges and district court judges.
“One of the most important reasons that I’m working as hard as I am is to try and get a majority in the Senate, is to have a majority of Democrats on the judiciary committee,” Clinton said.
By having a Democratic majority, Clinton said her party will have a greater opportunity to confirm judges that favor more liberal views when it comes to the availability of contraceptives and abortion rights. The former first lady also said the results from Election Day will determine how much influence President George W. Bush will have when it comes to Supreme Court precedents like Roe v. Wade.
“Much of the progress of the 20th century is at risk,” Clinton said. “We are watching an administration attempting to roll the clock back on women’s rights.”
During her nearly 20-minute speech, Clinton focused more on national issues rather than her re-election campaign. She did not refer to her Republican opponent, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, by name.
Spencer, who defeated former Defense Department official K.T. McFarland in the September primary, trails his incumbent opponent 66-31 in percentage points, according to the latest Quinnipiac University survey released Oct. 5.
Spencer, a Vietnam War veteran, has run an anti-abortion platform, gaining the Conservative Party endorsement for his stances on immigration, abortion and economic issues. He has used Clinton’s 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America as a negative attribute in campaign advertisements.
A campaign finance filing release for September shows the senator has raised $15.8 million. As of August, Spencer had only $830,000 available, a discrepancy the Republican has used to show Clinton is planning a national run in 2008.
Spencer spokesman Rob Ryan said in a statement: “Its obvious Senator Clinton is using this money to fund her run for president.”
