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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Mon Jun 20, 2016, 10:34 AM Jun 2016

Perfect match: Sen. Jeff Sessions sees eye-to-eye with Donald Trump and his most appalling positions

Jeff Sessions has a long record of racism and bigotry — he'd be Donald Trump's ideal vice president

HEATHER DIGBY PARTON


-snip-

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions is really a throwback to the time Donald Trump thinks America was great — the 1950s — and is, therefore, perfect for the 2016 GOP ticket.

You may recall that Sessions first came to national prominence back in 1986 when Ronald Reagan nominated him for a federal judgeship. He was only 39 years old and considered quite the up and comer. ,. As Sarah Wildman wrote in this article for The New Republic, his record was ugly indeed:

Senate Democrats tracked down a career justice department employee named J Gerald Hebert, who testified, albeit reluctantly, that in a conversation between the two men Sessions had labelled the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) “un-American” and “communist-inspired”. Hebert said Sessions had claimed these groups “forced civil rights down the throats of people.”

In his confirmation hearings, Sessions sealed his own fate by saying such groups could be construed as “un-American” when “they involve themselves in promoting un-American positions” in foreign policy. Hebert testified that the young lawyer tended to “pop off” on such topics regularly, noting that Sessions had called a white civil rights lawyer a “disgrace to his race” for litigating voting rights cases.


-snip-

The people of Alabama had his back however, and he went on to become the state’s Attorney General where he was accused of vote suppression in the black community with zealous pursuit of bogus voter fraud cases. In 1996, they sent him to the Senate where he has consistently received a “0” rating from every civil rights and civil liberties organization in the country. Nonetheless, he found himself on the Senate Judiciary Committee and as ranking member in 2009 led the charge against the nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, largely on the basis of her alleged inability to be fair due to her Puerto Rican heritage. (And you wonder why Trump likes this guy so much?)

more
http://www.salon.com/2016/06/20/perfect_match_sen_jeff_sessions_sees_eye_to_eye_with_donald_trump_and_his_most_appalling_positions/
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Perfect match: Sen. Jeff Sessions sees eye-to-eye with Donald Trump and his most appalling positions (Original Post) DonViejo Jun 2016 OP
Sounds as if he could likely be the VP pick. BlueNoMatterWho Jun 2016 #1
I heard he was the pick when I was photographing the TX GOP convention Schema Thing Jun 2016 #6
Jeff Sessions is scary KingFlorez Jun 2016 #2
I don't think he is telegenic enough for trump. femmocrat Jun 2016 #3
Perhaps gratuitous Jun 2016 #8
Jeff Sessions: Another in the "people who somehow got elected" category. Initech Jun 2016 #4
Jeff Sessions "on the issues". Nothing liberal there. Perfect match for Donald. pampango Jun 2016 #5
He keeps fightin' that Civil War. Kingofalldems Jun 2016 #7

Schema Thing

(10,283 posts)
6. I heard he was the pick when I was photographing the TX GOP convention
Mon Jun 20, 2016, 11:39 AM
Jun 2016


Jeff Sessions was the last speaker, a surprise guest, and the only speaker out of 3 days of speeches that would use Trump's name. All the major players (and even the minor players) were asking the crowd to now "get behind the nominee, so as to prevent a continuation of the Obama presidency"... but none of them would actually use the name of the nominee, lol.

KingFlorez

(12,689 posts)
2. Jeff Sessions is scary
Mon Jun 20, 2016, 11:04 AM
Jun 2016

John Grisham novel level scary. To Kill A Mockingbird level scary. Cross burning level scary.

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
8. Perhaps
Mon Jun 20, 2016, 03:37 PM
Jun 2016

But I don't think Trump is secure enough in himself to pick someone prettier than he is as a running mate. Which augurs in Sessions' favor. Sessions also lends geographic diversity, and would make the Trump ticket infinitely more experienced as a politician (since Trump has zero experience as a politician).

Usually I don't give much weight to VP speculation, but since it's digby saying this, I think there's some credibility here. We'll have to wait and see, but Sessions on the ticket might mollify some of the Republican pooh-bahs and calm some jitters. It won't help, but it will make them a bit more serene about the train wreck coming their way in November.

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