Arlen Specter Changes Party

"Donors demand refund from Specter"

"Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Robert A. Gleason Jr. isn't satisfied with Mr. Specter returning campaign contributions on request. He wants the senator to return all of his campaign loot voluntarily.

Mr. Gleason told CNN that the new Democrat should "do the right thing and proactively return any and all campaign contributions he has received in recent months to run as a Republican in the upcoming election."

He also wants Mr. Specter to apologize to the state's Republicans for misleading them."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... m-specter/

Try to make any case you want,

stockingfull wrote:Funny, but the case can be made that, as much of a PITA as he is, Arlen's exactly what a politician should be: he represents his constituents in PA, not either party in DC.

The glaring fact is that the only constituents he is representing are those of his own household, not those in PA...as you admitted - that he admitted.

stockingfull wrote:For Arlen, what this was about was reelection, and he's admitted that.

Dude, you're not getting it. If the voters of PA think Arlen's representing himself rather than them, you'll get your wish, because Toomey will be the other candidate and he'll then win.

But he refused to be held hostage to the wingnut right in the primary. He wanted all the voters of PA to decide. That's what the change was about.

Goodbye Arlen, if I find time between my root canal and my colonoscopy I’ll miss you. Until then “don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya”

How Specter's Defection Could Make It Harder to Confirm Pres. Obama's Judicial Nominations

"Does Arlen Specter's defection from R to D strengthen the President's hand in Congress? Perhaps overall but not on judicial appointments because breaking (the equivalent of) a filibuster in the Senate Judiciary Committee requires the consent of at least one member of the minority. Before today, Specter was likely to be that one Republican."

http://www.dorfonlaw.org/2009/04/how-sp ... ke-it.html

stockingfull wrote:Dude, you're not getting it. If the voters of PA think Arlen's representing himself rather than them, you'll get your wish, because Toomey will be the other candidate and he'll then win.

But he refused to be held hostage to the wingnut right in the primary. He wanted all the voters of PA to decide. That's what the change was about.

Nice spin. You work for Arlen? 29 years as a Republican and he suddenly decides to "let all the voters decide" and oh, by the way, he's 20 points behind in the polls.

Please, it was political maneuvering pure and simple. He said it himself. Don't apologize for him.

He's a hack without a skill in the world and wants to finish his career at the public trough.

With any luck, he'll be dead before 2010.

I sure don't work for Arlen; in fact, I remember when he couldn't get himself elected Mayor of Philly (in 1967).

But what this actually shows is why it's stupid to challenge incumbents in your own party. Because, as the Democrats discovered with Joltin' Joe Lieberman in CT a couple years ago, there are candidates who win general elections by getting votes from both sides. And, while those candidates may piss off the hard core in the respective parties, you almost always lose by heading toward the fringes in centrist states.

Specter stuck his foot in his mouth demanding he keep his seniority and they stripped him of all his seniority. The top dems shot too themselves by jealously they didn't want him usurping their status. Does this sound familiar is this typical of a power hungry socialist government they'll cut their own throats. I understand they're taking him to the wood shed because of his last vote. I wonder what he's going to do now maybe independent can't wait to see the outcome.

Bill S.

I'm glad the Senate Dems voted to strip him of his seniority. When a brand new Democratic Senator says he isn't a loyal Democrat & that Coleman should win a Senate seat that no vote count has him ahead in, he (Specter) doesn't deserve any special benefits because he chose to jump parties to save his political bacon.

Arlen is getting what he deserves. Someone on the radio was playing audio of Arlen complaining about politicians switching parties in the middle of their term and suggested that they make senate rules to prohibit such defections in the future.

Arlen, you’re getting old and starting to sound like a blithering idiot just like a lot of you’re friends there in the House of Lords, time to put you out to pasture.