Arlen Specter losing support of Republican peers

Patriot News ^ | Feb. 13, 2009 | LAURA VECSEY

[malkee]

With the $789 billion economic stimulus package he helped broker set for a vote in the U.S. House and Senate, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., phoned home Thursday to unhappy members of the Pennsylvania State Republican Committee.

The conference call was initiated by Specter, his office said. It was a "conversation" to explain his thinking for backing the spending plan that Democrats hope will deliver jobs for the tanking U.S. economy.

But a growing chorus of Pennsylvania state Republican officials say their faith in Specter is irretrievably broken.

And some are vowing to defeat Specter in the Republican primary in 2010.

"It's clear we need a conservative senator who can do the right thing for America," said Glen Meakem, a conservative talk show host in Pennsylvania.

"It's over for Arlen. He would do best to retire gracefully," he said, adding that party leaders across the state have intensified talks about a primary challenge against Specter.

The old GOP adage that it is better to have Specter in the Senate than a Democrat apparently no longer holds true.

Some Pennsylvania Republican officials are so eager to drum up a legitimate opponent to run against Specter, they've started a wish list that includes two prominent Republicans who've said they're exploring a run -- for governor.

Jim Roddy, chairman of the Allegheny County Republican Committee, suggested two names: Pat Toomey and U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-Chester Springs.

[malkee]

He's going, going, gone. Keep on calling and writing. The vote isn't until Friday night. Perhaps he'll change his vote.

[sinanju]

If GWB hadn’t bailed him out in his last election, Pat Toomey would be in that seat even now.

[SMCC1]

Pat Toomey is likely running for Governor if anything.

[SMCC1]

Santorum endorsed Spector too.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Specter is so desperate to keep his seat he is more weaselly than usual.

[ducdriver]

Hasn’t he been in there since, what, 1980 or so? Like I wrote to McPain the other day, it’s time to retire, ol’ buddy!

[D-fendr]

Even if it doesn’t change him, this is a good thing for other Senators to hear.

[Nephi]

Has anyone asked Specter, “Why the rush to endorse this bill that is being passed as an emergency stimulus, but doesn’t really go into effect for two or more years?” The reality of this stimulus negates Specter’s whole justification for betraying his party.

[Fiji Hill]

Conservative talk show host and author Hugh Hewitt also backed Specter over Toomey. I'll bet he has buyers remorse today!

[Boucheau]

He’s a fraud and a coward!

To hell with Specter!

[malkee]

Specter actually said he had a problem with the way this bill is being rushed through. But so far that hasn’t stopped him from saying he’ll vote for it.

[Mojave]

Many years too late.

[snowstorm12]

Is the 15,000 tax credit for new home buyers still in the bill? I thought that was one of the few things good about the bill.

[MHT]

Must be how they do things in Scotland...

[Mojave]

Conservative talk show host and author Hugh Hewitt also backed Specter over Toomey.

And Schwarzenegger over McClintock. Hewitt is a snake.

[malkee]

Yes, I agree.

[MHT]

I heard the car and home credits were not in the compromise bill.

[TheEaglehasLanded]

The thing that galls me most is Spectre saying he didn’t know they health czar and controls on medical decisions were in the bill.

He says he plans to keep his word. The dems have broken their word on the amendments the Senate added, the time the bill would be there for review.

Work requirement for Welfare removed.
E-Verify funding stripped out.
$200 Billion in total pork spending.
All spendulus package moneys go to Union shops.

[Common Tator]

If GWB hadn’t bailed him out in his last election, Pat Toomey would be in that seat even now.

If Toomey could not win a majority of the Republican primary vote, there is no way he could win a majority of Republican and Democrat votes.

If Toomey could have won, Bush would never have campaigned for Specter.

Toomey is a conservative. The Toomey campaign for the nomination made sure that every voter in PA knew that both Toomey and Rick Santorum were conservatives. As I predicted at the time that resulted in Specter being re-elected and Santorum being defeated at the next election.

Running as a conservative in PA only results in defeat. Santorum had been elected as a moderate and governed as a conservative. Defeating Santorum was apparently what Toomey and his supporters wanted most. Either that, or they are too ignorant of PA politics to even understand what it takes to win in a moderate dominated state like PA.

If Moderates voted for Conservatives then all moderates would be Conservatives.

What part of Republicans in order to win must get more than half the moderate vote can't you figure out?

[Mojave]

If Moderates voted for Conservatives then all moderates would be Conservatives.

Then "Conservatives" who vote for Moderates are Moderates, not real Conservatives.

[Gondring]

Is the 15,000 tax credit for new home buyers still in the bill? I thought that was one of the few things good about the bill.

Why should I--who can't afford to buy a home--be forced to give my tax money to subsidize a home for others?!?

Please pitch the collectivism into the sewer where it belongs.

[Gondring]

Okay, so you believe it’s better to have a Democrat in there, I guess...?

[malkee]

Specter is so off-the-wall that he just might vote against it. But I don’t think I’d bet on it.

[Gondring]

Has anyone asked Specter, “Why the rush to endorse this bill that is being passed as an emergency stimulus, but doesn’t really go into effect for two or more years?”

Unfortunately, those who have had the opportunity in front of the camera have squandered it, from what I have seen. :-( Let's hope he gets on the hot seat soon!

[Mojave]

If Moderates can’t vote for Conservatives, then they’re responsible for the rise of the Democrats AND the RINOs.

[Gondring]

I’d like to see Gerlach take his seat.

[Kickass Conservative]

Isn't there another tax credit if you buy a new car too?

What the hell, give us a tax credit for buying food. The country is losing its collective mind and soul.

[Gondring]

Fine. Is anyone questioning that?

[Gondring]

The country is losing its collective mind and soul.

If only it would lose its collectivist mind and soul.

[Gondring]

A tax credit is where the government takes money at gunpoint and then gives it back to you if you do what they say..and fines you a higher rate if you don’t.

Oh, joy.

[Mojave]

So Conservatives must vote for Moderates, while Moderates won’t vote for Conservatives? That’s a recipe for the demise of Conservatism and the triumph of the RINOs.

[Gondring]

So Conservatives must vote for Moderates, while Moderates won’t vote for Conservatives? That’s a recipe for the demise of Conservatism and the triumph of the RINOs.

As is conservatives voting for conservatives and shunning the moderates.

How about this idea...instead of trying to muscle the politics, let's convince the moderates that conservatism is the way to go?

What a concept, eh?

[Mojave]

let's convince the moderates that conservatism is the way to go?

Yeah. Lemme know how that goes. Just because conservatives have been shafted every time they've trusted moderates in the past is no reason to think that it won't work out next time.

[truthfreedom]

Conservatives sometimes vote for moderates when the choice is between a moderate and a liberal, or would vote for a moderate when that moderate is the more conservative. See the 2008 Presidential race.

[eyedigress]

I no uncertain terms I told Alexander(TN) to dump him. It’s the choice of the party to choose. If they keep him I go on a perpetual fishing trip.

[Advil000]

By that logic the only answer is that the Republicans should have lost in PA. If winning meant we had to put in a man who would vote for this evil monstrosity of a bill... we should have run the conservative and lost. You lead by showing your character. Spectre has none and only does our party damage when he is used as an example of a Republican. It’s that simple. This is out there in the black and white, right and wrong zone without much grey.

If more of these “moderates” as you call them will not vote for a real Republican, then they aren’t “moderates”. They are simply disinfranchised Democrats and havn’t been badly mugged enough by socialism to know better.

The time for fence straddling is ending. The fence is breaking under the weight of these “moderates”. Sides must be taken.

Better the enemy you know than the enemy you don’t know. If we can’t predict how Spectre will vote, or trust him to do the right thing when it is lit with a neon sign right in front of him then run him out of the party. His current actions make him incompatible with Republicanism. Better he be out of it and switch sides than give the enemy the ammo of being able to call everything they do “bipartisan” whenever Spectre votes with the Dems.

Say whatever you want about reality, this bill goes way beyond politics and right down to core beliefs. If he will vote for a freedom ending multi-trillion dollar power grab then it doesn’t matter one bit what party he calls himself. He’s a lib Democrat who happens to have an “R” after his name. He might as well get official and call himself one to make scorekeeping easier.

“An enemy stabs you in the back, a friend stabs you in the front.” - Which have these three Republican senators done? They have stabbed our party in the back in the most dire hour of need in a generation. They alone have the power to stall this pork bill up until it dies. They won’t do it. They are no friends of our party, or our country. Their mettle has been tested and they won’t stand up for us when times get tough.

Recall them now. Throw them out. Even if it means a Dem gets the seats. How can anyone respect our party or take our beliefs seriously if we allow this kind of garbage to infect the image we project to the entire country? The image we project to the very people we want on our side? The house we keep must be cleaner than it is now before we will begin to win over more voters.

[mrsmel]

What a spineless useless wuss. He can’t even hold up for his own treacherous action-he ignores anyone trying to contact him to oppose his vote, he has a snide auto-message to anyone outside his constituency who emails him, he stubbornly goes his own way for his own personal benefit in voting for the huge tax heist and funding of ACORN—then he calls home to see if anyone still loves him. What a wuss. Just be a proud traitor Specter, at least hold up for what you do. AfFAIK even the two traitorous *itches aren’t phoning around to make sure everybody will still love them after they betrayed their party and the American people. They just did it and pretended to be proud of it (OK maybe they weren’t pretending).

[not2worry]

A GIANTIC DITTO ON THAT ONE.

Arlen Spector, IMHO, has no respect for anyone other than his ego.

President Bush campaign for him and Spector won on W's coat tails.

Can anyone tell me what goes through the folks in Pennsylvania’s mind? All I can think of is PORK.

BTW, where on line can I find the 48 hour posting of the “stimulus” bill? Maybe it's so transparent my computer can't see it.

[Gondring]

Well, your approach hasn’t seemed to do too well in the past few elections...I was kinda hoping you might want success for a change, going back to the Reagan model of educating the voters, getting them on your side, and then moving forward.

[Mojave]

Well, your approach hasn’t seemed to do too well in the past few elections..

Your guy McCain gave the presidency to Obama.

I was kinda hoping you might want success for a change, going back to the Reagan model of educating the voters, getting them on your side, and then moving forward.

Please got smear Reagan with your agenda.

"We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- Ronald Reagan, 1965

[This_far]

1964 ~ 2008.

That’s a great run for the magic bullet.

[Always Right]

you knew specter would stab you in the back on social issues, you thought maybe he had a couple conservative bones in his body on fiscal issues. i guess not.

[YLLady]

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/02/12/here-it-is-all-1434-pages-of-the-porkulus-conference-report/

Sorry, I don’t know how to post a link - and it’s after 1 am so I’m not going to try to learn now - it’s past bedtime.

[c-five]

 

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There are 7 versions of Bill Number H.R.1 for the 111th Congress

1 . American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Introduced in House)[H.R.1.IH]
2 . American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Engrossed as Agreed to or Passed by House)[H.R.1.EH]
3 . American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Received in Senate from House)[H.R.1.RDS]
4 . American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Amendment in Senate)[H.R.1.AS]
5 . American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Amendment in Senate)[H.R.1.AS2]
6 . American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Engrossed Amendment as Agreed to by Senate)[H.R.1.EAS]
7 . American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Print)[H.R.1.PP]

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[calcowgirl]

If Toomey could not win a majority of the Republican primary vote, there is no way he could win a majority of Republican and Democrat votes.

The vote was 49/51%. Specter outspent Toomey by more than 300%. Specter had the full weight of the Whitehouse actively working on his behalf. You make it sound like he was soundly defeated -- he wasn't. IMO, support from Bush came precisely because they knew Toomey could win.

[calcowgirl]

Excellent post.

[freeangel]

At least we got a laugh about the old fool yesterday when obama’s campaign said it target spectors seat next election.

[gwilhelm56]

**That’s a recipe for the demise of Conservatism and the triumph of the RINOs.**

Then that makes for the triumph of the LIBERAL SCUM!!

We ran a Rino, and we conservatives held our nose and voted for him. All we did was save him from a MONDALE style LOSS.

Rinos like McLAME and Sphincter, Snowjob and Collins should just go and join the DEMS.

[personalaccts]

everytime i get a email from mcrap i tell him to go to he%%. he’s a loser and a disgrace to his family name.

[SeaHawkFan]

The Senate GOP leadership needs to tell Spectre, Snowe, and Collins that they will lose all committee assignments if they vote for this disater of a bill; and then follow through.