Posted on 04/28/2009 11:46:27 PM PDT by thecodont
Reporting from Washington -- Sen. Arlen Specter's defection from the Republican Party drew cheers Tuesday from President Obama and other top Democrats. But some key players in the party base viewed the move with suspicion -- demanding that if Specter wants to call himself a Democrat, he had better start acting like one.
As a moderate Republican, Specter maintained friendly relations with Pennsylvania's powerful labor unions, which were glad to have him on their side on many issues. Now, if Specter hopes to win next year's Democratic primary and retain his seat, that will not be enough.
"As of now, he has about a 68% voting record [in siding with labor], which is good for a Republican, but does not meet the mustard when it comes to getting endorsed as a Democrat," said Bill George, president of the state AFL-CIO.
Neil Oxman, a Democratic strategist who advises Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell, described Specter as a politician who "transforms himself for every election" and is now "disguising the fact he supported Bush 76% of the time and voted for all of these Republican judges." Oxman's criticism previewed a likely attack that the newly minted Democrat will face in a party primary, possibly from another Oxman client, state Board of Education Chairman Joseph Torsella.
"The question is, will Democrats buy this or not?" Oxman said.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
spread the word he’s a mole
That guy actually said “but does not meet the ~mustard~”?
LOLOL!
Dunno what promises were made to him, but Specter’s delusional if he thinks that Obama and the Dem money establishment are going to support a 79 year-old geezer with one foot in the grave over a young primary challenger when election season comes around.
Who can blame anybody for not trusting Specter?
I hope that senile (insert expletive here) double-crossing geezer gets his head handed to him by his new cronies. What goes around, comes around.
He should visit that tasty Libertarian hot dog shop in Berkeley, CA.
Specter may be clearing the way for the RINO’s to take out Toomey.
In the end, barring any Democrat challenger, the Democrats will support Specter. They sure as hell ain’t gonna pull the lever for Toomey that’s for damn sure. They’re more interested in the political implications of a filibuster-proof majority over everything else. That’s exactly how the media has been spinning this defection.
Agreed.
Let’s see how it plays out.
>>>>> if Specter wants to call himself a Democrat, he had better start acting like one. <<<<<<
Don’t worry Rats.
Specter is an amoral opportunist with no political convictions and will do whatever he’s “paid” to do.
The 800 Lb. Gorilla in the room that NOBODY in the media wants to acknowledge is how the huge Party ID shift, ESPECIALLY in Closed Primary states like PA, is going to give the CONSERVATIVE Republicans a ton of clout in the 2010 Republican primaries.
So many “moderates” shifted registrations to vote in the Hillay/Obama debacle that it has changed the ground in the closed primary states, something I predicted way back in June. Spector has realized it, and is jumping ship to save his own skin, thinking he’ll get access to all that money the Dem Orgs got in the “Stimulus” bill.
It’s going to be our best chance in about a decade and a half to put forward some REAL Conservatives, if we get our acts together RIGHT NOW.
Nows the time for getting the dirt on Specter, guaranteed there will be something after 30 years in that job.
The man is nothing more than an opportunist who will say anything to keep his cushy number, he sold out his party, he’ll sell out the voters. Voters would do well to remember this. In fact the whole meme of the election in 2010 should be “YOU CANNOT TRUST THIS MAN”
The Democratic party to Specter, “If you gonna be my bi—h, you gonna be my full bi—h.”
Oh my...I guess the Unions don't believe in a Big Tent for Democrats. Who knew?
>>>> “YOU CANNOT TRUST THIS MAN” <<<<<<
Specter is doing Americans a favor by revealing the truth of Capitol Hill and of the U.S. Senate, where political and moral convictions are a joke, where beliefs no longer matter, where party a affiliation is a cynical ploy used to dupe the electorate and to maintain political power.
Specter has fully absorbed and adopted all of these beliefs right down to his core, so much that he cannot even fathom how bad it looks to voters and constituents of both Parties.
His odious credo of cynicism, opportunism, and sleaziness has become “I’ll vote however I choose regardless of my Party affiliation and regardless of what voters want from me.” He is utterly oblivious to the fact that most Americans - who are not Senators living the cushy pampered life on Capitol Hill - find this position just a bit too cynical. But for Specter (and indeed for most Senators on Capitol Hill) it is standard operating procedure.
Specter is a pathetic creature now so senile, cynical, and generally out to lunch that he doesn’t even realize how bad he looks. He thinks being a man of no Party and no political ideology (except the ideology of Arlen Specter) is “sophisticated” and normal.
He cannot understand why anyone would find this repellent, because on Capitol Hill this is the predominant ideology, and it is the way he’s lived for 30 years.
This is the way that most Senators think, and we should thank Arlen Specter for inadvertently showing us that.
Funny thing is, conservatives are constantly bashed for being too purist. How DARE we ask our leaders to actually work and vote for things we elect them to do? The Dems, on the other hand, appear very adept at enforcing party unity. Has anyone heard any serious “moderate” Democrat opposition to anything recently?
Our RINOs seem to take great pride in their maverick-ness.
Thus far, it looks like the Dems will ignore his seniority in committee heads.
It is extremely likely Specter tried to bargain with the Dems for as much as he could get before he switched. Looks like he got squat.
Perhaps Rahm figured, "he's got no choice, he has to switch or lose - there's no need to promise him anything. And the less he has the more we have to buy him with if that's ever needed."
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