Posted on 05/30/2004 8:54:37 PM PDT by Badray
Party over Principle?
That is the $64,000.00 question.
This past Friday morning, Arlen Specter was at a town hall meeting in Ross Township (suburb north of Pittsburgh PA). According to Specter staffer Justin Lokay, this was at the suggestion of Lou Nudi, the Ross Committee Chairman.
There were about 35 people in attendance including the Senator and 5 or 6 staffers and interns. Also there was Congresswoman Melissa Hart, State Senator John Pippy, former Hart staffer and 16th state house district candidate Pat Geho, former row office candidate Becky Toomey (oh, the irony, but she is still the prettiest, and my favorite Specter supporter), Lou Nudi, as well as some various other local committee people. Arriving late as usual was State Representative Jeff Habay. More on him later.
I arrived shortly before the meeting started and checked to see if I was on the PNG (persona non grata) list, but was welcomed in, much to my surprise because I have been barred from previous events. I sat and listened to how conservative values were important to Arlen, how much he enjoys being around G.W.Bush, and how we must defeat the Democrats.
This is a pretty stock speech when he tries to court Republicans. Sadly too many pubbies have short memories and actually believe Arlen when he speaks. He invoked the name of his recent challenger, Pat Toomey and says that he enjoys his support because the Dem candidate is so bad. Yada, yada, yada . . .
He then tried to ingratiate himself by mentioning the names of several people in the crowd. There names were conveniently written on the cue card in his hand. The whole thing was a sad charade, but that didn't stop many from sucking it up. I don't know if they were all die hard supporters or simply supporting the "R" against the horrible "D" that looms ahead if we don't support Arlen.
He then 'yielded' to Melissa Hart. She yucked it up with him for a moment (Think Sonny and Cher, except that Sonny was the conservative, not Cher.) before he stepped aside. About now, there should have been a commercial break, but they continued anyway. Melissa then spoke in glowing terms of Arlen and how important it was to put Arlen into office so that he could chair the Judiciary Committee and help get Bush's judicial nominees approved. She cited the brave defense of former PA Attorney General Mike Fisher when some Democrats posed some minor opposition to Mike's approval. Thank God, Arlen was there to save the day and he convinced the Dems not to block him. BTW, Fisher was supported in his quest for the bench by his recent opponent for the Governor's office - Democrat Governor Ed Rendell. Gee, that must have been a tough fight, Arlen.
What no Borking of Fisher? Don't worry, if Mike starts to make some sound judgements, you can bet that Arlen will apologize like he did after fighting for Clarence Thomas.
Melissa was about 3 minutes into her praise when I just couldn't take it any longer. There she was defending the man that has been pissing on us for years and she was calling it rain. I walked out. On the way out, I said to her brother that I just couldn't stand the BS.
I stayed outside for the remainder of the meeting. I missed the Q and A session, but was told that there was only one tough question asked and that Arlen spent about ten minutes addressing it. The question may have hit a nerve, but I doubt that he will do anything more than pay lip service to it.
Some good news. There was some who expressed continued opposition to him despite coming to be convinced that they should now be supporting him.
I did tell Melissa's aide that I was not alone in my displeasure with her support of Arlen. She may or may not care, but I am sure that I am quite right in my assessment. She is putting the party before any principle she ever espoused and this will cost her later.
Another person that I engaged was Rep. Habay. He arrived only after I had left the meeting and was outside for about 15 minutes. He approached me as he entered the building and I greeted him with a snide remark that he resembled a man that I used to know and told him that I was disappointed in his support for Arlen. He told me that Arlen helped him early in his 'career' (God, I hate that word when applied to politicians.) and that he was repaying the favor. (Doesn't the mob do favors now for favors in the future too?) I told him that that is what happens when you get into bed with the wrong people. He started getting testy at that point (I have to keep the BAD in badray, ya know) and retorted that he wasn't in bed with anyone, but that he would be glad to sit down and discuss the issue with me. I said OK, but he needed to dig himself out of a big hole. Walking away, he said that he was very comfortable in his position. I thanked him for telling me what I needed to know as he turned the corner (more than metaphorically?).
Just before Arlen came out, I spoke to County GOP Chairman Rich Stampahar and he tried to convince me that Specter was the man to support. His pleas fell on deaf ears, but they were overheard by an intern of Specter's who wimpily came over to tell me that this was a private event and asked me not to create a disturbance. I replied only that I was talking to people that knew me and approached me and wasn't talking to any one else. Can you imagine anyone thinking that I would cause a disturbance? LOL Not me, I'm too shy.
On the way out, Arlen either didn't recognize me or thought that I went over to the dark side and was now a supporter. He approached me to shake my hand, but I politely declined. I reserve my handshake for those that I respect.
Maybe I'm just not a 'good republican'. Maybe I'm an 'unappeasable'. Maybe I am a purist. I've been called all of these things and more. And worse.
What I do know is that I cannot support this man. Not for party loyalty, not even for the Senate majority (we do not effectively have it now because of people like Specter). I also know that it is not out of bitterness or hatred. It's just principle. He doesn't believe the things that I believe. He doesn't value the things that I value. His vision of America is not my vision.
This November, a vote for Democrat Joe Hoeffel is a vote to put a true conservative, a true Republican in charge of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I'm voting for Joe.
Ray Horvath
Since I wrote this, there are a few comments that I'd like to add.
On Friday night, I again saw Rep Habay at a local GOP committee social event where I believe he was trying to mend some fences and build some bridges with the Toomey camp. He tried to downplay our earlier discussion, but I told him that we still had a few rounds to go.
I've been told countless times now that voting for Hoeffel is reprehensible and that I cannot possibly be a conservative if I'm willing to vote for this Democrat who is more likely a socialist.
I will agree that what I am doing and advocating others to do is not a normal course of action. Half a loaf is better than none, says the old saw. Generally speaking, this is true, but replacing liberal Specter in the Senate with a socialist Hoeffel is a small tradeoff when you consider that we also accomplish putting a real conservative -- Jon Kyl -- into the Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee.
Kyl's credentials are impeccible. He'll do what is right simply because it is right. We won't have to persuade him, cajole him, or make deals with him that we can only hope that he'll honor.
If, instead of Kyl, Specter's loss would mean that a Snowe, a Collins, a Chaffee, a Jeffords, or some other spineless, gutless coward like Frist would chair that committee, I would not be advocating this action.
We face a unique opportunity to get rid of one of the RINOs that is obstructing a Republican, conservative or a Constitutional agenda. This may be the last chance in many of our lifetimes to have an elected Republican government in DC.
We see in our own lives the value of our principles. We know that our principles are the right ones. We know that our nation will grow and prosper under a government that leads with those principles. We just need to courage to take a bold step and show that the Republican Party stands for something meaningful. Something beyond being in the majority, but with no core and no spine.
I hope that you all enjoy a safe Memorial Day. May God bless America and America's brave defenders in uniform.
We just need to courage to take a bold step and just DO IT!!!!!
I think you are misguided. Doing good means first, identifying a problem and then second, have a plan that improves on the situation.
You identified the problem, specter is a rino. You have no plan that improves on the situation since specter wins or the democrat wins. The democrat winning, does not improve the situation. Toomey lost the primary, now get over it and support specter. If Toomey won the primary and specter's supporters started freeping Toomey, you would be crying foul, and rightfuly so.
What you said! :-)
Ping
I can support this only if the Republicans will gain several seats this November. Otherwise it is better to preserve the majority than to put an extreme leftist like Joe Hoeffel in the Senate.
You identified the problem, specter is a rino. You have no plan that improves on the situation since specter wins or the democrat wins."
I'm trying to make lemonaid from the lemons that we have. Jon Kyl will make things better if he is chairing the SJC. Or didn't you read that far?
There is nothing to get over. I've wanted Specter out of office for a long time. Toomey was our best alternative and our best chance, but Bush and Santorum mucked that up. Plan B is to de-elect the RINO by whatever means necessary. Vote for Joe Hoeffel.
The RINO Ganske lost by 10 points.
Thanks!
The 'settlers' that we have today, just don't measure up to the settlers who founded this country, do they?
I won't settle for Specter.
Well, he is betting that the Republicans will hold on to the Senate without Specter. Must admit that prospect is very pleasant. If Kerry wins, Specter will grease the wheels for all his judifical nominees. If Bush is re-elected, we will get more of the stuff that Hatch has been handing out.
Specter's loss would mean that a Snowe, a Collins, a Chaffee, a Jeffords, or some other spineless, gutless coward like Frist would chair that committee, I would not be advocating this action.
But a Pat Leahy(Who I think it would be), Dianne Feinswine, Joe Biden, or Ted Kennedy would be worse. The Senate majority could go down to the wire too. It's a gambit. While Specter would be terrible, the dem would be worse, and Schumer will likely chair a subcommittee. Jon Kyl is better, but he won't make it if there isn't a majority.
I know you do what you have to do, but keeping the senate is not a give, and I hope you consider that in your vote. No matter what, Specter will be gone in 6 years anyway if not earlier. Hoeffel may be there for 20+.
I understand and it's my contention as well as that of every pundit and talking head that we will. For the Dems to win the Senate back, they'd need to win 8 out of 10 open seats. No one, not even bill clinton and terry mcauliffe are predicting that.
Ditto! I'll vote for any rino if I think it can get a filibuster proof Senate. That's the goal! The the only way we're going to gain ground in the "culture wars" is by getting more conservative justices appointed to the courts. I see no problem with this in respect to Arlen. Or his place on the judiciary committee.
RINOs do not support a republican, let alone conservative, agenda. Their numbers do not add to our strength, they dilute our message and give liberals another way to win and wield power over us. We have to stop them anyway we can. At the ballot box, of course. ;-)
One other comment. I'd still rather have 41 solid conservatives who will fight for principle than 59 squishy RINOs that do not hold our values as dear as we do. We lose with RINOs.
The problem with voting Republican is you no longer get half a loaf, or a quarter of a loaf. Reagan knew how to leave the table with something, the rest give away the farm with both hands and are happy to promote more socialism, or worse, globalism.
It's become a why bother for every voter I know IRL many of whom have no intention of visiting the polls this Nov. My neighbor, who has a picture of herself and Bush at a function shocked me when she said she will not vote for him again. Seems a gay friend of her's convinced her that we needed Bush to fight the war, now that he has done his job, we need Kerry to negotiate a peace and get us back in line with the E.U. and U.N.
We had a long talk, I hope I had an impact on her thinking. I don't plan to vote for Bush myself, but a persons reason should not be the reasons she came up with. The thing about the Republican Party courting RINO's at the expense of their conservative base is, that the loyalty of a RINO is not even skin deep.
I'm not just talking about keeping the Democrats from winning back the Senate. I am saying that I can only support replacing a Republican with a Democrat (which is what you advocate) if the Republicans are going to pick up additional seats.
Thanks. I'm glad that you can see past the fog on this. Without the accountability of ever having to face the voters again, Specter's record is only going to get worse, not better. He's already dissed Bush 3 times in the last 30 days.
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