YES!!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
DANG IT!!!someone help the html impaired, pretty please.
YES!!I have felt for some time that we are to the Republican Party as the black community is to the Democracts. But many of them, too, are beginning to wisen up and see them for what they are.
After working on the Toomey campaign and witnessing first hand the tactics of the Republican Party, I see them for what they are. They would rather we just not have a primary, which in essence is what they did in this case. They want to dictate to us who, what, when, and where, then give us excuses as to why. Their control of the overgrown government has become more important than the basic principles of what this country was founded on.
The sadist part is that so many have been blinded by this. Look at the comments just on this thread. So many of them read like Marxists statements-"for the good of the Party !","we must keep a majority !", "My party tells me so" etc.
Think of all the new bright-eyed Republicans that came into Congress that have left. They saw that they were banging their heads against the wall. Then the ones that have stayed have become infected by the beltway power virus.
The PARTY has lost all it's PRINCIPLES. I have become very saddened by this.
Very Mature, Barlowmaker. I am sure the GOP would be proud of you.
IMO, Barlow's reply #645, hits the nail on the head. Put the words of both pictures together and a person gets a description of who is running the campaign for hoeffel on FR.
Trillium, is this the debate you were referring to ?
I'm still waiting for you to explain why you think the Democrats will retake the Senate. I'd be willing to bet you a $50 contribution to FR that they won't.
Thanks.
Who started this whole mess anyway?
LOL
I hung in as long as I could but bailed about 3 AM too. I was up the night (day actually) before until 10 AM.
Well gee if my commenting on well done and very inciteful humor about those who proclaim their loyalty to hoeffel in 04(reply #465) is "immature" so be it.
JMO, your above italicized comment is something dashcle would say.
And for full disclosure, I am a registered democrat and was registered as a Pubbie when I lived in area where there were competitive Pubbie primaries, but before you smokey, cut and paste, I am registered as demo since the local area where I live in, the demo primaries are the competitive ones. The Pubbies in my local primaries usually are unopposed. In the general local elections(sheriff etc.etc) I most likely will vote for the Pubbie, but that is not a general rule since those elections are more the person, than party.
In statewide(Gov., House, and Senate) or national elections(President), my electoral record has been close to 100% Pubbie. The reason I say close to 100% Pubbie is because in a US House race there was no Pubbie on the ballot against an incumbant democrat, but a Libertarian. I voted for the Libertarain, but after seeing the nutballness of Libertarians on FR, I have sworn to myself that I will never vote for a Libertarian again.
Bravo. Well said.
Is that your first post?
Thanks for your support.
Welcome to FR.
Senate control is not to be taken for granted, IMO.
But what the hey, some people thought that hitler wouldn't invade Poland after the Munich accord of 1938.
"Peace in our time" piece of paper being flailed by Chamberlain, yada, yada, yada.
Thank you again. You are a most welcome addition to FR.
How did you find us? Have you just been lurking?
Grateful inquiring minds want to know. ;-)
I'm with you. Assuming that my move to PA happens before the November election, I'll be either voting 3rd party or for Joe Hoeffel. I'm sick to death of Arlen MacSpecter.
Uh oh O O,
I think that you struck paydirt. I've expressed the same sentiments on the PA State Store system, gambling, and a host of other issues. They keep them around (actually both sides do) to keep fanning the rhetorical flames and keep the campaign contributions flowing in.
Vote for ME! and I'll get rid of your boogie man. Really, I will. I just need another term to do it. Maybe two.
Have we gotten too cynical? I just don't know how that could have happened.
JMO, Hillary thanks you for the above comment.
BTW, have you researched hoeffel, I kinda of doubt it.
Huh, I never knew that Rudy Guiliani doing TV commercials for Bret Schundler in 01, was "backstabbing".
Oh well, JMO, the backstabbing is coming from you. seems that you have a fondness for it, IMO.
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