NYT: Obama thanked Collins, Snowe, Specter for their “patriotism”.
Oh, so now we are not patriotic if we don’t support this bill?
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003027327
Specter’s Stance on Stimulus Carries Risks
By Bart Jansen, CQ Staff
As Democratic Senate leaders hailed the stimulus compromise reached with three Republicans, the political peril for at least one of them — Arlen Specter — was obvious.
“There are material risks in the position I’m taking, which may well impact a primary. Those thoughts have not escaped my attention,” Specter said following a breakthrough Friday evening. “My duty is to follow my conscience and vote what I think is in the best interests of the county. The political risks will have to abide.”
The Pennsylvania Republican is running for re-election in 2010 and represents a swing state, where he faced primary challengers in each of his four previous elections. The closest call came in 2004, when then-Rep. Patrick J. Toomey came within two percentage points.
Specter, who typically takes more conservative stances for primaries before steering toward the center for the general election, joined Maine Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe on Friday to give Democrats at least 61 votes needed to approve the stimulus (HR 1).
Bracing for a challenge, Specter’s campaign has $5.8 million on hand as of Dec. 31, according to the Federal Election Commission.
As former Judiciary Committee chairman, Specter proved his value to conservative Republicans by shepherding the confirmations of John G. Roberts Jr. and Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court.
But Joseph I. Lieberman , a Connecticut independent who also is backing the compromise stimulus package, said Specter and Collins deserved the Medal of Honor for helping broker the compromise.
“They had the guts to come forward to reach across party lines,” said Lieberman, who frustrated Democratic leaders by campaigning for Republican presidential nominee John McCain . “They have chosen to separate themselves from the Republican caucus because they believe it is in the national interest to do so . . . It’s not easy. It’s often lonely. But the American people will benefit from what they have helped us accomplish here in the Senate tonight.”