Posted on 02/10/2009 3:09:25 AM PST by Born Conservative
Acknowledging potential political risk, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter said he plans to vote today in favor of a compromise Senate version of the economic stimulus bill because the nation’s “very severe economic recession” demands action.
“If we don’t act, we may find ourselves in a depression like 1929,” Mr. Specter said after visiting the Schott Glass Technologies plant in Duryea. “That has to be avoided.”
Mr. Specter, a Republican and part of a bipartisan group of senators who co-wrote the proposal, said the $838 billion compromise version is far less expensive than what Senate Democratic leaders originally envisioned.
“It cuts the Democratic proposal by $110 billion, which is a lot of money,” he said, noting criticism of the Senate proposal by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “So that’s a sign we must be on the right track.”
The House passed an $819 billion version. A conference committee of senators and House members will work out the difference once the Senate approves its version, which is expected today.
Mr. Specter was one of three Republican senators who voted in favor of ending debate — known as cloture — on the bill Monday. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of Maine, were the others.
“I’m asked if this will solve the problem and candidly, nobody knows for sure,” Mr. Specter told workers at Schott. “But if we don’t do something, it will get worse ... If we fail to act, I think it would be a devastating signal for the world.”
His support is riling conservative Republicans, who think the spending package is geared too heavily toward spending and too little toward tax cuts. Pennsylvania conservatives are hoping to woo a strong conservative challenger to Mr. Specter in the Republican Senate primary next year as he seeks a sixth term.
“Well, of course I am,” Mr. Specter said when asked if he’s worried about the conservative backlash. “But (President) John Kennedy had it right. He said, ‘Sometimes the party asks too much.’ And this is something I think is necessary for the country. It goes beyond politics. It goes beyond the Democratic or Republican position. It’s the right thing for America.”
Mr. Specter said he would have supported the package even if Democrats had not added $6.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health to the final version of the bill.
Mr. Specter had sought the money for years, and had mentioned he wanted it in the bill when he met with President Barack Obama last week.
“That’s only one small part ... That’s not determinative in my mind,” he said.
The stimulus vote could create “a political problem,” he said, but “I thought the public interest was so important that I have to take whatever problems it brings me.”
Mr. Specter said he hasn’t made up his mind about whether to vote for another bill that conservative Republicans are closely monitoring.
That bill would allow the formation of unions if a majority of a workers sign union cards, a concept known as card check.
The nation’s major umbrella labor unions, backed mostly by Democrats, are lobbying hard for card check because they believe it will make it easier to form new unions. Business groups, represented by conservative Republicans, say it will take away the right of employees to vote on forming a union in a secret ballot.
It is unclear when the bill will come up for a vote, but conservatives are watching it carefully as they decide whether to challenge Mr. Specter next year.
Last year, Mr. Specter voted in favor of ending debate on the bill so a vote on the actual bill could be taken. That led to speculation he favors card check, but the senator said he hasn’t made up his mind.
“I’ve been meeting with people about that practically on a daily basis and I made it plain that when I voted for cloture, it was not in favor of the bill. It was because I think there’s a need for labor law reform,” he said. “It’s a very heavily lobbied issue and I’m giving everybody a chance to be heard.”
Ping
Specter is done!
Specter is getting paid somewhere. Either directly or to a family member/friend. Somewhere, he is getting his at the expense of the people.
If they worked him a little longer, the Dems could convince Arlen that he’s a basset hound.
I’m not sure he doesn’t already.
Arlen Specter is a cancer cell in the American fabric.
ba by.
This rush is like the Challenger disaster. They are launching too soon and it will blow up.
Make the calls folks!! Make this man feel the heat!!
Specter was on the radio in Philly (1210 AM the Big Talker) yesterday with his fellow tool and RINO - Michael Smerconish (who voted for Obama, supports homosexuality, swoons around Chrissy Matthews, and is the biggest fame whore you can ever imagine).
These two are political allies and have been for years. To listen to that program for even 2 minutes made me physically ill.
There are several politicians out there who I’d not be too upset if some patriot rid us of.
Not that I’m advocating that of course.
Just dreaming.
I believe you are right.
Despite maddening behavior on some things, Sen. Specter has been a principled ally in many matters. However, it now ssems that's all gone. He's acting oddly.
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Specter has an office staffed liberals and democrats, he is very difficult to trust. Same with Snow.
His “largly intact” comentary means there is a pork pay off in there for him.
Find the pork stop the bill.
we need to keep the pressure up on the senate http://www.senate.gov
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The guy that always gets the big issues wrong...
“We have to do something” Never mind he has no idea what to do.
Therefore we borrow a trillion dollars to “do something”. More debt doesn't fix a debt problem. It only makes it worse.
It takes courage to say the government doesn't have the solution for every problem. Unfortunately there is none of that in Washington these days...
“He’s acting oddly.”
I think you missed the last 10+ years...
Has as been pointed out, most of the spending takes place after TWO years. If Specter is convinced something must be done to stop all the job losses, what is supposed to happen to those victims in the meantime?
He thinks we need to reform labor laws! He considers voting for the union card bill, killing the secret ballot! He votes for the porkulous bill!
He doesn't even qualify for the term RINO!
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