Posted on 04/08/2009 9:12:28 AM PDT by BGHater
Sen. Arlen Specter on Tuesday said that former Rep. Pat Toomey is too conservative to win a general election race in Pennsylvania, claiming his likely primary opponent "is to the right of Rick Santorum."
During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program, Specter (R-Pa.) provided a preview of his strategy against Toomey. Specter said Toomey fought for deregulation, embraced private accounts in Social Security and, if nominated, would lose the general election and allow Democrats to pass so-called card-check legislation favored by organized labor.
Specter said Toomey is "to the right" of former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), adding, "Santorum lost by 18 points [in 2006], spent $31 million and was a two-term incumbent."
The jab at Santorum comes in the wake of Santorum's silence on whether he will endorse Specter's bid for a sixth term. Santorum backed Specter in his tight 2004 primary win over Toomey. President Bush also backed Specter over Toomey.
"If Toomey is the nominee, you can be sure he'll lose," Specter said, claiming Democrats would then have the votes to pass card-check and allow the White House and congressional Democrats to steamroll their agenda through Congress.
Reacting to Specter's comments, Toomey said, "This is more grasping at straws by Arlen Specter. I have won three general elections in Pennsylvania and lost none. Specter might believe you have to be a liberal like him in order to win in Pennsylvania, but I do not share that view, nor do most Pennsylvania Republicans."
Specter last week launched ads criticizing Toomey, who has not officially declared he will run against the Pennsylvania senator.
A spokesman for Toomey last week returned fire on Specter.
“Pennsylvanians have come to expect bizarre behavior from Arlen Specter, but this takes his desperation to a new and very strange level," Toomey spokesman Mark Harris said at the time. "Specter can’t defend his own liberal record, so he’s attacking Pat Toomey, who isn’t even in the race yet, with lies about work Pat did 20 years ago. It looks like Specter wants to put Pennsylvanians through a long, dishonest campaign ... for one final time.”
I don’t know if Spector would support card check if re-elected. He has said he won’t. But I do know that any Dem who beats Spector/Toomey will vote for card check.
You don't show loyalty to your party by supporting people who don't support the principals of the party. I watched Santorum in interviews during this election, and he was saying "It's all about the numbers".
Using your logic, the RNC and Republican Senatorial Committee which supported Lincoln Chafee against a marginally more conservative in the primary in Rhode Island was justified. The result: Chafee won the primary and lost the general, and then changed his political affiliation. The result part two: Libby Dole (who ran the Republican Senatorial Committee slush fund and supported Chafee) lost her following election in North Carolina.
The purpose of primary elections is to elect people who support the party platform....not to rubber stamp the incumbent just because we need the numbers. You should never put party over principal.
You sound like somebody that would have been opposed to nominating Reagan as the Republican candidate in 1976 and 1980.
Yes, a Dem is preferable to a moderate. A "moderate" is just a Dem with an 'R' next to his name. Turning over the party -- and the country -- to those people is exactly what got us where we are today. They are all domestic enemies, but at least with a Demonrat you are getting an accurate advertisement of their leftism.
Specter should check under his kilt and take note of what’s missing.
I agree. A lot of bad legislation (i.e Card Check and Cap and Trade) can be stopped if the majority can’t get 60 votes. Those 2 Senators from Maine will always be too liberal for conservatives, but their votes to block the ultra liberal left legislation are critical. If the Dems. had those seats, you would see this junk pass. By the way, don’t take it personal when you start getting some responses which accuse you of being everything from a traitor to a Communist. George Will recently wrote a column challenging Global Warming as Junk Science. His email box filled up so fast with hate mail and threats that his Web site shut down. The reaction to his column was from the fringe left. You will be getting some from the other side.
“moderate”
Another Marxist term that means constantly moving left.
You are comparing apples and oranges...Bachman is in Congress...it’s easier to get conservatives elected in certain districts...statewide election of ‘real’ conservatives is more difficult and in PA may not be possible. You are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. What’s so great about losing? I see no upside since conservative principles are never advanced when one elects a Democrat.
In your District, you have the good fortune to have a voter majority that has common sense and high values. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Red States and Districts where that is not the case. You go into places like Philadelhiia, Baltimore, St Louis and Detroit Etc. A Republican couldn’t win if God was their candidate.
No it doesn’t. Having a coalition that includes moderates and conservatives can put the GOP back in majority status...I’m for this.
That is a chance we will just have to take (and should have 6 years ago).
Thanks for the warning!
Specter or a Democrat? No big difference.
At least we’ll have a chance of getting another conservative Senator.
As another poster notes, two Maine moderates are blocking card check. You think it would be better if they were Democrats and passed card check? even Spector has annouced he won’t back card check...not this may be political in Spector’s case, but come on...climb down from your ivory tower and mix it up with the rest of us who live in the real world.
“...Specter said Toomey is “to the right” of former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), adding, “Santorum lost by 18 points [in 2006], spent $31 million and was a two-term incumbent...” “
Wow apparently Arlen sees himself as the new Hillary.
You are absolutely spot on. We have the same thing in Jersey. We have a shot of unseating Corzine by running a RINO AG. There’s a nasty primary looming because a true conservative, Steve Lonegan is running against Christie. my philosophy is to back the conservative in the primary and then hold my nose and bacl the RINO if they win. I’d rather have someone I agree with 70% of the time then 10% of the time.
Ronald Reagan believed in the big tent party...it is his quote I’m mangling...better to have someone who votes with you 75% of the time than 0% of the time...he would not support losing elections on purpose by fielding unelectable candidates.
So you advocate advancing conservative principles by electing Democrats (incumbents are hard to defeat). Can you not see how absurd this position is?
I understand where Reagan was coming from, and the odds should usually play favorably.
The problem as I see it is a lack of differentiation between the parties; an inability or unwillingness to hold fast to core beliefs. There needs to be clearly defined reason to vote R vs. D.
I want to see the GOP clearly communicate party values and act upon them accordingly. Voting on the porkulus debacle was a pleasing sign of what the GOP could and should do. Specter of course being an exception in that instance...
No, I'm not. You just refuse to see the similarities. They tried to push us into running a moderate in our district because the powers that be felt that was necessary to win that election.
We don't know that the political tide won't be flowing the other direction by the time of the next election. When the democrats are in power they always push through kooky stuff that makes the swing voters decide to make a change again. I think its very realistic to believe Toomey could win.
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