Posted on 04/16/2009 5:56:48 AM PDT by reaganaut1
Arlen Specter is ready to rumble.
On Tuesday, one day before former Republican Congressman Pat Toomey formally declared his intention to challenge Specter in a 2010 replay of their fierce primary struggle six years earlier, Specter came out swinging.
In an exclusive interview with The American Spectator, Specter, looking fit at 79 from his famous early morning squash matches, stood patiently in a Harrisburg drizzle launching one verbal attack after another at Toomey and the Club for Growth, a conservative political action committee that Toomey has served as president since his defeat by Specter. Toomey resigned his leadership post several days ago and announced his candidacy Wednesday morning, April 15th. The five-term Senator made it clear he was more than eager for round two of what was an unexpectedly close primary in 2004, an election in which the tenacious Specter rolled to victory with an unexpectedly close 17,000 vote margin.
"I've been sitting back for the last six years taking insistent criticism from him," Specter said of Toomey. "The campaign is underway and I intend to fire back. It's hardball. Hard hardball."
Without missing a beat, speaking without notes, Specter zeroed in specifically on Toomey and the Club, charging the latter with "cannibalistic tactics" that had lost the GOP control of the US Senate in 2006.
"Toomey represents the Club for Growth which has engaged in cannibalistic tactics. When they fought [now defeated GOP Senator Lincoln] Chafee in the Rhode Island primary, spent all his money, beat him in the general, that cost us control of the Senate. In the Senate…we would have controlled the Senate had we retained Chafee's seat in 2007 and 2008."
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
You are not “winning” if Arlen is the candidate. He is a democrat from top to bottom.
Who talks like this? Seriously!
In Canada, they had to give up on the Conservative Party and start a Reform Party that allowed the Liberal Party to win elections until a new Conservative Party could be formed.
At least we get to vote in a contested Republican primary and don’t have to go third party yet.
Of course, if Arlen wins, I will not vote for him.
Go Pat Go!
More proof. We don't care who's in control, we want our elected representatives to REPRESENT us.
“Specter, looking fit at 79 from his famous early morning squash matches”
Arlen used to go to my gym in Philadelphia. I talked to him on many occasions. the guy is an absolute joke.
I am hoping that Specter gets his ass handed to him.
Sphincter cooked his own goose when he voted in that stimulus bill. Toomey won’t let him live that one down.
That turncoat SOB thinks we should have worked to support Chaffee???? so that we could have kept control of the Senate????? That’s like saying sprinkle mouse s—t on your food to stay healthy. This is the same Chaffee who came out in support of the Great ZERO after the sensible people of RI kicked his sorry butt out.
This is the same Specter who was propped up by GWB in one of his bigger mistakes, a cancer in the body politic that takes six years to cure.
It’s time for Specter to go and way past time for Toomey to win!!!
Spector needs to go home.
Specter: you have been around TOO LONG and YOU WERE THERE when all this mess in Washington happened
I think this is going to be a great REPUBLICAN THROW THE BUMS OUT year.(let the democraps keep theirs)
A scared person.
Will George Bush be campaigning for Arlen this round?
I never vote for Specter, but he wins anyway. People are morons...
It’s not the conservatives you have to worry about. It’s the uninformed dumb@$$e$ that go into the voting booth and pull the big “R” lever (like they’re playing a big slot machine). Unfortunately, these types of voters outnumber true conservatives anymore.
Spectre has the arrogance and ignorance to speak of control of the Senate when he and the twin Commie sisters of the Northeast gave it away.(Snowe and Collins)
Better a Democrat than this backshooting RINO.
You've just put your finger on the whole problem. The GOP will go "all in" for Arlen. Not one sitting conservative will come out for Toomey. NOT ONE. (Well, maybe Paul). The opportunity will open wide for the GOP to make a big picture argument for liberty and long term prosperity for this country. But they won't take it because to do that they would have to tell Americans that they need to accept limits on government and the deep systemic cuts in social programs that go with it. The GOP can't do that because they don't stand for anything more than winning the next election. Don't ask them what they want to do AFTER they win 'cause they don't know.
I hope Toomey squashes this bug and we never hear his name again.
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