POLITICS

Suddenly Seeking Specter

Why both parties have to be super-nice to a senator who can be kind of prickly.

By Katie Connolly and Daniel Stone | NEWSWEEK
Published Apr 4, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Apr 13, 2009

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  • Posted By: brydges @ 04/16/2009 10:43:10 AM

    As a PA Republican, I can't wait to vote this A** hole out of office

  • Posted By: bighappy @ 04/07/2009 8:44:21 PM

    One of those 3 Republican Senators who voted for disastrous spending plan, he will pay the price in 2010. He will not pass GOP Primaries.

    • Posted By: Osama Bin Login @ 04/10/2009 10:04:12 AM

      People have been saying that about him for 20 years. Good luck with that.

      • Posted By: bighappy @ 04/10/2009 7:05:22 PM

        Previous times he was needed as liberal Republican there to match Democrats in his state. This time GOP victory will be done deal, and GOP caucus will find a good contender to equal score, like Democrats dealt Lieberman.

        • Posted By: Osama Bin Login @ 04/13/2009 1:43:00 PM

          You guys are a hoot. You aren't going to do anything in 2012.

  • Posted By: RO in Reno @ 04/05/2009 11:08:37 AM

    It is sad Specter dropped his support for the labor bill, it shows he can still put the party above the people.
    But if there is a single Republican that could garner respect as bipartisan he is the one.
    It is easy to understand the Republican frustration with him, he has shown he can be an independent thinker; something that is all too rare in the Republican Party.
    Republicans rely on the ignorance of the voters to survive. They have the unique ability to convince a guy working for minimum wage that his enemy is collective bargaining. To convince people that tax cuts for the wealthy is good for them as well.
    Republicans will convince many that Insurance company profits are more important than getting health care to the 48 million uninsured in this country and even though we rank 27th in the world in new born survival, they will convince people we have the greatest health care system in the world.
    There many only be a few times Specter does vote his conscience, he at least has to be given credit for having one.

    • Posted By: Osama Bin Login @ 04/10/2009 10:05:14 AM

      I'm for unions, which is why I am against this labor bill, myself.

      An open vote is not an invitation but a demand for coercion.

  • Posted By: Paulj4422 @ 04/10/2009 8:07:10 AM

    The approval ratings for Congress are very low. If I were Sen. Specter I think I would support President Obama and take my chances in the republican primary. I was not impressed with the Senator trumpeting how much he had "saved" on the stimulus package by cutting education funding. Cutting education funding?? What folly!

  • Posted By: mac101 @ 04/09/2009 1:56:53 PM

    Specter has proven himself to be an independent thinker on many issues, and I believe he is motivated more by a sense of pragmatism about the individual issues rather than blind obedience and knee-jerk opposition to partisan philosophy.

    However, I remember his scathing treatment of Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearing, and was not impressed with Specter's attitude then; he completely dismissed the possibility that a supposedly learned man could still behave shamefully toward women in a less powerful position.

    Hopefully, he is as capable of re-examining his beliefs as his reputation for critical thinking would have us believe.

  • Posted By: Greg the Third @ 04/08/2009 8:56:27 PM

    I think the author of this article is a little too paranoid. Arlen Specter is a very intelligent man and this was obvious going all the way back to the single bullet theory to explain the JFK asassination. Guess who proposed it and guess who has been proven right after many investigations attempting to debunk it. I was a student in Philadelphia for 8 years and had the pleasure of observing the Senator in action and happened to agree with the vast majority of his decisions. I will admit he does not have a warm and fuzzy personality but I left with a strong impression that he is an independent thinker who answers to nobody and he can and does put his thoughts into action when voting. If he happens to be in the perfect position where he has to vote across party lines to survive then I envy his position. If you look at his voting record I am willing to bet he voted on the more intelligent side of a large majority of issues no matter who the sponsors or backers were. My only wish is that everyone in Congress acted like him and voted their conscience, putting what is right for the country ahead of what is right for the party. I think it is a good thing he is in a swing position and I can think of no better person to have there. Perhaps the chief reason the Senator has survived despite a precarious political position for so many years is not becasue he is an ingenious cold-hearted political calculator, but because he has done the right things more often than not, impressing his constituents in the process, including this former one.

    • Posted By: Greg the Third @ 04/09/2009 1:12:40 AM

      I just thought I would add a few more recollections about the Senator after some more thought. If you ever watched an interview with him and I had watched many, you are left with two strong impressions. One is that he is passionate about the issues even if he does not come off as very personable. The other is that he is thoughtful and deliberative, knows the issues, and will offer insights into them if you listen to his responses. As a voter in the voting booth it is hard to imagine voting for the other candidate when you compare you impression of them with him as the kind of person you would want legislating in the federal government. It is also important to understand his marketplace. The Philadelphia region and Eastern PA are evenly divided amongst city liberals, rural hard core conservatives and a sandwhich land of suburban moderates. This is the ideal environment to produce a moderate where longevity is concerned such as for the Senate. Hence why the state has been a swing state in the past few presidential elections. Also the Philadelphia region is no candyland. Just ask any pro athlete who played there how critical yet incisive the local electorate is. The press is also brutal and unrelenting in a similar fashion. I think it is safe to say that for a politician to survive in that kind of market is remarkable and speaks volumes of what kind of person he is. These almost intangible qualities then give him a big edge over any other candidate, no matter what the state of mind of the electorate that year and allows him to draw votes from the right, left, and middle. I think his Senate record is similar with both sides of the aisle both praising and criticising him while he is held in high esteem as a ranking member of the Judiciary committee, a position that requires the most thoughtful of legislators.

    • Posted By: Greg the Third @ 04/09/2009 1:08:15 AM

    • Posted By: Greg the Third @ 04/09/2009 12:50:47 AM

  • Posted By: cbernami @ 04/08/2009 10:08:26 PM

    Another candidate for removal by term limits. When you don't care what people say to you or about you including your constituents IT IS TIME TO GO.

    Bouts with cancer 79 years old retire and live out your life.

  • Posted By: Dork @ 04/08/2009 3:49:13 PM

    Disastrous spending plan? I think not. We can't judge it until it actually starts to work and when it's finished.

  • Posted By: surg onc @ 04/06/2009 4:04:35 AM

    i seem to remember that Specter was one of the more reasonable Republican senators during the Bush years when many Republicans were so dogmatic and arrogant.

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