Toomey Tags Specter as 'Liberal' in Latest Ad

Talon News ^ | January 16, 2004 | Jeff Gannon

[GeneralHavoc]

Rep. Pat Toomey (R-PA) continues to keep the pressure on incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) in the Pennsylvania Republican primary. The Lehigh Valley conservative is running an ad that recounts what he calls Specter's "three decades of liberalism."

In the ad, Toomey points out that during the 1980s, the man he is seeking to replace in the Senate voted against Ronald Reagan's position 65 percent of the time, and in the 1990s, Specter voted for the largest tax increase in history. Toomey adds that Specter opposed the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

The most recent example of Specter's liberalism cited by Toomey is his opposition to the death penalty for Saddam Hussein. Shortly after the deposed dictator's capture, the Specter said in several interviews that he wanted Hussein to spend the rest of his life behind bars as a "constant reminder" to the world.

Specter suggested that the former dictator be tried in The Hague, where the death penalty is not allowed. Specter has denied that he ever made those statements and ended a recent interview when asked about his dishonesty on the subject.

Toomey expressed his own position when he said, "Saddam should be tried in Iraq and executed for mass murders he committed there over 30 years of dictatorship. Period."

Toomey has been picking up support from noted conservatives, some of whom have actively campaigned for him in Pennsylvania. Judge Robert Bork, whose Supreme Court nomination was defeated when Specter voted against him, recently spoke on behalf of the challenger in Pittsburgh. Toomey points out that if reelected, Specter would probably become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he might obstruct some of President Bush's nominees.

In 2003, The National Review magazine ran a cover story on Specter naming him "worst Republican Senator." His most recent votes against school choice, tax cuts, outsourcing of federal jobs, and changes in the overtime rules have angered conservatives. Paul Weyrich, founding president of the Heritage Foundation, is supporting Toomey's challenge as is former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes.

The White House and Pennsylvania's other senator, Rick Santorum (R-PA), have come out in support of Specter, but Toomey regards this as a matter of policy. He says that it is always a practice to support an incumbent, but he is confident that they will line up behind him should he defeat Specter in the primary.

[GeneralHavoc]

Toomey Meetup, the LARGEST Senate Meetup in the Nation

Petition for PA State Committee NOT to endorse liberal RINO Arlen Specter:

[lormand]

Send Specter to Scotland where his loyalties are.

[GeneralHavoc]

Out here in PA, we are working on it!

[pogo101]

Benedict Arlen bttt.

[pgkdan]

When's your primary?

[GeneralHavoc]

At the very end of April. Things are really starting to pick up for Pat.

The grassroots are mobilizing like I have never seen before in my entire life.

[rcofdayton]

Defeating Spector is more important than getting Toomey elected. In other words, I would vote for Toomey even if I knew he cannot be elected. We cannot have Spector as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

[WOSG]

"Defeating Spector is more important than getting Toomey elected. In other words, I would vote for Toomey even if I knew he cannot be elected. We cannot have Spector as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee."

Dittos on that!!!

With 5 OPEN Senate seats in the south, and all races lining up quite well, and with Illinois looking good for Bush, we may well have a net 4-5 pickup. that is 55-56 GOP Senators.

Conservatives are better off with 55 Republican Senators *without* Spectre than with 56 Republican Senators with him.
we need a more conservative chairman to fight for the judicial nominees.

Still, I dont expect Toomey to lose. I expect Toomey to beat Spectre then to go on and win on Bush's coattails in November. Bush and Toomey both will win PA.

And it will be a very good thing for conservatives.

[AuH2ORepublican]

*PAT TOOMEY PING*

We all need to support Pat Toomey in his primary against ancient RINO Arlen Specter. Specter is singularly unable to attract votes from blue-collar Democrats outside of the Philly metro area (who tend to be socially conservative but economically liberal-to-moderate), since Specter is an extreme social liberal who is anti-gun, pro-abortion and who supports Saddam Hussein being tried *at The Hague* (where there's no death penalty).

While Specter would be favored against Democrat Congressman Joe Hoeffel, his election would not be a slam dunk (Hoeffel represents parts of Montgomery County and Philly and can eat into Specter's base), and even if Specter is elected we'd have to worry about (i) his becoming as obstructionist a Judiciary Committee Chairman as Pat Leahy ever was, (ii) his move to his natural perch in the far left, since he would never again have to face Republican primary voters, and (iii) his health, since he is old enough to fart dust and does not appear to be a well man, and Ed Rendell would name his replacement if he died.

Pat Toomey, on the other hand, has been elected and reelected in heavily contested races in a swing district (Bush got 47% under the old lines and 48% under the new lines) that is shock full of blue-collar Democrats (Allentown and Bethlehem are its two big cities), and his social conservatism should similarly attract Democrat votes in the rest of the "T" and in the Pittsburgh area.

Toomey will also be able to hold his own in the Philly suburbs, since he has always run extremely strong in the Montgomery County portion of his district, and since his conservative positions on taxes and national defense, along with President Bush's coattails, will bring a lot of socially liberal suburbanites (who were heavily Republican during the Cold War but who swung to the Democrats when national defense lost preeminence as an issue in the early-to-mid-1990s) back to the GOP fold.

So Toomey is not only a better Republican than Specter, he's also *more electable*. It's a no-brainer, folks. GO, PAT, GO!

[ladyinred]

Specter is a liberal! No real news here, but good to see it in print anyway!

[Abram]

Question...who is next in line to take of the Judiciary if Specter is taken out?

[connectthedots]

Make sure this is placed under the "Breaking News" section.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"who is next in line to take of the Judiciary if Specter is taken out?"

---

Jon Kyl of Arizona. Solid conservative, and one that won't sabotage Bush's nominees.

[lilylangtree]

30 years of Specter's liberalism and idiocy--go gettim' Toomey.

[Kay Ludlow]

Here in Centre County we are seeing a lot of TV ads for both and hearing many radio ads.

One thing I find interesting about those - On the radio, Specter really sounds old and feeble. For the TV ads, they made him look so young it offsets the old sound in his voice.

One of my concerns about Specter (aside from the whole liberal thing) is his age - if he would pass on after the election Rendell would appoint his replacement, who would no doubt be a liberal Philadelphian.

[Republican Wildcat]

Polling data seems to indicate Specter would lose to Hoeffel in a matchup. It would be best to go with Toomey, IMHO. I hope he can pull it off. Otherwise, this could be a loss of a Senate seat we cannot afford.

[Republican Wildcat]

Toomey could win without them. Santorum did.

[votelife]

bttt

[zbigreddogz]

Umm, even Specter is better then Lehey.

[cynicom]

Can't the man spell "socialism".