After Win, Specter Looks To Fall Election (already distancing himself from Bush)

Associated Press | April 29, 2004 | Lara Jakes Jordon

[Russ]

Apr 28, 4:50 PM EDT

After Win, Specter Looks to Fall Election

By LARA JAKES JORDAN Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- After surviving a close scrape in the Republican primary, Sen. Arlen Specter turned his attention to the fall contest and began a campaign Wednesday that could put him at odds with the White House that helped him pull through.

The four-term moderate narrowly defeated conservative Rep. Pat Toomey, 51 percent to 49 percent, in Tuesday's primary after Toomey branded Specter as too liberal. The race was perhaps the most serious challenge yet to any Senate incumbent this season.

Specter will face Democratic Rep. Joe Hoeffel in November.

Less than a day after his primary victory, Specter touted his efforts to trim tax cuts, retain overtime pay for workers, resist school vouchers and continue embryonic stem-cell research - all in opposition to President Bush. The four-term Republican also called the situation in Iraq a "tinderbox" that could be a problem for the president in the fall elections.

"I intend to retain my independent voice, a voice I have always had," Specter said. "The 12 million people of Pennsylvania have not elected me to be a rubber stamp, and I will speak out where I think the necessity calls for it."

Despite his policy differences with the president, Specter said Bush's public support was key to his victory over Toomey. The race was so tight, he said, that the usually stoic Specter could not "stop my nervous system from gyrating a little" while watching vote tallies roll in.

Hoeffel, meanwhile, embarked on a 19-stop tour to raise his low statewide profile. The three-term suburban Philadelphia lawmaker predicted that Specter moved too far to the right in the Republican race to be successful in November.

"This primary has demonstrated that Arlen Specter is not the senator that he used to be," Hoeffel said. "He used to be a moderate maverick, but he is neither of those things. He's voting for a Republican program in Washington that's not working in Pennsylvania. He's their senator now - not ours."

The Democrats blasted Specter as a "political opportunist."

"He has taken every side of every issue for no other reason than to protect his political hide," said Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "He owes his political survival to George Bush, and he's now stuck with him and his right-wing policies."

Registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans in Pennsylvania by nearly 389,000.

Specter has long enjoyed support within liberal-leaning unions and abortion-rights groups, and predicted he would attract Democrats and independents. He said he could help Bush in the fall by pulling moderates to the GOP ticket.

"My agreements with the president are more extensive than my disagreements," Specter said.

Specter spent $10 million to win the primary. As of April 7, he had $4.5 million in his campaign bank account to Hoeffel's $800,000.

That makes Specter tough to beat in November, said Wilkes University political scientist Thomas J. Baldino.

Specter's near-loss "will give Hoeffel some hope," Baldino said. "But as bad a beating as Specter took in term of his reputation, he will continue to raise and spend enough money to demonstrate he can win."

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[HamiltonJay]

No, that's holding the fools who are ready to hand the Senate over to Dem control just to send a message to the Republican leadership.

[hobbes1]

the Dems will vote for Specter/Kerry.

Perhaps, but there are more than two variables in this equation. Everyone knows that 45% will go one way and 45% the other.

The middle 10, aren't reflexive Dem lever pullers, they are called SWING VOTERS......and they swing towards the moderate, safe looking alternative.....That is why the early thrust of Bush's capaign is to paint Kerry as a Flip Flopper....Constant Change equates to UNSAFE. While Bush's slogan is "Steady Leadership in Times of Change" (read: The world is Dangerous, and I am your Safe Bet...)

[NittanyLion]

In a state that went Gore in 2000, splits the ticket and has supported Specter for years, I doubt that supposition. Any evidence to support that voter trend?...That supports the conclusion that, despite the wishful thinking that PA is a bastion of conservatism, the state is a Democratic state. In that case, a winning moderate Senator is a much better option than a losing conservative Senator.

I've seen it play out time and again at the State House/Senate level. I've seen Santorum win statewide twice. Tom Ridge won and he was from Erie. Republicans control the PA state government (except governor), they have more US Reps, both Senators...the contention that PA is a liberal state is simply false.

[Frank T]

"No, that's holding the fools who are ready to hand the Senate over to Dem control just to send a message to the Republican leadership."

It is a burdern that needs to be beared. The GOP is not self-regulating. Bush has in fact helped the federal government grow considerably. Why would a right minded conservative help him continue to do so? A message is definitely needed. Or the party will be taken away from the people it's supposed to represent. Checks and balances.

[PA BOOKEND]

Tell me in what areas Santorum is more moderate that Toomey.

[hobbes1]

And you believe Specter would allow another Thomas to make it through? Not a chance.

So, now you are ignoring past evidence in favor of What? A call to Miss Cleo?

[HamiltonJay]

A) Santorum won his place in the Senate during the 1994 Republican landslide. The 2004 environment is nowhere near the 1994 environment.

B) Santorum is more charismatic, well spoken and frankly intelligent at least in terms of handling himself politically than Toomey is.

C) Santorum wins moderates and democrats in the state.. he doesn't run around the state using trademarked slogans of right wing organizations as his mantra.


Toomey is not fit to carry Santorums jock strap, let alone in the same league when it comes to being able to win and attract moderates and dems to vote for him. You don't want to hear it, you don't want to accept it, but that's reality.

Toomey was destined to be left as nothing more than a steaming nugget on the sidewalk in the general. That's reality, the only rationalizing being done is by people like yourself who think than region that is older and more democratic than most of the nation was going to carry Toomey over the heavy losses he was going to take in the eastern part of the state... particularly when that part of the state you are relying on is outnumbered 3-4 to 1 by the region that he would have to overcome.

[NittanyLion]

Tell me in what areas Santorum is more moderate that Toomey.

It's that indiscernable and totally unexplainable quality that makes Santorum more electable statewide, apparently. (Even though Toomey and Santorum have virtually identical views.)

[Zack Nguyen]

LOL. This is almost funny if it weren't so sad.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Less than a day after his primary victory, Specter touted his efforts to....resist school vouchers

Well seeing as PA's plan for school vouchers failed in the state legislature precisely because it was opposed by Central PA and suburban conservatives(didn't want to spend any more money on evil Philly black kids), shouldn't you be quite happy with Arlen's stance on that issue?

[NittanyLion]

Toomey was destined to be left as nothing more than a steaming nugget on the sidewalk in the general.

Uh huh. Yet you're unable to come up with your reasoning, other than some qualitative, generalized comments about charisma.

Well, rationalization usually doesn't involve an honest accounting based on the evidence available.

[nickcarraway]

ping

[PA BOOKEND]

High falutin' sounding rhetoric, but ultimately empty. We don't know if/what kind of landslide Nov. will bring.
Charismatic? Intelligent? You should know those kinds of meaningless, unsupported generalizations don't fly on FR.
You mean "pro-life", "from my cold dead hands" type slogans? Sounds to me like your argument is out for the count.

[The kings dead]

Well seeing as PA's plan for school vouchers failed in the state legislature precisely because it was opposed by Central PA and suburban conservatives(didn't want to spend any more money on evil Philly black kids), shouldn't you be quite happy with Arlen's stance on that issue?

Another Specter fan plays the race card.

[RinaseaofDs]

Please. If you cannot morally vote for Specter, then you cannot morally vote for Hoeffel. Don't think we're stupid. If you can't vote for a pro-choice Republican, then you certainly cannot vote a pro-choice Democrat, unless you are one of two things. A Democrat or a liar.

Or pissed off.

Reagan proved you could be a conservative and be popular at the same time. Nixon pointed out the 'silent majority'.

People perceive that our culture is headed backward, not forward. If the party doesn't want to contribute to advancing its positions, then why should its members?

Your argument is hilarious: Bush and Santorum back Specter, regardless of his record, regardless of the presence of a better alternative.

You now want R's to back Specter on PRINCIPLE?

I argue that R's did better with D's in charge of the Senate. On what basis would 'more R's in the Senate' change this?

Pennsylvania and GWB deserves what it gets in November: a defacto Democrat as the Chairman of the Judiciary instead of a freshman D junior Senator. R's will pick up other senate seats that would have compensated for Toomey if he'd have lost in November, which I'm not sure he would have.

[HamiltonJay]

No, I qualified them quite well.. you care to characterize them as general to keep your head from exploding because it will have to leave its realm of dillusion to accept it, that's your problem.

There is nothing Generalized about the 1994 Republican Landslide, there is nothing generalized about Santorum's proven ability to attract moderate and even democratic voters and nothing is generalized about Toomey running around using a copyrighted conservative organizations catch phrase as his campaign montra. Those are Absolutes, not generalizations.

Just make sure the duct tape is wrapped around your head tight, so when your head explodes we at least know were all the pieces are.

Just like Fisher didn't stand a prayer, and I had to listen to all these Fisher people refuse to accept reality, and have the exact same conversations with them... you are just more of the same.... History doesn't lie, the facts are right there, you just choose to ignore them.

[ought-six]

"...and it comes as no surprise that Senator Specter would attempt to back to the center to win the general election."

The center??? The last time Specter saw the center he was sitting on a coomode and staring at the end of a toilet paper roll.

[Stew Padasso]

"Why do you lack faith in the basic appeal of conservatism?"

There seems to be very few (in politics) who know how to make a good argument for conservatism and sell it to the voters. It is much easier to just win a *political fight* by pandering and gamesmanship. In the end, does that really advance conservatism? Nope. Just look at all the ridiculous spending and arrogant proposals from the Bush people.

[bvw]

Arrogance comes to fall on Nemeis's sword. Suggest you change attitude, before future remorse.

[ought-six]

"Specter has to be stopped, and I see little difference between him and a typical Democrat, except that the Dem will not head the Judiciary committee. Thoughts?"

I agree with you.