Posted on 04/29/2004 6:27:24 AM PDT by 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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Source:http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11400025&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6
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Among voters informally polled by The Associated Press on Monday who cited the Senate race as a reason for voting, none picked Toomey, a third-term congressman from the Allentown area, as their favorite.
"Specter's been around for a long time," said Ed Calhoun, 44, a human-resources manager from Pittsburgh. "I've really not heard anything about Toomey."
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Yep...who needs name recognition in a political race?
Giving control to the Democrats eliminates any hope of putting non-activist, original intent judges on the bench.
You make it sound as though the two choices are 60+ Senators or <50 Senators. The most likely scenario is 55 Senators (+/- 1) with Specter either chairing Judiciary or not. That argument isn't going to win converts.
If you're looking to advance an argument in support of Specter, tell people they're better running for an open seat in 6 years than against an incumbent Hoeffel.
Sure, Toomey had a high profile Primary win and spent a ton of money doing so. Now, having to run against an opponent who went unopposed in the Primary, saving his campaign funds for the general election, in a state where there are 400,000 more Dem voters than GOP voters is a completely different issue.
It's why Toomey lost and it's also why it is VITALLY important Toomey's constituents continue to support him. If you like what the man says and does, continue to support him so he can run in 2006 or 2008. But, we still need Specter to win in 2004.
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That's not what I'm saying at all. The most important battle is for control. We maintain control of the Senate with no gains, we still have a slim advantage. However, if we win a few more races and gain a larger advantage, it is much easier to tarket those who might be willing to jump the fence in exchange for support somewhere else. The more GOP Senators we have, the greater power we hold. The less senators we have, the less power we hold.
Sorry, but you are illustrating your stunning ignorance on this whole issue. It is obvious you do NOT live in PA.
Bush's support (and to a much lesser extent Santorum's) was the reason for Specter's close win. If you don't believe it, refuse to believe it, or believe it but are desperately trying to deny it so you don't have to admit you're wrong, those of us who lived through this primary cycle in PA can easily dismiss any other opinion you have on this subject.
The original point of this thread is how Specter has turned his back on the President 24 hours after the close-shave win that could not have happened without the President's endorsement. Many of us predicted this, the fools and RINO's pooh-poohed us, and now are not willing to buck up and admit they were wrong.
If this is Sprectum being beholden to Bush, what would he be doing if he were not beholden ... flying an airliner into the White House?
This came down to who could win the state. Toomey could not win the state. Heck, he didn't even win the Primary where energized BASE voters turnout in much higher numbers than moderates.
Toomey lost for a number of reasons including Bush's support of Specter. But, he was losing the entire race long. It's not like he had a big lead. Go read the papers from your own community. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, among others, has a great article on which counties Specter won and which counties Toomey won. Specter won a number of "conservative" counties. That wasn't solely due to Bush's support. I've read numerous articles from multiple sources about this race. All of them quoted voters who talked about not knowing Toomey, about Toomey's inexperience versus Specters experience, about Specter's views being more in line than Toomey's.
Your state, despite what you CHOOSE to believe, is NOT a Conservative bastion. There has been NOTHING offered to show or give any indication of how Toomey could have possibly won the state.
WRONG about what?
Re-read the above.
No. Wrong about the fact that Specter is going to screw President Bush. He's not going to be any help to the Republican cause. Do you have some inability to comprehend the main idea of a written piece? This thread points out the backstabbing of Bush by Specter.
You and others seem to think that just because Specter has an R beside his name all will be well and good with whatever the President desires. You're dreaming and we told you so.
You're cute, though. You actually believe you know the ins and outs of the voters better than those who actually live here. Keep talking, though, because it solidifies the irrelevance of your opinion.
Your understanding of politics is menial at best. Read your own damn newspapers and read the voter turnout and registration numbers. They're there for you.
Bush understands, as did I and most others here who continue to say supporting Specter is the right thing to do, that Specter would continue to be Specter.
Just to be clear, you really believe everyone one who supports Specter thought he would turn around and totally change who he is simply because Bush supported his election? And now, because Specter is Specter we're surprised and should somehow admit we were fooled?
Don't be so naive. It's very evident you are not active in party politics. If you were, you would see this type of activity take place at the most local of elections.
No one on this thread has ever come out and said because Specter is a Republican that "all will be well and good with whatever the President desires." No one.
What we have said is, it was prudent and politically astute for Bush to support the incumbent Republican Senator who can ACTUALLY WIN the election. Despite all that is 'bad' with Specter, it was the right political move. That proved itself out in the Primary and will prove itself right in the general election.
Will Specter "be any help to the Republican cause"? Absolutely YES! He will, simply by having an 'R' by his name allow the GOP to continue to hold and potentially expand their power in the Senate. Moreover, he now owes Bush politically. That is not to be underestimated. Specters victory will indeed be a big help to the Republican cause. That's what politics is all about.
I didn't see her say "everyone." Some did say Specter would be beholden to Bush; under any sensible definition of the term, they were wrong.
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