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

Associated Press | April 29, 2004 | Lara Jakes Jordon

[gdc61]

a specter win puts him back in charge of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and destroys our chances of getting any good judges.

[Dane]

so am i supposed to mindlessly follow his wishes like all those that blindly voted for Specter and sold out their conservative values? thanks but no thanks

Well you called yourself a Toomey supporter. That would mean that you take his opinion seriously. Toomey has stated that Spector is better than Hoeffel.

Just pointing out that you seem to be a fair weather supporter of Toomey and with your expressed support of Hoeffel giving the cyber finger to Toomey.

[Russ]

"When elected, do politicians owe their loyalty to their Party, or to their constituents?"

I will turn that around and ask: Do the people who voted for the losing candidate owe their loyaly to the winner just because he is in your Party? If the winning candidate doesn't show loyalty to those who elected him why should those who opposed him all of a sudden become loyal?

[gdc61]

hoeffels politics is unimportant he is nothing. we need spewcter out of the Judiciary Committee so we can get good judges. SEn. Kyl would then be chairman he is very conservative.

[skeeter]

Take a bow, all you keen FR political strategists who told us how supporting Specter would advance conservatism.

You don't understand. Promoting 'centrist moderates' over conservatives is really all part of a crafty GOP plot to get the liberals to drop their guard.

Soon they'll spring the trap, suddenly funding promoting candidates who actually believe in the party platform from coast to coast.

Any time now.

[vandykelastone]

I am damn near at a loss for words here. Specter and Joe Farah should be put in a time capsule and buried - NOW. What the hell is wrong in Pennsylvania, anyway? All those years of inhaling coal fumes? Too many happy ass fringe religious groups? Pittsburgh? What! I KNOW what is wrong in Maine - you live long enough on potatoes and fish - and we are talking CENTURIES - things go wrong. The very fact that they stay in Maine now that they know that other parts of the country are available to them is indicative of something very wrong.

[Owen]

>
He's just playing the game. You think Santorum or GWB are surprised by this? They made a calculated choice. I'd love to hear off the record Santorum's rationale for that choice, out of curiosity.
>

Santorum is in office because Specter, as a loyal Republican, despite disagreeing with Santorum's philosophy, supported him, worked to help him, provided him staff and essentially got Santorum elected over Wofford. There's a good link to the story of the Santorum/Wofford race online. Specter did his job as loyal Republican that year. You have Santorum because Specter made it so. Santorum's rationale was simple. He owed a debt to Specter and if Specter can be a loyal Republican, Santorum is obligated to be the same.

Look at the stats. Pennsylvania has 389,000 more registered Dems than Republicans. How can Specter win if he does not appeal to at least a segment of the Dems?

[gdc61]

your post shows your ignorence to the facts.

[gdc61]

what would be Toomeys chances at any political position if he did not support specter?

[Terpfen]

"I've rarely voted for a Democrat, and have never given money to one, but I might make a small contribution to the Hoeffel campaign. 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?"

Hoeffel may not head the Judiciary Committee, but if a Republican majority isn't preserved, another Dem will. I just wish they'd remove Specter's committee assignment altogether. Let him waste away.

[gdc61]

don't hold your breath

[Dane]

your post shows your ignorence to the facts

I usually don't point out spelling errors, but could you at least spell ignorance correctly.

[dead]

Like Coke and Pepsi they have divided the market and perfectly fine with working together to keep Dr. Pepper out.

Coke owns Dr. Pepper.

[Owen]

>
Soon they'll spring the trap, suddenly funding promoting candidates who actually believe in the party platform from coast to coast.
>

Will the party platform win in Massachussets? Connecticut? Rhode Island? New York? Vermont? Maryland? Illinois? Michigan?

No. It won't. You know it won't. But we have Republicans in office in those states, moderating the influence of the left there. Would you abandon those Republicans and reward their party loyalty by cutting them off?

[republicanwizard]

If necessary, we can bump Specter from the Chair and put Kyl in his place. If Specter has any questios about Bush's willingness to dump ineffective Senate leadership, he can go ask the junior senator from Mississippi.

As to Hoeffel, please remember that a vote on the floor of the Senate is not a vote in committee. Every Senator's vote counts the same. With Specter, if the votes on Thomas, Scalia, Rehnquist, and Bork are used as guideposts, then there is a 75% probability he will vote for a Bush appointee. If it is Joe Hoeffel, there is a 0% probability.

Don't be a damned fool.

[PA BOOKEND]

a vote for Specter is a vote for liberalism and a vote for his DEM challenger is a vote for conservativism. BANK on it.

Absolutely correct. The only way to advance the conservative agenda is with a conservative chair of the Judiciary. If the Republicans retain control of the Senate (likely even without Specter), Kyl gets the chairmanship. A conservative chairman beats one back bench rookie senator any day. I'm still leaning towards writing in Toomey just so there's no misunderstanding my message.

[gdc61]

barring catastrophe the republicans will only gain seats in the senate. specter was expendable and W., Rick and Dick F*CKED up. or maybe THEY don't want conservative judges.

[republicanwizard]

Yeah, most of them would. They would prefer we guarantee Democrats the Senators, Governors, Congressmen, most importantly, electoral votes, from NY, VT, ME, MA, CT, RI, NJ, MD, DE, PA, IL, CA, and WA.

It doesn't matter to them that it leaves the Democratic candidate thisclose from guaranteed victories in Presidential elections.

[republicanwizard]

Yeah, I'm sure you are the only person on Earth who wants conservative judges. I'm pretty sure that Toomey, by his endorsement of Specter, was signaling that he too is opposed to conservative justices.

[gdc61]

LOL thats funny! sorry I am typing so fast i keep missing the shift key as well!