Specter In Hot Water Again Over Anti-Christian Fundraising Letter

GOPUSA ^

[Happy2BMe]

SPARTANBURG, SC (Talon News) -- Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), whose comments last week have been interpreted as a warning to President George W. Bush not to nominate any conservative judges to be considered by the U.S. Senate, is in hot water again with pro-life, pro-family Christian Republicans over a presidential exploratory fundraising letter he sent in 1995 calling religious leaders like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed, and Pat Buchanan "radical extremists."

In the May 15, 1995 letter, Specter used his senatorial letterhead to say at the time that he was "disturbed" with Reed, who headed Robertson's Christian Coalition during the 1990s, because he openly warned the Republican Party not to nominate a candidate for president in 1996 who is not pro-life.

"I don't think the Republican Party should be blackmailed by any special interest group," Specter wrote in the 1995 letter.

Specter added, "In fact, I want the Republican Party to stand up for ... the right to choose."

Specter continued, "I resent people like Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed, and Pat Buchanan trying to give litmus tests to determine who can be a Republican candidate."

Vowing to "stand up to these extremists," Specter asserted that the core values of the Republican Party should be "limited government, lower taxes, less spending, reduced regulation of business, free trade, strong crime control, civil rights and a strong national defense."

"I want to see our Party stay focused" on these issues rather than the social issues such as abortion, Specter said.

Noting that moral issues have no business being in the Republican Party platform, Specter said he would "lead the fight to ... strip the strident anti-choice language" contained therein.

Specter bragged in the letter that he was the "only Republican" presidential candidate who would support the pro-abortion position.

"I will stand up and fight those who want to criminalize abortion, those who would prosecute a woman and her doctor when they exercise the woman's right to choose," Specter exclaimed.

Convinced that most Republicans are "fiscal and economic conservatives, but are also pro-choice," Specter said "poll after poll proves this." However, he did not offer any evidence to back up his claim.

Despite this assertion, Specter said abortion supporters in the Republican Party "have little voice in the direction our Party is headed."

"I want to give pro-choice Republicans a voice," Specter revealed in his letter announcing he would be running for the Republican nomination for president in 1996 which was eventually won by former Sen. Bob Dole. "I will not give up our party to radical extremists without a fight."

Asking pro-abortion Republicans to "stand up to the far-right fringe that demands that legal abortion be banned," Specter said support for his candidacy would "help move the Party towards tolerance and inclusion."

"I don't think the Republican Party should be blackmailed by any special interest group," Specter contended. "There must be room for pro-choice Republicans in our Party."

He continued, "We must demonstrate that the Republican Party is made up of more than Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchanan and Ralph Reed."

Touting other pro-abortion Republicans such as Bill Weld, Christie Todd Whitman, Pete Wilson, and Olympia Snowe, Specter said the religious right cannot prevent these Republicans from running for office because they support abortion.

In light of last week's reelection of Bush, who was supported overwhelmingly by evangelical Christians who believe abortion is wrong, Specter's letter has stirred up even more controversy at a time when Republicans in the U.S. Senate are considering whether he should be nominated to become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Religious conservative groups such as the National Right To Life, Family Research Council, RightMarch.com, the Christian Defense Coalition, the Center For Reclaiming America, and others are reporting very high call volume from their supporters to the Capitol Hill switchboard to oppose the Specter nomination, which is expected to be discussed in the coming weeks.

"If the Republican majority voted in Senator Specter as Judiciary chair, it would be a slap in the face and betrayal to the millions of pro-life/pro-family Americans who worked so hard to elect President Bush and Republican members of Congress," remarked Christian Defense Coalition Director Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney in a statement. "We did not spend countless hours during this last campaign to have someone, who considers us radical extremists and far-right fringe, elected chair of the Senate's most important committee."

[Happy2BMe]

Mr. Specter the spectacle.

[Mike Bates]

. . .a presidential exploratory fundraising letter he sent in 1995 calling religious leaders like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed, and Pat Buchanan "radical extremists."

Pat Buchanan is a religious leader?

Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

[Happy2BMe]

Mr. Spectacle ping. (Arlen gets a dose of it from those awful 'Christians.')

________________________________________

[Happy2BMe]

Alen Spectacle wouldn't know a 'Christian Leader' if Jesus Christ himself walked up to him and personally introduced Himself.

[Brilliant]

The truth is that Specter is merely one of dozens just like him in the Senate. Why the voters elect them is beyond me.

[shubi]

This is not Christian against Specter. It is strict constructionist against liberal prenumbra finding activist
power hungry socialists.

[The Mayor]

Specter is feeling the pressure!

When he was in Erie Pa with the President the crowd almost booed him off the stage.

[chiefqc]

Since he was reelected to another 6 years, he feels that he can say and do whatever he wants.

[A Real Dan Fan... NOT]

"I don't think the Republican Party should be blackmailed by any special interest group."

Pro-choice is NOT a special interest group?

We need to re-name this to what it really is.

Pro-Death verses Pro-Life.

That kinda clears it up for the fence morons that just don't get it.

[hawkaw]

he sent in 1995 calling religious leaders like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed, and Pat Buchanan "radical extremists."

I think sometimes, Falwell and Robertson are way to extreme for my tastes. In fact I do usually turn the TV to another channel when they come one now. So I think I would have to be in Specter's corner on that.

I really don't know Mr. Reed all that well other than to say I think he does give a good interview and he is a good campaigner in the south states like Georgia. I have never thought of Pat Buchanan as a religious leader. I disagree with Pat's point on protectionism and running against Bush43 but I have respected the man over the years.

It will be interesting to see what the Senate does in this case. Personally, I don't mind Specter and his views on most issues. He doesn't seem to slam the president the way McCain does. He has similar views as Rudy (who seems quite popular on this db) and, quite frankly, a lot of Specter's views are mine too. Obviously many on this board do not like him for his moderate approaches so it will be interesting to watch Capital Hill over the next while.

[reagan_fanatic]

Specter added, "In fact, I want the Republican Party to stand up for ... the right to choose."

And God will exercise his 'right to choose' when you stand in his judgement, Mr. Specter.

[Taliesan]

The main function of most Senators is to bring pork back to the home district. Nothing more, nothing less.

The rest is rhetoric.

[fml]

Good grief, only a liberal idiot would call life in the womb a special interest group

[narses]

Title: GOP Sen. Specter Vows to Block Bush's Nominees
Source: newsmax
URL Source:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/10/29/165559.shtml
Published: Oct 29, 2004
Author: newsmax
Post Date: 2004-10-29 20:42:24 by TLBSHOW
3 Comments

Recall that alleged Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, upon winning the primary, immediately backstabbed President Bush, who had campaigned for him instead of actual Republican Pat Toomey. Turns out Specter was just getting started.

We now see that the usually pro-Democrat Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsed the sharp-horned RINO in Tuesday's general election for this reason: "Before the Post-Gazette editorial board, he promised that no extremists would be approved for the bench."

What the pro-abortion Specter and pro-abortion Post-Gazette mean by "extremist" is anyone who isn't pro-abortion or who otherwise follows the U.S. Constitution instead of making up legislation from the bench.

"Even if he votes nine out of 10 times for the administration, we trust his word that the 10 percent of difference will be a brake on the worst excesses of a second Bush term, if it comes to that," the pee-yoo P-G snarled.

And there are these facts:

Arlen Specter:

Voted NO on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business. (Oct 1997)

Voted NO on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds. (Jul 1995)

Success is near because of all the hard work we have done, but it is not yet over. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Times, and United Press International all covered how the offices have been flooded with calls, but we need to keep it up as the fight does not end here! Make the calls all over again on Monday.

Also note the changes to the site, all the recent press mentions will be on the Why? page, but this blog should keep you fairly up to date on the goings ons.

Mark Harris .:. 11/6/2004 Keep Up The Work

Things are going fantastic over here, as we have gotten press through the Laura Ingram Show, several state pro-life alerts, and countless conservative e-mail lists, but the fight has just begun.

The rumor on the Hill is that things are about ready to break. We just need to keep up pressure on them to make sure it happens. So keep your eyes and ears open. NotSpecter.com also has some great resources that have gone up so make sure to check it out.

Also GrassrootsPA.com has a letter written by Specter to raise money that slams the conservative wing of the party, which puts to rest any argument over how he would run the Judiciary Committee.

http://stopspecter.savethegop.com/

Lest you think this is fiction - these signs started to appear in the Philadelphia area just before the election, paid for by Arlen’s former campaign manager. This particular picture originially appeared in the Philly Daily News.

[Rammer]

Obviously many on this board do not like him for his moderate approaches

Would you consider killing an unborn child a "moderate approach"?

[GeneralHavoc]

GRASSROOTSPA CALL TO ACTION

STOP SPECTER FROM BLOCKING BUSH'S JUDGES

Contact Senator Frist
202-224-3135

Contact Senator Santorum
202-224-6324

Tell them in no uncertain terms that Specter cannot be made Senate Judiciary Chairman

Do NOT take "no" for an answer!

Bush has no Mandate?

Just say "NO" To Specter's Games!

Senate Judiciary Committee GOP Members

Contact Senator Orrin Hatch
202-224-5251

Contact Senator Charles Grassley
202-224-3744

Contact Senator Jon Kyl
202-224-4521

Contact Senator Mike DeWine
202-224-2315

Contact Senator Jeff Sessions
202-224-4124

Contact Senator Lindsey Graham
202-224-5972

Contact Senator Larry Craig
202-224-2752

Contact Senator Saxby Chambliss
202-224-3521

Contact Senator John Cornyn
202-224-2934

[hawkaw]

You and I have a much different opinion on the matter. Much like you and Rudy have a different opinion on the matter. And as such we are just going to have to agree to disagree on the topic. Of course there are issues of less tax, security, less government where no doubt you and I do agree. But unfortunately, on this issue we will have a difference of opinion.

Take care.

[Coldwater Creek]

We cannot nor would we even want to keep these RINO's from running for office, but we do not have to vote for or support them.

[adam_az]

Thanks, I posted that list on my blog!

[Rammer]

So then you think killing the unborn is "moderate". I'm sorry, but I killing our most innocent citizens is not something I find easy to pass off as a "disagreement".

I refuse to support the culture of death, but if you think it's ok to tear children's limbs apart, then apparently you do.