Free Republic

So much for Arlen Specter’s party switch to avoid a risky primary. The incumbent Pennsylvania senator’s 2010 Democratic Primary race against challenger Joe Sestak is now a toss-up. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely Democratic Primary voters in the state finds Specter with just a four-point lead over Sestak – 46% to 42%. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, and 10% are undecided. In early August, Specter had a 13-point lead over the two-term congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs. In June, Sestak trailed by 19 points. Support for Specter in the primary has stayed relatively stable, declining...

HARRISBURG — Only 31 percent of Pennsylvania voters believe Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter should be re-elected, and 59 percent believe it's time to give someone else a chance, a state poll released today shows. Specter's numbers are "staggering," said pollster Jim Lee, president of Susquehanna Polling and Research. An incumbent typically is vulnerable if fewer than 40 percent approve of his or her re-election, Lee said. The poll of 700 registered voters, conducted Oct. 7-12, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. "When I see a re-elect in the low 30s, that's ... near fatal,"...

Former Rep. Pat Toomey (R) raised more than $1.5 million in the last three months for his campaign against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.). The fundraising matches his haul during his first three months as a candidate and gives him a platform from which to run against Specter, who has a massive fortune of his own. Toomey, the former head of Club for Growth who narrowly lost to Specter in the 2004 Republican primary, will report raising more than $3.1 million since he announced his candidacy. The campaign has already surpassed the total number of donors it had during the 2004...

Sen. Arlen Specter isn't inconsistent -- he merely follows the political winds, no matter how they're blowing. His latest shift: He now wants to help labor bosses start more unions. As a liberal Republican in 2007, Specter backed the Employee Free Choice Act, a cynically named bill labor was pushing because it would ban secret ballots, making it harder for coerced workers to resist organizing drives. Then, feeling heat from the right -- in the form of a primary challenge -- Specter decided it best to oppose the bill, and quickly flip-flopped. Sponsored Links But then the winds shifted yet...

On Tuesday, Senator Arlen Specter R D-Pa. raised expectations when he told the A.F.L.-C.I.O. convention in Pittsburgh that the Senate has “pounded out an Employees Choice bill which will meet labor’s objectives” and predicted it would pass this year. There was only one problem with his announcement, it was fantasy. The Senate presently has 99 members (because of the death of Ted Kennedy) Arlen Specter was the only one of the 99 that knew about the compromise. In other words it never happened. The Hill spoke to other Senators who tried to politely pull away from Specter's statement

Sen. Arlen Specter on Rep. Joe Wilson calling President Obama a liar at last night's address: "But there ought to be some rebuke, reprimand, censure -- something that will discourage that kind of conduct in the future. If you do that to the President, it's open season."

Specter wants Wilson censured Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.), who's looked at POTUS from both sides now, was just on the Bill Press radio show suggesting the South Carolina firebrand Joe Wilson be censured for his heckle heard round the world. Said the Republican-turned-Dem: "He apologized immediately afterward but I don't think that’s adequate... If an apology is the consequence of an outburst I think we can expect more – that’s not a sufficient penalty that’s not a sufficient price to pay.. I'm not saying the guy should be kicked out of the House… But there ought to be some rebuke,...

Under a rainy sky, Vice President Joe Biden appeared at today's annual Pittsburgh Labor Day parade, joined by U.S. Sen Arlen Specter and Jack Shea, president of the Allegheny County Labor Council. Mr. Biden joked that the parade organizers would never invite him back, noting that his appearance last year was also weather-challenged -- then with the threat to the Gulf Coast of Hurricane Gustav, which prompted him to cancel his visit. While noting that "people are hurting" across the country, he boasted of the effects of the administration's economic stimulus package. Mr. Biden praised Mr. Specter's role in supporting...

Here is bizarre video of Sen. Arlen Specter entertaining a crowd by goofing on former Sen. Bob Dole, telling a series of what could be described as "semi-offcolor jokes." Specter is increasingly making a total spectacle of himself. He was performing in Homestead, Pennsylvania at a charity event to benefit children. . . . (Watch Video)

Arlen Specter is one of those 98% of Politicians that give the good 2% a bad name. He is the ultimate political opportunist. When Specter ran for ran for reelection as Philadelphia district attorney in 1965, he proudly proclaimed himself a "Kennedy Democrat," who changed parties to run as a Republican only to take on what he saw as the corruption of the machine. To be honest, it was his only chance to keep the job. This year Specter changed parties because of what he called a movement of his Republican party to the right. In truth he made the...

A new ad from Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Pat Toomey (R) shows Arlen Specter criticizing and bashing then-President Bill Clinton's government-run health care plan in 1994.

Here is video of a new ad by GOP Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Pat Toomey, in which it shows what Sen. Arlen Specter was saying in 1994 about Bill Clinton's Government Health Care Plan and what he is saying now in 2009 about ObamaCare. The ad ends with these words: Q: What's the difference between Sen. Specter in 1994 and Sen. Specter in 2009? A: Political calculation. Nice Ad! . . . . . (Watch Video)

Only a few weeks before Senator Arlen Specter (Traitor, Pennsylvania) flipped back to his original party, the Democrats, he made all sorts of pronouncements on how he wouldn’t support the cloture vote to help pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). He blustered that he couldn’t support the bill and that he’d vote against it. But now he claims to be a Democrat. Now he has told a group of left wing, nutrooters at a convention in his home state that he will vote for cloture and will vote for the EFCA. If this isn’t a perfectly clear example of...

Federal Election Commission lawyers couldn’t decide whether the Club for Growth’s plan to target party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter’s donors using his campaign finance reports was a violation of the donors’ privacy. So the lawyers drafted two conflicting responses to the Club’s request for permission to carry out the plan, and will put them to a vote of the full commission Aug. 27. At issue is the conservative Club's proposal to use information contained in Specter's regularly updated FEC reports to contact donors who gave to the Pennsylvania senator before he changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in late...

Here is video of Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter trying to call GOP Sen. Charles Grassley to object to comments Grassley recently made about Obama's Government Health Care Plan, and the fact he does not want politicians or bureaucrats deciding "Grandma has lived too long." Specter attempted the call, but did not get hold of Grassley. At the end of the video he said about Grassley, "He can run, but he can't hide." The liberal blog Firedoglake filmed Specter as he attempted to make the call from the Netroots (Nutroots) Convention. . . . . (Watch Video)

Sen. Arlen Specter might have greater worries than receiving rancorous receptions at town hall meetings. A Rasmussen Reports poll released Thursday shows the Democrat trailing Republican Pat Toomey by 12 points in next year's Senate race. The survey indicates that a majority of Pennsylvania voters view Specter unfavorably. "I was staggered by the low base of support that Sen. Specter received," said Scott Rasmussen, president of the New Jersey-based independent polling firm. "It did not surprise me that his numbers were down, but I was blown away by the extent of the drop." The poll, an automated telephone survey of...

Pennsylvania Senate: Toomey 48%, Specter 36%Uncomfortable town hall meetings are just the tip of the iceberg for Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. He now trails Republican Pat Toomey by double digits in his bid for reelection next year and is viewed unfavorably by a majority of the state’s voters. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters shows 48% would vote for Toomey if the election were held today. Just 36% would vote for Specter while four percent (4%) prefer a third option, and 12% are not sure.

Average American citizen Katy Abram's impassioned plea against socialized health care, at Senator Arlen Specter's town hall meeting on Tuesday, got her noticed by the "Hardball" producers as her clip was featured on Tuesday's show and she even received an invitation to appear tonight -- complete with the requisite scolding from the program's liberal host. Subbing for Chris Matthews, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell incorrectly challenged Abram's fear that Barack Obama wanted to move to a single-payer plan.After Abram recalled that, "I heard him say on a quote, on television, that...we will move to a single-payer" plan, O'Donnell rebuked "He never said...

Here is video of Sen. Arlen Specter on CBS this morning reacting to the anger he faced at a Town Hall Meeting yesterday in Pennsylvania. Specter said "these people have a right to be organized," but I don't think they are "representative of America." He said he would not even call them a "vocal minority," because to call them a minority would give them "some kind of parity." Specter said he has been impressed "how prepared" the crowds have been, although "it is clear the materials have been supplied for them." The discussion with Specter is preceded by a brief...

This is the Lebanon townhall. There were 30 questions, as of 11:18 pm they are on #6, so if you turn it on now, you havent missed much.

LEBANON, Pa. – Jeers and taunts drowned out Democrats calling for a health care overhaul at town halls Tuesday, and one lawmaker said a swastika was spray-painted at his office as debate turned to noisy confrontation over President Barack Obama's plan. The president himself was treated more respectfully. The bitter sessions underscored the challenge for the administration as it tries to win over an increasingly skeptical public on the costly and far-reaching task of revamping the nation's health care system. Desperate to stop a hardening opposition, the White House created a Web site to dispel what it says are smears...

Here is video from Sen. Arlen Specter's Town Hall Meeting today in Pennsylvania where a man calmly told him he had reviewed the Democrats' Government Health Care Bill and said "it should be dumped." He further said the Specter that he wanted was for the Congess to "leave us alone." You have to give Specter points for at least taking real questions from people, unlike what President Obama's Town Hall was like today. Specter did a poor job of answering questions, but at least they got aired. . . . . (Watch Video) Here is more video from today's town...

Here is video of a young woman at Sen. Arlen Specter's town hall meeting today telling him that he has "awakened the sleeping giant." The woman said she is a Republican, but first and foremost a conservative. The woman said this is not just about Health Care, but about "the systematic dismantling of this country." "We are tired of this," she said. She further said she did not want to see America "turn into Russia or some European socialist country." The crowd erupted in cheers after her comments. She closed by asking Specter to "defend the Constitution." Specter said he...

Here is video of Sen. Arlen Specter at a Town Hall Meeting today saying he wants to keep a "single-payer system on the table" (euphemism for Total Government-run Health Care) in the ongoing Health Care debate. Obama officials have tried to play down the possibility that Democrats will seek to impose a "single-payer system" on Americans, meaning all Americans would have to join the Government system. Obama has said repeatedly that people can keep their own private insurance if they wish, even though the Bill under consideration would make it virtually impossible to do so over time. Here, Specter lets...

Here is another video of the town hall with Sen. Arlen Specter. There is a heated exchange between Specter and one of the questioners.....(Watch Video)

Here is video of Sen. Arlen Specter facing tremendous anger today at a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania. Almost everyone in the crowd was opposed to ObamaCare. Citizen after citizen rose to ask their questions of Specter, who seemed shell-shocked by the atmosphere in the room. More to come later.....

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) was shouted down at a health care town hall meeting. The man accused Specter of having his pockets stuffed with money from lobbyists. "One day God is going to stand before you and he's going to judge you and the rest of your damn cronies up on the Hill and then you will get your just deserts," the man said.

Discrimination against Arab-American agent alleged WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee is calling for an investigation into whether the FBI retaliated against its highest-ranking Arabic-speaking agent, a new letter reveals. The public airing of the private workplace squabble is a potential embarrassment for the FBI, which faced criticism after 9/11 for its failure to hire many Arab-speaking agents and for failing to better understand the radical Islamic community inside the United States. Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., asked the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate whether the FBI's treatment of agent...

Guest OpinionBy Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA)and Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human ServicesContinued

Re my earlier post, an Arlen Specter defender (the loneliest march down Main Street?) writes: Every CEO in the country, including Ronald Reagan as President, reads executive summaries of important documents. The idea that any Senator has to read an entire bill is nonsense. He needs staff not only to read it but to relate how items on page 3 relate to provisions on page 1009. Did George Bush read every line of the bills he signed? Bill Clinton signed Welfare reform and I bet he did not read the final bill (though to be fair he is wonky enough...

President Obama is pushing National Health Care. America is about to explode. Watch this video for an example of the undercurrent of discontent. Congress better listen to this before things get really nasty. Watch Video here: http://www.thevoicemagazine.com/blog/uncategorized/crowd-explodes-when-arlen-specter-says-do-health-care-fast/

A town hall erupted in Philadelphia after Sen. Arlen Specter said health care reform has to get done fast.

This takes place at a town hall meeting with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Senator Arlen Specter at the National Constitution Center in Philly on August 2nd, 2009. The crowd cheers the woman as she asked the question and heckles Specter's response.

Tea News Alert/An Online Publication of the Independence Hall Tea Party Association Volume 1, Issue 1 Greetings Fellow Tea Partiers and Friends, The summer is finally heating up—and it’s not due to global warming. The Obama Administration is coming to town! Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelious will take part, this Sunday, in a Specter Town Hall Meeting at the National Constitution Center (on Arch St between 5th and 6th). Their agenda to promote ObamaCare. Let Obama, Sebelious, and Specter know your thoughts on their plans to take control of 1/6 of the Nation’s economy! Join us for a...

Here is video of Sen. Arlen Specter explaining Judge Sonia Sotomayor's "Wise Latina" remark as being nothing more than "a little ethnic pride. I think that's a pretty healthy thing, to have a little ethnic pride," Specter said. Sotomayor had said famously that a "wise Latina woman" (as a judge) should be able to come to a better conclusion in a case that a "white male." Arlen Specter is now a Democrat, having changed parties a few months ago after serving as a Republican for decades. He voted for Sotomayor today as the Senate Judiciary Committee sent her nomination on...

The latest Quinnipiac Poll on the 2010 Pennsylvania Senate race brings encouraging—and surprising—news for Pat Toomey. The former Republican lawmaker and fiscal conservative has closed a 20-point gap against incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter, who switched parties earlier this year in part due to fears that he could not beat Toomey in a GOP primary. The latest survey, conducted July 14-19, shows Specter leading by just one point, 45%-44%, against Toomey in a general election match up. An earlier poll conducted in May showed Specter leading Toomey 53%-33%. . . . . . Among Pennsylvanians, President Barack Obama’s approval rating is...

If U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., thought he’d dodge a bullet by switching parties, he was sorely mistaken. A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found the once popular lawmaker is in a statistical dead heat with the Republican challenger he had hoped to by-pass when he forfeited his GOP credentials to avoid a contentious primary fight. If an election were held today between Mr. Specter and Republican Pat Toomey, 45 percent of voters would favor the incumbent senator with 44 percent voting for the conservative challenger. This is a dramatic turnaround from a May poll, in which Mr. Specter enjoyed...

Bioethics: The former director of the National Institutes of Health, once an enthusiast for embryonic stem cells, now says their future has "dimmed." So why is the administration bailing out research into such therapies while troubled states like California have committed billions?Aside from creating or saving a few research jobs, the administration's decision to federally fund embryonic stem cell research is, as we've noted, a bailout of bad science. It throws money at an avenue of research that time and adult stem cell progress have passed by. Applauding the administration's move was Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., who echoed the claims...

Sen. John Cornyn’s Facebook friends aren’t in a very friendly mood. The Texas Republican’s page on the popular social networking website has been filled with comments like this one from a Florida real estate broker: “As soon as I read of your endorsement of Charlie Crist, I sent in a donation to the Marco Rubio campaign.” A new Facebook group has since cropped up challenging members to give “not one penny” to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), of which Cornyn is chairman. The online group’s description says: “First they supported Chafee. Then they supported Specter. Now they support Crist.”...

David Keene, the Chairman of the American Conservative Union trashed Sarah Palin publicly today on NewsMax. However, a quick search of Mr. Keene's recent political contribution history reveals the following: David Keene, Managing Associate of the Carmen Group Lobbying Firm, and Head of ACU, Alexandria, VA. Political contributions in 2008 election cycle: KEENE, DAVID, ALEXANDRIA,VA 22314 THE CARMEN GROUP/EXEC 5/1/07 $1,000 Specter, Arlen (R) KEENE, DAVID, ALEXANDRIA,VA 22314 THE CARMEN GROUP/EXEC 12/19/07 $800 Specter, Arlen (R) KEENE, DAVID, ALEXANDRIA,VA 22314 THE CARMEN GROUP/EXEC 12/19/07 $200 Specter, Arlen (R) What I want to know is, how does a guy like this...

Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Sestak stands on the precipice of not only taking on U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in a Democratic primary, but beating him. Numerous polls back up that scenario; the only thing that stands in the way is his "official" announcement. Without the announcment, Markos Moulitsas, editor of the left-leaning DailyKos.com political blog, said he can't raise money for Sestak. The Daily Kos was instrumental in the insurgent candidacy of Connecticut businessman Ned Lamont in the 2006 Democratic primary election against incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman. The blog began a netroots phenomenon that gave Lamont a legitimate resume, daily message...

Sen. Arlen Specter continues to pick up support from Democratic party leaders across Pennsylvania. However, a new poll indicates that the five-term incumbent has not convinced a majority of Pennsylvania voters that he should be re-elected. According to a new Franklin & Marshall poll released Thursday, only 28 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania think Specter should be re-elected. That number is down from 40 percent in March, a month before Specter's "conversion" to the Democratic Party. Back then, roughly half the voters in each party said that Specter was doing an excellent or good job in the Senate. The...

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) said raising taxes is "on the table" to fund government-run health care.

Sounds like Arlen Specter’s hearing Joe Sestak’s footsteps . . . Newly-minted Democrat Specter, facing a likely primary from the left by Rep. Joe Sestak, went out of his way to stick up for Sonia Sotomayor on Fox News Sunday today. Specter went so far as to claim that her ruling in the Ricci case in favor of reverse discrimination, was “very sound.” View video here.

    Democratic leaders will continue to support the 2010 reelection of Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), Congress’ newest Democrat, despite yesterday’s news that Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) is planning a primary challenge, The Plum Line reported this afternoon. Here’s the statement from Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), via Greg Sargent: Like President Obama and Vice President Biden, Senator Reid will work to raise money and campaign for Senator Specter. The development is slightly reminiscent of the Connecticut saga in 2006. In that case, there was a liberal candidate (Ned Lamont) challenging an established moderate (Joe...

Go Joe, go! On this evening’s Ed Show, Congressman Joe Sestak declared his intention, family willing, to primary Arlen Specter for the Dem nomination for US Senate from Pennsylvania. That would upset Pres. Obama’s plans, who is attempting to create a smooth glide path to the nomination for Specter. I’m no expert on PA politics, but it sure seems like a Sestak primary challenge would be a good thing for Republicans. It could work out one of two ways: View video here.

<p>I applaud the nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Her confirmation would add needed diversity in two ways: the first Hispanic and the third woman to serve on the high court. While her record suggests excellent educational and professional qualifications, now it is up to the Senate to discharge its constitutional duty for a full and fair confirmation process.</p>

Word out of Washington is that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the political wise-guys from the Obama administration plan on "visiting with" Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Joe Sestak. Their objective? A clear message: Get off of the stage and out of a possible primary race against "incumbent" Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter. "I have received a call from DSCC chair Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey," admitted Sestak in an interview. "But we keep missing each other." Probably a good thing for both men at this moment: Sestak has no inclination to be pushed out of a race and Menendez's marching...

Once again Senator Arlen Specter has proven himself to be someone void a moral compass who will do anything for political expediency. Today in Washington DC there is a seminar run by the prestigious Middle East Forum. The purpose of the seminar is how to protect our free speech from Islamist "lawfare." According to the announcement for the seminar: Libel Lawfare: Silencing Criticism of Radical Islam- Islamists have launched a two-pronged effort to suppress free discourse on such subjects as Islam, radical Islam, terrorism, and terrorist funding: By filing predatory lawsuits. By passing “hate speech” and defamation laws. Victims of...

After many setbacks, the “card check” bill’s chief Senate sponsor is expressing new optimism that the legislation, which would ease union organizing, could be on the Senate floor this summer.In recent weeks, Tom Harkin , D-Iowa, has been meeting with a small number of senators, with occasional input from Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., to hash out alternatives to the legislation (S 560, HR 1409) that would still reflect its basic purpose: making it easier for workers to certify and join viable unions.Compromise has been on the agenda since the legislation was introduced in March, but strategies have...