In a March 17th interview with The Hill, Specter said he absolutely would not switch parties:
"[Democrats] are trying very hard for the 60th vote. Got to give them credit for trying. But the answer is no.
I'm not going to discuss private talks I had with other people who may or may not be considered influential. But since those three people are in the public domain, I think it is appropriative to respond to those questions.
I am staying a Republican because I think I have an important role, a more important role, to play there. The United States very desperately needs a two-party system. That's the basis of politics in America. I'm afraid we are becoming a one-party system, with Republicans becoming just a regional party with so little representation of the northeast or in the middle atlantic. I think as a governmental matter, it is very important to have a check and balance. That's a very important principle in the operation of our government. It's in the Constitution on separation of powers."
Thanks for the civics lecture, Arlen. Apparently this is just another one of those "inconvenient truths" that got to be more than you could actually live with, eh buddy?
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Other related messages found in our database See my post regarding Specter, please.
This is not about Specter "changing his views" or rejecting Republican "extremist" views. He has always been a faux-Republican.
This about one thing, and one thing only - namely, about Arlen Specter doing whatever it takes to get Arlen Specter reelected.
Arlen Specter supported it...
Makes me proud to be from PA...not. He needs to be beaten in the next election.
Arlen Specter Switching Parties
Arlen Specter, who has always been the weirdest "Republican" senator, has decided to switch to the Democrats, saying "I now find my political philosophy more in line with the Democrats than the Republicans".
You're just discovering this, are you Arlen? The rest of the world has known this for years. You should read a newspaper now and then.
Forget about the fundamental ethical problem here - i.e., the betrayal of the voters' trust that any legislator commits when he runs under one party and then switches horses afterward. I say "forget about it" because this is only one of the multitude of deceptions that legislators like Specter engage in throughout their careers. One more ripple in this maelstrom of representational malfeasance is scarcely noticeable any more. Even a used car salesman is prohibited from pulling bait-and-switch tricks on the public, but then whoever said a Congressman should have as much integrity as a used car salesman?
And, this won't make much difference during the current term either, because Specter was a pretty reliable vote for Obama's socialist programs anyway. He was one of the three Republicans who broke ranks and cleared the way for the "emergency" (quick - before the voters read it!) funding package and like everyone else who voted for it he did so without reading most of it.
Where this could make a difference (unless Democrat voters in Pennsylvania find Specter's duplicity as disgusting as anyone with moral sense should) is that this boosts his chances of reelection. As things were shaping up, he was not going to get any support from Republicans or Democrats next time out. Now, he hopes the Democrats will vote for him - and he'll undoubtedly get a lot of money from Democratic party headquarters that he would never have had from the Republican side because they're sick of him..
Let's really get a clear understanding of what we're talking about here, which is a senator taking the moral low road for the sole purpose of preserving his own position. It is a raw, naked, and some might even say desperate effort to keep power within his clutches and get himself reelected at any cost, no matter what his actions do to further disgrace Congress - a body that has already lost most of the esteem that Americans once had for it.
Specter will be running for his 6th term and now becomes the best argument - the poster child, in fact - for term limits. Again I say (and would say this regardless of which way Specter was switching) - we MUST get control of the subversion of the political process by people who will do anything - including betraying their own voters - to accumulate and retain power for themselves, and the ONLY way to do this is to impose term limits.
Link to Specter's statement quoted above::
Sorry - it vanished into the ozone: http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/04/28/specter-had-disavowed-a-switch/
Link to Specter's statement quoted above::
Sorry - it vanished into the ozone: http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/04/28/specter-had-disavowed-a-switch/
No loss to our side - Specter was never truly a republican
He didn't switch sides because he is "disenchanted" with the republican party. He never voted republican to begin with. He has always been a liberal. When I heard he switched parties at first I thought he switched to be a republican. He was always left, just not as far left as most. He couldn't go too left otherwise suspicion would have been raised a long time ago. So there is no loss to the republican side since he was never really a republican to begin with. He also switched for one main reason. It has nothing to do with liberal or conservative values. It has everything to do with the fact that he does not believe he will be voted for next year as a conservative. He's done this in the past. He used to be democrat, then when he thought he would not be voted for as a democrat he switched to republican. So, he may have switched now, but don't worry, down the road if the democrats don't get voted in he will switch again for the following election.
bait and switch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiq3I0o_SHA
Bait and switch............
They were hornswoggled.
She has not denied it...sm
From what I'm reading after she was criticized she offered Bush her help even though it was 'not her department.'
Switch fascist movement with
conservative movement and you have a winner for your very obtuse definition! All except the organic part. We liberals like to know where our food comes from whereas the conservatives don't really care as long as it's cheap and exploits poor farmers.
I know...they lied through the teeth....we had to switch channels....and they were on....sm
everywhere else too. Only dems, only one rep that I saw.
Tell a lie (and/or a bunch of lies) often enough, and it becomes the truth according to them, as reported and supported by the media.
This is just one of many Dems who do this after time expires. Just so y'all don't think I'm a GOP hack, Kay Baily Hutchison has gotten countless letters from me about her so-called position on things. Now she thinks she'll be the next Gov. for TX? Not if I can help it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQpklhW8jDQ
Every voter should be doing his/her homework on their politicians in order to learn these types of things. You'll never hear about it on your so-called news.
typical O supporter, can't take the facts, so switch
to something else...your kool aid should wear off in about 6 to 8 months.
And just as many of his friends denied he was a racist. sm
so who do you believe? You believe the ones saying he is a racist because that fits the *mold* that the Republican party has been cast in. Never mind that all the members of the *black caucus* in the House are blatantly racist. I cannot name the number of times I have heard Maxine Waters use racist language. George Allen is a racist because some friends of his say he was in college. I say he is not because some friends of his say he wasn't. The truth is, neither of us knows for sure. Ford claims racism in the reason he was not elected, but I never heard Lynn Swan or Michael Steele use the phrase. Why is it that blacks cannot get behind black candidates who happen to be Republican? Michael Steele had a bipartisan group of pastors working for him. That should say something about the man. J. C. Watts made it to the Senate because Oklahoma is a very conservative state. Would he have made it in New York. I don't think so, not as a Republican. What exactly is racism? Observor's question about Robert Byrd is a valid one. I don't know that one can get more racist that a grand wizard with the KKK. So is racism okay only if one is a Democrat? Ponder that for a few minutes.
Denied they had a "nightstick", then told it was on
nm
If you would switch out of attack mode for just 1 sec, she is talking about HISTORY sm
NOT religion. Good grief.
What you say is true, but if relevant evidence is denied sm
or falsified, an objective approach is impossible. This is what the family members faced. They had to force Bush to form that commission to investigate. Coulter is now attacking them for that. They had a list of 400 questions, and got no answers. I agree with you on the wacky theories. I became interested in doing some research on the issue after hearing things around the area I live - Colorado Springs. This is the neocon capital of the United States, and home to Norad and Space Command, Ft. Carson, USAFA, Peterson AFB, Falcon AFB. They live and breathe Bush & military. At first, I thought they were only rumors. Norman Mineta's testimony to the 911 Commission confirmed them to be true. The second question I had was about WTC building 7. This building only had small fires and was not hit by an airplane. It came straight down like the other 2 into a nice neat pile. The owner of the building Silverstein said they made a decision to pull it. This is a demolition term for demolishing the building. Well, this is something that takes careful planning weeks in advance, not several hours. I am also hearing bizarre stories from troops returning from Irag and their family members. Mineta's testimony was shown on C-Span and here is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDfdOwt2v3Y&search=mineta
on talking about the war in Iraq, per se, but more about the war on terror.
Does this mean he's targeted another country to "spread freedom" to? With 74% of the American public thinking Iraq was a mistake, I'd LOVE to see him try to sell another war to this Congress, after all his lies the first time.
Having 9/11 being an inside job is only a notch or two lower than using that tragedy to promote his own personal war against Iraq, so I don't think it would surprise me.
I don't know if I can stomach watching him or not, so I haven't decided yet.
and during the last debate he said a bunch of times "when I am president"
Goes both ways.
Evidently, pubs didn't care that McC directly denied
tried to diffuse all the scare tactics fall-out. What I want to know is why would McC supporters and their campaign turn a blind eye to a frightened senile old woman and keep right on pushing agendas that will produce more such embarrassing moments for their own candidate? Is this the kind of leadership we can expect under a McCain regime? How disconnected is this candidate from his own campaign management and supporters? Is that really the picture you want to paint for him? How much more fuel do you guys intend to use to stoke the fires of ignorance, division and deceit?
McCain seemed really sad last night when he tried to reassure that shaking, frail, senile old woman, but instead of looking presidential, he just looked like a beaten down has-been. Congratuations on an utterly moronic campaign strategy. Enjoy the fall-out.
I am not talking about YOUR family planning...
it is the additional life that is created that I am talking about who, in my opinion, has every much as right to life as YOU do. Period. If you could stop for one minute and realize, it is not all about YOU. Or perhaps that is the problem. You absolutely think it IS all about YOU.
JM may be planning but we're not hearing about it
Every day in the news is talk of Obama's $2M party.
OMG! Look what low-life Obama is planning to do!!
Such bad, bad taste! Such a disrespectful man! (I forget...what are the other names he's been called by his honor-challenged haters?)
Dinner Honoring McCain to Be Hosted by Obama
Saturday, January 10, 2009; 2:30 PM
President-elect Barack Obama will host a dinner honoring Sen. John McCain, the Republican he tromped in the election, the night before his inauguration, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced yesterday, saying the gesture demonstrates Obama's "commitment to bridging the bipartisan divide."
The dinner will be one of a series that night: Gen. Colin Powell and Vice President-elect Joe Biden also will be feted.
"In these times of great challenge and great change, leadership requires rising above the same old narrow partisanship," Obama said on the PIC Web site. "Each of these distinguished Americans has spent his life in service to his country, at each and every moment placing the interests of America before issues of political party."
Congressional leaders from both parties will attend the dinners at the National Building Museum, Union Station and the Hilton Washington.
The first time, they rented a truck and tried to knock the towers down by detonating it in the underground parking garage.
When that failed, they regrouped, formed another plan, and meticulously set it in motion. Took years, but they accomplished their objectives, save for that heroic United flight.
The problem with Americans is that they have very short attention spans. They think if the war's not over in 2 or 3 years, it's 'old news' and they move on. If it's not on their TV screens every night, with flashing lights and music like an MTV video, they can't process the information. Out of sight, out of mind. Like the victims of 911 and the noble men and women fighting the war on terror. All forgotten, for the most part, by an impatient, clock-watching public.
Terrorists, on the other hand, know a little something about watching and waiting. In a religious war like they're fighting, time is measured in centuries.
So, I'm sorry, but your little theory just doesn't hold water, and was naive in the extreme.
The simple truth is that there has not been another attack on US soil since Bush has been in office.
Why don't you try to sound just a teensy bit thankful that your hide is safe, and not in a foxhole somewhere, or digging out of the rubble of a bombed-out apartment complex? A little dose of humility, and reality, goes a long way.
Disability is one thing...poor planning is another
I'm sorry for your situation, and I do believe people who cannot work due to a disability should have help. I'm not heartless. I'm really kind of stumped, because I thought employers and insurance companies could no longer deny/discriminate people a job and/or insurance because of pre-existing conditions. I know that you can't get disability insurance with pre-existing conditions, but again, it's my understanding that no one can be denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions. My husband has diabetes and has changed jobs in the last five years and has gotten ins. with no problem.
The problem with most socialized medicine is that if you have a serious condition, say like cancer, at some point they quit treating you. This is what is happening in the U.K. as we speak. So, in a round about way that's being denied health care altogether. You have to then seek it out of pocket, and most of the time you have to leave your home country to pay for it out of pocket.
Former FEMA Director Michael Brown, heavily criticized for his agency's slow response to Hurricane Katrina, is starting a disaster preparedness consulting firm to help clients avoid the sort of errors that cost him his job.
If I can help people focus on preparedness, how to be better prepared in their homes and better prepared in their businesses — because that goes straight to the bottom line — then I hope I can help the country in some way, Brown told the Rocky Mountain News for its Thursday editions.
Brown said officials need to take inventory of what's going on in a disaster to be able to answer questions to avoid appearing unaware of how serious a situation is.
In the aftermath of the hurricane, critics complained about Brown's lack of formal emergency management experience and e-mails that later surfaced showed him as out of touch with the extent of the devastation.
The lawyer admits that while he was head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency mistakes were made in the response to Katrina. He also said he had been planning to quit before the hurricane hit.
Hurricane Katrina showed how bad disasters can be, and there's an incredible need for individuals and businesses to understand how important preparedness is, he said.
Brown said companies already have expressed interested in his consulting business, Michael D. Brown LLC. He plans to run it from the Boulder area, where he lived before joining the Bush administration in 2001.
I'm doing a lot of good work with some great clients, Brown said. My wife, children and my grandchild still love me. My parents are still proud of me.
If you can't convince them, confuse them. ~ Harry S. Truman
Quote of the Day
Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. ~Ronald Reagan Quote of the Day
Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear. ~ Harry S. Truman
"The media's worried about whether I've paid my taxes, they're worried about any number of silly things that have nothing to do with America," Wurzelbacher told the former Republican presidential hopeful on his show, "Huckabee."
And your quote:"This is what is so funny. In Joe's eyes "taxes" are silly things."
If you notice, he did not say taxes were silly things. He said they're worried about any number of silly things. He didn't specifically say taxes are silly things.
This whole election is out of hand. The media is whipping everyone into a frenzy over a bunch of stupid crap that has no place in the election. I have never seen such garbage spewing from everyone, every newspaper, and you-name-it.
People have to be level-headed and think and decide for themselves and stop the name-calling just because others don't agree!!!!!
"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases." -- Thomas Jefferson
there was a lot more to that quote
"my muslim faith" If you listen to it in context, he is not saying he is a muslim, he is refering to people talking about his muslim faith, which he doesn't have.
quote "Our democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who
are willing to work and give to those who would not."
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Tally, add 1 nasty for the republicans.
