Specter: "Just Too Cocky" ?

[BlooInBloo]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/05/just_too_cocky.php

"Last week Arlen Specter's election as a Democrat in 2010 seemed more or less a given. The big man in Pennsylvania politics (Ed Rendell) and the big man in US politics (Barack Obama) both put down their finger and said they were behind him.

But the certainty of that outcome now seems genuinely in doubt. He's got an ambitious (and there's nothing wrong with that) and aggressive potential opponent in Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA). And even more important than that he's got a critical constituency, organized labor, visibly warming to opposing him in next year's Democratic primary. (Remember a couple key points: Labor is a big deal in Pennsylvania and Specter's in the past always relied on strong labor backing.)

What's most striking about this whole turn of events though is that if Specter is in any real trouble it is a predicament entirely of his own making, an unforced error, to put it in baseball terms, of almost galactic proportions...."


Sestak might not be perfect, but I'll take him in a NY minute.

[Bluzmann57]

1. Specter turned his back on Labor

When he said he wouldn't support the EFCA. And as a Labor Union member, I take great offense to that. And even though I don't live in Pennsylvania and probably never will, I will help any primary challenger to Specter in any way I can next year. Don't know much about Sestak, but he must be better than Specter.

[pnwmom]

2. What, in your opinion, does labor think about Specter's recent pronouncements

about health care? About not supporting a government run option?

[BlooInBloo]

4. The AFL-CIO has already fired across Specter's bow...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/05/abc-news-rick-k.html

[pnwmom]

5. Yeah, but that's about card-check. What's labor's position about

a government-run option for national health care?

[JVS]

7. They've already made statements on the issue. No need to comment on each time specter fucks up

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/upload/jhacker_report.pdf

[pnwmom]

8. Thanks! But would Specter not supporting this be a deal breaker for labor,

as the card-check legislation would be? Or could they overlook his position against a govt. run plan if they liked the rest of his stands?

[JVS]

9. Why don't you write them a letter to ask?

[Bluzmann57]

11. In my opinion, Speter's stance on health care

Will do him no good whatsoever with Organized Labor.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Specter is on notice: Vote Democratic

I'm pulling for Specter, but if his voting pattern remains that of "Rogue Republican", then I'm voting for Joe Sestak in the primary. I think most of my fellow Democrats are thinking the same way about this.

I like Arlen Specter, and wasn't even too terribly upset when he would defeat Democrats (although I often worked for those Democrats). He has been a good Senator in administrative terms -- that is, bringing home legislation, helping constituents, etc. And no one can deny that he has kept medical and scientific work alive in an era when Jeebus Voodoo reigned in Washington.

But we need leaders for a new Democratic Progressive era. Specter either has to facilitate that, or step out of the way.

If he votes against EFCA (I think he will vote "YEA") and other key legislation, I'm out. No screaming, no tantrums, no accusations of "Treason!" or the other emotional excesses we sometime see here -- I'll just work and vote for Sestak, or whomever may be running as a viable Progressive.

--d!

[pnwmom]

6. When is that vote coming up? n/t

[lsewpershad]

10. So would I [Bloo]