Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: Desertdog on May 06, 2009, 11:02:21 PM
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I wonder how Senator Specter feels now that he has been betrayed? He betrayed the Republicans for an awful lot of years.
Democrats Strip Arlen Specter of Committee Rank
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/arlen_specter_stripped/2009/05/06/211368.html?s=al&promo_code=7F47-1
Sen. Arlen Specter was unexpectedly stripped of his seniority Tuesday night in a humiliating blow from Democrats who earlier had welcomed the former Pennsylvania Republican’s defection from the GOP.
The move not only strips the five-term senator of his legislative clout but also hampers his ability to persuade voters he can still bring influence to issues in Pennsylvania as he approaches election there in 2010.
Specter lashed back Wednesday, strongly suggesting he had been betrayed.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Specter said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had promised him that his seniority would be preserved.
“Sen. (Harry) Reid assured me that I would keep my committee assignments and that I would have the same seniority as if I had been elected as a Democrat in 1980,” Specter said. “It was understood that the issue of subcommittee chairmanships would not be decided until after the 2010 election. Some members of the caucus have raised concerns about my seniority, so the caucus will vote on my seniority at the same time subcommittee chairmanships are confirmed after the 2010 election. I am confident my seniority will be maintained under the arrangement I worked out with Sen. Reid.”
Specter added that he would “continue to be a staunch and effective advocate for Pennsylvania¹s and the nation's priorities.”
The likelihood that Specter would lose a Republican primary prompted him to jump to the Democrats. Now, although President Barack Obama has promised to campaign for him, Specter could face a Democratic challenger in that party’s primary. After that, he may be up against former Gov. Tom Ridge, the state’s most popular Republican, in the general election.
The Senate vote stripping him of rank came after Specter made a huge faux pas against his new party when he told The New York Times Tuesday that he hoped Republican Norm Coleman wins the protracted court battle over the Minnesota Senate seat. Democrats want candidate Al Franken to prevail over Coleman so the party can attain a filibuster-proof majority of 60 in the Senate.
Politico reported that Specter has managed to alienate Democrats just a week after his much bally-hooed announcement.
"Since declaring himself a Democrat last Tuesday, Specter has defied Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the White House on virtually everything that’s come down the pike: the budget, mortgage reform, the Al Franken-Norm Coleman race, even President Barack Obama’s appointment of Dawn Johnsen to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel," Politico reported. "All while quibbling over whether he said he’d be a 'loyal Democrat' — and insisting that he had an 'entitlement' to transfer his Senate seniority from one side of the aisle to the other."
Reid read a resolution on the Senate floor Tuesday making Specter the most junior Democrat on four of his five committee assignments. It stood in stark contrast to Reid's alleged promise that Specter would retain his seniority if he switched from the Republican to the Democratic party.
Specter serves on the Appropriations, Judiciary, Veterans Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Special Aging committees. He had been the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, which is preparing for hearings on a Supreme Court nominee to replace the retiring Justice David Souter.
When Republicans were in the majority, Specter chaired the confirmation hearings for Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. He now will have to wait in line to question the nominee, the Associated Press reported. Specter also was the top Republican on the subcommittee that funds the National Institutes of Health. The issue is a personal one for him because he has twice battled cancer.
The move came only a day after Specter boasted of the power he had through seniority to voters in Pennsylvania.
"My senior position on Appropriations has enabled me to bring a lot of jobs and a lot of federal funding to this state," Specter said at a town hall meeting on Monday, according to CNN.
Over and over, CNN reported, Specter made a point of telling an auditorium filled with medical faculty and staff about the hundreds of millions of dollars he delivered to the Keystone State, thanks to the power he's accumulated in his 29 years in the Senate.
"Pennsylvania has a big interest in my seniority, a big interest," he said.
Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, Specter said that it's an "entitlement" for him to retain his seniority on those committees.
"I was elected in 1980. I think that's not a bribe or a give for something extraordinary," he said. "I'll be treated as a Democrat as if I was elected as a Democrat."
Specter could have a chance to reclaim his seniority on influential committees such as the Appropriations and Judiciary Committees after the 2010 midterm elections, Democrats have suggested.
Perhaps realizing the consequences his Coleman remarks, Specter quickly changed his tune. He told Congressional Quarterly on Tuesday that he would like to see more Democratic members elected in the 2010 midterms.
"In the swirl of moving from one caucus to another, I have to get used to my new teammates," Specter said. "I’m ordinarily pretty correct in what I say. I’ve made a career of being precise. I conclusively misspoke."
But Democrats have not only stripped Specter of his clout, they’ve used his defection from the GOP to attack his former party colleagues. In a new Web ad from the Democratic National Committee, they parody the TV show “Survivor to highlight "the continued disunity" within the GOP.
The final result is that Arlen Specter has betrayed the party that supported him for decades, only to be apparently betrayed by the party that seduced him to defect.
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The final result is that Arlen Specter has betrayed the party that supported him for decades, only to be apparently betrayed by the party that seduced him to defect.
Karma...and I don't think she's done with him yet.
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(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi410.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp190%2FFindStuff2%2FTV%2FThe%2520Simpsons%2Fsimpsons_nelson_haha-1.jpg&hash=398d37719bea84f2099fff839d28714b6788e91e)
HA HA!
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makattack beat me!
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“Sen. (Harry) Reid assured me that I would keep my committee assignments and that I would have the same seniority as if I had been elected as a Democrat in 1980,”
Did Senator Harry Reid lie to him? Looks like it to me.
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What goes around, comes around. Ha ha! Sucks to be you!
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I always think it's so cute when people think that one party is better than another, especially someone that works directly with both that should know better.
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I always think it's so cute when people think that one party is better than another, especially someone that works directly with both that should know better.
Well which party is better is certainly more debatable, but it's clear that one set of ideals is certainly better. There is absolutely no doubt that conservatism is a more effective and liberty-preserving set of beliefs than liberalism. Now whether the GOP actually promotes conservatism is an entirely different debate, and a lengthy one at that.
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One explanation of this may be that it is a shot across the bow to get Specter to vote for “Card Check.” Card Check is the union backed proposal to eliminate the secret ballot in union elections, so they can use strong arm tactics to gain union representation. It is intended to bring unions back from the dead. And of course, unions are big contributors to the Democraps. This is pay back for the unions. Specter had said he would vote against Card Check. Let's see if he changes his tune now.
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Pobrecito =(. Play the lying, deceitful bastard and then get burned by another master. Couldn't happen to a nicer#$$&%@!.
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Man that puts a smile on my face. :)
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Karma...and I don't think she's done with him yet.
+1 on the Karma.
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Karma...and I don't think she's done with him yet.
Yep, I've seen her take after folks with (mtaphorical) ball gags, barrels, and a whole lotta pokey-proddy-hurty thingys.
I can't wait to see what comes next.
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One explanation of this may be that it is a shot across the bow to get Specter to vote for “Card Check.” Card Check is the union backed proposal to eliminate the secret ballot in union elections, so they can use strong arm tactics to gain union representation. It is intended to bring unions back from the dead. And of course, unions are big contributors to the Democraps. This is pay back for the unions. Specter had said he would vote against Card Check. Let's see if he changes his tune now.
Clem, we don't use slurs against the parties or particular candidates on this forum. This includes Hitlary, Juan McLame, Swimmer, Shrub, Demoncrats and the like.
Descends to Democrat Underground to quickly.
On topic, I think the Dems know that Specter is a dead horse in the 2010 race already. Allowing him to be a senior leader penalizes "loyal" democrats by eliminating a leadership position, and also presents democratic legitimization of his party swap. That could backfire in 2010. They know they are facing at least a minor shift in 2010, possibly a large one depending on their goals for the next session. They are walking lightly and hoping to retain a majority until 2012, when they can really start to put the screws to us.
Buddying too closely to Specter hurts them, IMO.
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No fool like an old fool.
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Just heard on the news that Specter got a bit of a plum...
The Dems tossed him chairmanship of a Justice subcommittee.
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Just heard on the news that Specter got a bit of a plum...
The Dems tossed him chairmanship of a Justice subcommittee.
I wonder how Leahy took that ??
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Just heard on the news that Specter got a bit of a plum...
The Dems tossed him chairmanship of a Justice subcommittee.
Crime & Drugs subcommittee. Dick "U.S. soliders are Nazis" Durbin is giving up the spot.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/07/durbin.specter/index.html
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Schaden-what?
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Soon as Specter sings the praises of Card Check he'll be restored to his proper position (or so he thinks). Reality is he will be squeezed and thrown out as soon as his usefulness deteriorates.
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I hear that Specter is leading in the pre-election polls as a Democrat against the Republicans. Republicans are going to have to work real hard to unseat him regardless of what you think of his politics. He has always been a bit of a Democrat even when he was a Republican.
I don't approve of the committee chairmanship bone Durbin through him.
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When was he ever a Republican? =)
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I wonder how Leahy took that ??
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/07/source-durbin-gives-specter-judiciary-subcommittee-chair/
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy slammed the brakes Thursday on Sen. Dick Durbin's decision to give up his Judiciary subcommittee chairmanship and offer it to party-switcher Sen. Arlen Specter.
"We need to work out something. Nothing's been worked out," Leahy said after Durbin, the majority whip, volunteered to give up his chairmanship of the crime subcommittee and announced a new Human Rights Subcommittee for him to lead.
"Oh, he's now chairman?" Leahy said with anger about Durbin. "This is great."
Leahy added that the judiciary panel has to work out funding for the new subcommittee if it is indeed to be created. He said he has to "think about it over the weekend and consult with Republicans."
In the end, it appeared as if Leahy was angry that Durbin staffers leaked the news to a Capitol Hill newspaper and put out a release before the chairman could announce the news about his own committee. Several aides to the committee say all will be well. Leahy and his top Republican, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, are expected to make the switch official sometime soon.
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Well which party is better is certainly more debatable...
No
It
Isn't!
They both SUCK equally!
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I see a lot of golf in the future for whoever has to churn out campaign ads for Specter's 2010 opponents. The unseen guy with a deep and unsettling voice will get quite a work-out but the ads pretty much write themselves.
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You'd think Specter would have seen this coming.
I mean, Chicago politics.... you don't tow the line you need to just be happy you didn't get cut.
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He'll be facing Tom Ridge? I thought he was going to face a republican?
isn't Tom the same kind of rino Arlen used to be?
isn't there someone named Toomey or something that is running?