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New Sestak Site to Hit "The Real Specter" as a 30-Year Republican
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Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) probably saw this one coming. His primary challenger, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), plans to launch a new website called TheRealSpecter2010.com highlighting Specter's 30-year career as a Republican, his support for the McCain-Palin ticket, and his early (though now reversed) opposition to a number of Democratic policies, including a public health insurance option.
The site will feature the below video, which compares statements Specter made earlier this year with those of the Democrats' likely Republican challenger Pat Toomey:
Sestak has taken shots at Specter for his Republican past before, but it's shaping up to be one of the key themes of his campaign going forward.
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tpmer
October 5, 2009 10:21 AM
the link is incorrect. it should go to http://TheRealSpecter2010.com
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
October 5, 2009 10:25 AM
And yet, now he's a better Democrat than "lifelong Democrats" Ben Nelson, Landrieu, Conrad, and possibly even Bayh and Baucus. And he's definitely a better Democrat than the Senator from the Lieberman for Lieberman Party. Sestak may or may not be responsible for that, but I suspect psychology is a bigger part. Once you change sides, you have to buy into it wholly or feel like a traitor all the time.
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ru4862
October 5, 2009 10:32 AM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
Co-sign.
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FreeRider
October 5, 2009 10:54 AM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
Specter is a loyal Democrat, now that he has a primary opponent. He voted against the president the first three votes after he switched, said he never promised to be a loyal democrat. He only got religion after Sestak entered the race. I have no doubt he'll backslide as soon as he gets reelected.
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Pete Bilderback
October 5, 2009 11:56 AM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
Sure, Specter is a loyal Democrat until the minute he gets past Sestak in a primary, then he gets 6 years to do whatever he wants (assuming he can get past Toomey in the general election, which is no given). PA voters are likely to pick an "authentic" conservative over a phony liberal. Credibility, honesty and trust mean more to most voters than ideology, and Specter has none of those.
I'm glad Specter is a reliable Democratic vote for the moment, but I cannot think of a single more transparently self-serving politician this side of Joe Lieberman.
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Former Federal Employee
October 5, 2009 12:59 PM in reply to Pete Bilderback
The turncoat meme is getting old.
Specter was a voice of reason on an issue dear to me, the Employee Free Choice Act. I didn't like that he didn't support it, but at least he offered the chance of an interim step by amending the Labor Relations Act. He was also key to introducing legislation to correct two of the Supreme Court's most egregious decisions of the last couple of years, e.g., Ashcroft v. Iqbal and its reversal of decades of liberal pleading standards. Protecting the plaintiff's ability to make a complaint is a stand for the little people, and more cynically, for the trial lawyers who contribute so much to the Democratic Party.
Specter's not going to survive another term in the Senate, and he's of an age where he can afford to think of how history will treat him once he's dead. Sestak's a first-term congressman who will be hard pressed to win the non-urban precincts in Pennsylvania ("Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Alabama in between"). Toomey will have as much money as the Republicans can raise. Specter has favors to cash, throughout the state, and it'll make a difference.
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Walter Mitty
October 5, 2009 10:50 AM
Specter is toast should he get to the general. Republicans will vote for Toomey and Democrats will stay home seeing the general as nothing more than what should have been the Republican Primary.
I can't see Sestak beating Specter in the primary as Specter has all of the machine support.
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