Arlen Specter: Boo Hoo, Obama and Reid Were Mean to Me After All I Did for Them
In a fascinating article, it is revealed that former Senator Arlen Specter is every bit the punk he always seemed to be.
Former Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) writes in a new book that President Obama ditched him in the 2010 election after he helped Obama win the biggest legislative victory of his term by passing healthcare reform.
Specter also claims that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) did not uphold his promise to grant him seniority accrued over 28 years of service in the Senate as a Republican.
Specter, who rocked Washington’s political establishment and made headlines around the country when he left the Republican Party to join Democrats in April of 2009, has kept quiet about these slights until now.
Tool.
The profanity in this video makes it unsuitable for those unsettled by strong language, and hilariously appropriate for everyone else:
It sounds like Specter spent his final days in the Senate simmering with rage over slights from Obama and Biden and Reid.
Sweet.
The article also quotes Bob Dole as telling Specter he would have done the same thing. Another also-ran loser, either lying to his buddy to make nice, or revealing his ultimate squishiness. Either way, it makes me sick.
Thinking of them both out of power, however, makes me smile.
Not a fan of Arlen Spector, the political whore and liar. Not ever going to forgive him either. One if the benefits of being an atheist: I don’t have to.
Random (f9e702) — 3/12/2012 @ 9:25 pm*of
Random (f9e702) — 3/12/2012 @ 9:25 pmOld Greek saying: Many have embraced treachery; No one the traitor.
nk (dec503) — 3/12/2012 @ 9:27 pmΠολλοι αγαπησαν την προδοσια, ουδης τον προδοτη.
nk (dec503) — 3/12/2012 @ 9:30 pmThe whore cries “rape!” when the check bounces.
SPQR (26be8b) — 3/12/2012 @ 9:31 pmRick Santorum was a big Arlen fan but me I never really saw the appeal
happyfeet (3c92a1) — 3/12/2012 @ 9:34 pmHe did vote for Clarence Thomas. A lot of his enstrangement from the GOP had to do with the way the miserable cluster-f___ of a failure, the Shrub, treated him.
nk (dec503) — 3/12/2012 @ 9:37 pmTwo worthless clowns who wanted to have been President and not actually be President in a row. Maybe we do need a new Constitution.
nk (dec503) — 3/12/2012 @ 9:39 pmIt’s funny to watch someone’s voting record when they say, “I didn’t leave the party, the party left me.” first of all, not really something to brag about. 2nd, yeah, dude. You totally left the party. The worst part is, you were supposed to bring the keg and chips and what do you bring? 7up and a bag of stale pretzels. Yeah, you know what? We should’ve never invited you to the party in the first place.
Ghost (6f9de7) — 3/12/2012 @ 9:42 pmSpecter switched parties for one reason only: He concluded that Pat Toomey was going to win the primary against him. He thought he couldn’t do what Joe Lieberman had done and run as a third party candidate, so the only possibility was to run as a Democrat.
He said he didn’t want the registered Republicans of Pennsylvania to be the “jury” that determined whether or not he would stay in the Senate (too small or restricted an electorate maybe, with many of his supporters not in there.)
Sammy Finkelman (63b67e) — 3/12/2012 @ 10:38 pm“It sounds like Specter spent his final days in the Senate simmering with rage over slights from Obama and Biden and Reid.”
Ah, ain’t that sad?
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 3/12/2012 @ 10:42 pmThere’s nothing that quite says “pathos” like the sight of a jilted prostitute.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 3/12/2012 @ 10:43 pmSuch is the lot of traitors.
Seeking the Truth (b24e51) — 3/12/2012 @ 11:14 pmLook at the bright side: now Arlen can hang out with Reverend Wright and the ghost of Obama’s granny.
Icy (d4608c) — 3/12/2012 @ 11:47 pmThese young whippersnappers with their entitlement mentality. I tell ya . . .
Icy (d4608c) — 3/12/2012 @ 11:49 pmThese young whippersnappers with their entitlement mentality. I tells ya . . .
Icy (d4608c) — 3/12/2012 @ 11:49 pmDouble posting blamed on Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, and my iPhone — in that order.
Icy (d4608c) — 3/12/2012 @ 11:52 pmSpecter has learned an inconvenient truth: even Democrats don’t respect traitorbitches.
[note: released from moderation. –Stashiu]
Icy (d4608c) — 3/12/2012 @ 11:54 pmIs not Animal House one of the absolutely greatest movies of all time?
elissa (f22181) — 3/13/2012 @ 12:22 amI realize he has a book to sell but really– wasn’t there anybody around to tell Arlen that he doesn’t come across very well, or as someone who’s very savvy in this whiny whine pout?
elissa (f22181) — 3/13/2012 @ 12:28 amI believe this is a moment where “Schadenb0ner” doesn’t even come close to describing my enjoyment of what happened to ol’ Arlen.
I mean, did this f*ckwit not see this coming? I mean, the only attractive thing about a useful idiot is that they are, you know, useful. The second after they no longer benefit you, of course you discard them.
I hope he does book signings so I can stand in front of him and mock him to his pathetic little face.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 3/13/2012 @ 2:02 amThe republican party is made up of gutless turds like specter.
sickofrinos (44de53) — 3/13/2012 @ 2:27 amAnother lying attorney that got away with screwing the American public.
F’ed up, and trusted them?
😀
Smock Puppet, 10 Dan Snark Master (8e2a3d) — 3/13/2012 @ 3:25 amPoor guy. Pennsylvania Democrats remember his earlier stunt. Arlen was a Democrat before switching to Republican to get elected.
Cheshirecat (a1fcca) — 3/13/2012 @ 4:07 am19. Word, “effin great”.
gary gulrud (d88477) — 3/13/2012 @ 4:31 amhe gets with he deserves in the end let the wimp cry
alan (d74c59) — 3/13/2012 @ 4:53 amI wouldn’t trust anything Arlen says.
I suspect that he exaggerates the leadership promise and he exaggerates the unique significance of his vote. What he did he did for his own reasons. He’s no idiot.
The one thing he is honest about is his opinion of himself.
Amphipolis (b120ce) — 3/13/2012 @ 5:07 am“Old, dumb and treacherous is no way to get elected, Arlen.”
mojo (8096f2) — 3/13/2012 @ 8:08 amThe Distinguished Gentleman from Pennsylvania apparently thought that, since the Republican President and other Republican Senator came to his aid in a tough primary battle against a real Republican, a Democratic President and the other Democratic Senator would come to his aid in a tough primary battle against a real Democrat.
The Dana in Pennsylvania, whop never voter for Arlen Specter (3e4784) — 3/13/2012 @ 9:10 amOf course, the esteemed former Senator Specter fails to recognize the real problem: he’s no longer our Senator because the actual Democratic voters chose someone else.
The Dana in Pennsylvania, who never voter for Arlen Specter (3e4784) — 3/13/2012 @ 9:18 amspqr. This story is about LIBTARD Spector, not LIBTARD Beckel.
Gus (36e9a7) — 3/13/2012 @ 9:35 amYou don’t say?
SPQR (26be8b) — 3/13/2012 @ 9:51 amComment by Amphipolis — 3/13/2012 @ 5:07 am
I suspect that he exaggerates the leadership promise
The promise was published in the newspapers, and there was a precedent, and whenever anything like this had been promised before, they never failed to follow through (I would assume, especially since He’s no idiot. )
Specter’s switch likely to have limited impact on energy, climate, bills by Alex Kaplun, published April 29, 2009.
Sen. Arlen Specter’s party switch sent shockwaves across Washington yesterday…The Pennsylvania senator was not asked to make any promises of support for the Democratic agenda or to vote in favor of any particular issues, according to Senate leadership aides familiar with the negotiations between Specter and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Reid told reporters yesterday afternoon that he does not view Specter as an “automatic vote.” …..
…….Reid and Specter said yesterday that even as the Pennsylvania senator switches parties, he will be allowed to keep all of the seniority that he accumulated since he came to the Capitol in 1980. That would automatically make Specter among the most senior Democrats on both the Judiciary Committee — where Specter was the ranking member — and the Appropriations Committee — where he was the ranking member on the Labor-Health subcommittee.
It is unclear what ramifications that would have in the short-term and what posts Specter will hold for the remainder of the 111th Congress.
Reid said he has made clear to Specter that no Democrat will lose a chairmanship, unless they are willing to take such a step. “Senator Specter knows that no one will be dumped off the full committee or subcommittee unless it’s done on a voluntary basis,” Reid said.
Specter has less seniority than current Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) so he has no short-term hope of getting that gavel, but he does outrank current Labor-Health Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Should Specter somehow take the gavel of the subcommittee, it would almost certainly cause a chain reaction that would reverberate through the other spending committees, including those that handle energy and environment appropriations.
Reid said he has not yet spoken with Harkin about his spending committee.
Did Specter read between the lines? Maybe that promised only applied in the 112th Congress, which he, ultimately, did not become a member of.
In 2011, if he got re-elected….
But 2011 will be a new ballgame. “In a year and half it’s a new game, and Senator Specter has seniority on a number of committees that he wants to serve on,” Reid said.
Specter openly admitted that he has an interest in one day claiming the chairmanship of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. “It is something I’d like to attain,” Specter said of the chairmanship. “I can’t deal with the numbers. You know who the people are and who is going to run for re-election and who’s going to do what remains to be seen.”
Specter would be forth in seniority among Senate Democrats in that committee, behind current Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), former Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) and Leahy.
and he exaggerates the unique significance of his vote
From the New York Times article:
….but it appears unlikely to significantly alter the prospects for President Obama’s agenda on energy, climate change and other major legislation.
Certainly, Senate Democrats were visibly overjoyed with the prospect of holding the 60-vote majority that they have long coveted, as it should make it easier for the party to clear procedural hurdles. But top Democrats cautioned that they would still need to compromise — both within their own party and perhaps with the GOP — to cobble together enough votes to pass major legislation.
They weren’t even talking about the health bill then! The big issue was cap and trade.
More generally:
No more filibusters?
Specter’s defection from the GOP will almost assuredly give Democrats the magic 60 votes and filibuster-proof majority. Specter will become the 59th lawmaker to caucus with the majority party, with Al Franken in Minnesota — pending the resolution of the court case surrounding that election — poised to be the 60th.
Specter himself made it clear that even as he changes his party affiliation, he does not believe that there will be any fundamental change in his beliefs or voting pattern. “I will not be an automatic 60th vote,” Specter said. “If the Democratic Party asks too much, I will not hesitate to disagree and vote my independent thinking.” …..
….And Specter again tried to brandish his independence yesterday, saying that he was opposed to the “card check” bill that is a major priority for many Capitol Hill Democrats and organized labor. “The principles that I subscribe to are my independence, which I will retain regardless of party label,” he said.
Likewise, Specter said he will have no hesitation about butting heads with fellow Democrats on any number of issues. “It all depends on whether those fellow Democrats are wrong or stubborn,” Specter joked. “And if they are, I will butt heads with them. And if they’re reasonable, that is agree with me, copasetic.”
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a moderate Democrat who also at times bucks his party leadership, also said there was little expectation that Specter’s presence in the caucus would automatically guarantee his vote.
“Sixty members does not translate or transfer into 60 votes,” Nelson said. “The fact that he has switched parties does not mean he’s going vote consistently with the party line.”
Vice President Joe Biden, a former Senate colleague of Specter’s, agreed the Pennsylvanian will maintain his independence. “Arlen is now freed up to vote in a way that he doesn’t have to worry about angering his leadership,” Biden said at a Democratic fundraiser in Houston yesterday.
Sammy Finkelman (63b67e) — 3/13/2012 @ 10:41 amOld Roman Saying: Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.
So now Arlen is whining, “that son of a bitch gave me fleas”!
Actually Arlen, after you sold out and slept with the Dems, they gave you the back of their hand.
To which I can only say “tough noogies”.
Comanche Voter (0e06a9) — 3/13/2012 @ 11:00 amExtra! Extra!
At last somebody with a shot at wining is going to challenge Kirsten Gillibrand for the U.S. Senate and she won’t get a free pass for the second time:
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2012/03/breaking-rep-bob-turner-to-challenge-sen-kirsten-gillibrand-source
March 13, 2012 11:40 AM 8 comments
Breaking: Rep. Bob Turner To Challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand – Source
BY Celeste Katz
There was buzz about this Monday, and now I’m told it’s really happening — GOP Rep. Bob Turner will announce today that he’s challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, according to a source close to Turner.
turner_gillibrand_split_20120313.jpgMore to follow…
Okay, I’m back:
UPDATE — HERE’S THE OFFICIAL WORD FROM TURNER: (This came in at 12:01 via email.)
“I will travel to the Republican State Convention in Rochester later this week and humbly ask for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate. I will respectfully ask for the Conservative nomination a few days later at that Party’s convention. I have made my intentions known to the other Republican candidates in this race.
“I ran for the House six months ago as a private citizen fed up with what is happening in Washington. I could not sit and watch career politicians sink my nation deeper into economic crisis. Brooklyn and Queens voters, of all political parties, graciously responded by sending me to Congress. It now appears that their district has been eliminated.
“There is serious work to be done to get this economy back on track, and I will not walk away from that work now. I will run for the Senate, and I will run to win.”
The Republican state convention is being held Friday. At least three GOP hopefuls — Joe Carvin, Wendy Long and George Maragos — have already thrown their hats into the ring.
Update: In a not-so-subtle reminder of the testosterone level of the field, Long said through a spokesman, “We welcome Bob to the race and look forward to seeing him and the rest of the guys in Rochester.”
Update: Says Maragos, “I am focused on my campaign and currently in Albany meeting with the Republican State Assembly discussing statewide economic issues. I will be announcing additional endorsements of my nomination for U.S. Senate shortly.”
Update: Says Carvin, “I want to welcome him to the race. The competition of ideas is what makes the U.S. great.”
Yesterday, I reported that Brooklyn GOP Chairman Craig Eaton had sent out a (obviously, not for long) confidential memo to county chairs urging them to avoid what was shaping up to be an ugly three-way Republican primary for the chance to take on Gillibrand.
“I am deeply concerned [that] a contentious Republican Primary, and the possibility of the Republicans and Conservatives selecting different candidates to represent them, will spoil our chances of winning this senate seat,” ” Eaton warned of the pending brawl.
The move is clearly a redistricting-related change of heart for Turner, the newcomer Republicans who beat Democrat David Weprin in a special election to replace ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner in NY-9, which spans Brooklyn and Queens.
“The redistricting plan introduced today by the Special Master is just another step in the process. I am prepared to run in whatever district I reside in once the final lines are adopted,” Turner said as recently as March 9, when new Congressional lines proposed by federal Magistrate Roanne Mann came out. (Update: You can now see Mann’s latest tweaks to the map at the end of this item.)
Gillibrand is a top-shelf fundraiser, but Turner, a retired TV exec, does have some street cred for having run a smart campaign that toppled Weprin, who was initially considered a shoo-in to keep Weiner’s seat Democratic. But that special election — and it was an ugly one — proved Weprin a deeply flawed candidate and Team Turner superior on strategy.
It will be interesting to see how the money game plays out in terms of both donors and national support… Stay with me, guys…
Update: And a little more on the money for you… According to FEC records, Turner now has $72,600 cash on hand but is carrying $65,500 in debt. It remains to be seen to what extent he’d be able to self-finance in a race against Gillibrand. The incumbent junior senator has $8.1 million on hand and debt of… $0.
Photo credit: Jeanne Noonan, Elisa Miller for New York Daily News
[note: released from moderation. –Stashiu]
Sammy Finkelman (52d790) — 3/13/2012 @ 3:27 pmDefectors usually pay the price. Neither their former or new allies trust or respect them.
Specter is the worst of the defectors. He didn’t do it for idealistic reasons, he did it to save his skin. He was a sure loser in the Republican primary so he sold out to the Democrats who promised the world, but couldn’t deliver.
Democrats thought they could give him clear sailing in their primary. Even tried to bribe the challenger with a top level federal position — rumored to be Secretary of the Navy.
So Arlen, nobody likes you. You sold your soul for pieces of silver. For that you will be remembered.
Corky Boyd (9c6284) — 3/13/2012 @ 9:06 pm