Specter: 'Victory is in the air' in Pa. primary

[The Northerner]

PHILADELPHIA — Five-term Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter says he senses "victory is in the air" in Tuesday's primary election, even though he's in a close race for the Democratic nomination.

Specter spoke to union members on Saturday at a riverfront rally at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in Philadelphia. His challenger, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, was scheduled to appear at Pittsburgh rally.

Specter denied Sestak's charge that he switched from the Republican to the Democratic party to save his job. In fact, Specter says he put his job at risk by switching parties last year.

He also rebutted criticism about his voting record and returned fire by accusing Sestak of having a poor attendance record. Specter said: "When he talks about my votes, at least I vote."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hRLeivXVE_840fD7Tlr0coHPlE1QD9FNCRD00

[DJ13]

1. At his age he might be smelling a leaking Depends

[DefenseLawyer]

2. That's napalm, it just smells like victory.

[MH1]

3. Specter missed 2/11 KEY environmental votes in 2009, to Sestak's 1/15

I like the guy who when he has to miss votes (father on his deathbed kind of thing), still manages to make the most important ones.

Why did Specter miss more than 10% of KEY environmental votes in 2009?

[karynnj]

6. The ones when he was at his dad's deathbed shouldn't even count

It is inhuman to expect him to be elsewhere.

I don't recall any close environmental votes in either house.

[MH1]

10. by 'key' environmental votes I am going by LCV scorecard

if it makes the LCV scorecard it was definitely important.

Sestak missed only 1 of 15, Specter missed 2 out of 11.

Sestak's father was in the hospital for a few months before he passed away in September of 2009. Not all of Sestak's missed votes were due to that, Sestak did do some campaigning - he went on a listening tour of all 67 PA counties after he decided to run for Senate (or maybe it was part of his decision process, I forget). But if the votes Specter is calling him out for are mostly for renaming post offices, which I bet they are, it's just another bullshit attack from Specter.

[karynnj]

12. I looked at LCV - the case for Sestak if this is your issue is stronger than just

the greater number of missed votes. Sestak consistently voted with LCV, Specter sometimes didn't. Their scores were 64 and 93 respectively. http://capwiz.com/lcv/dbq/vote_info/?command=results&sort=Last&state=PA&submit.x=7&submit.y=13&submit=go

If the environment is anyone's key issue, there is a big difference here. Many Senators got 100% last year. (In earlier years, it was rare to get 100% ) If you click on Specter, you see that the 64 is much higher than his past scores.

[MH1]

13. Oh yes, Sestak is excellent on environment, and it is my top issue

He is actually excellent on most issues in my opinion, in that he tries to take in a broad spectrum of views and determine what is the right course that satisfies all his constituents' actual and reasonable needs. I don't always agree with his conclusions but I think the process he follows is very good. Of course there will be times he 'tempers' his conclusion with political reality ... but you'll get that with anyone. I think he starts from a point of trying to figure out what's right. Then he figures out what he thinks can be done within the political situation.

[AllentownJake]

4. 50-50 odds on this one

The Rendell Machine is very effective in statewide primaries. Very effective.

Wonder if Joe has the gas in the outlying areas to beat it.

Polls are pretty much meaningless in the numbers that I'm seeing. Low turnout and the Machine, hard to read.

[MH1]

5. Agree on the odds

I'm rooting for Joe.

Time to change the face of the Democratic Party in PA. Had enough of the corrupt machine politics of Rendell/Specter.

[AllentownJake]

7. Not a fan of Sestak

Too much nepotism and he's an ass to work for according to what I've heard. He'll be a dick in the future in statewide politics, he has it written all over him.

Can I root for a last moment write in campaign.

[MH1]

11. You'll either get Sestak or Specter

it sounds like you aren't a fan of either ... how about Toomey? ;)

Sestak polls better against Toomey now that people are getting to know him, but he still has a lot of undecideds he can win over. Specter is pretty well known so he doesn't have much room to get better.

[AllentownJake]

14. Voting Specter

My machine friends outweigh my grassroots friends on this one. As much as I would be entertained by my machine friends bitching about Sestak all summer.

Keep the peace in the state party to November. Sestak does not impress me, and unless I'm impressed I generally side with my machine friends. Watched him get his ass handed to him twice in a debate, and I'm not impressed with his organizers. The only ad I thought was effective was the no-brainer with Sestak and Bush and Santorum. Plus Sestak is a little too gun ho on the wars for my taste.

If it wasn't for the party switch Joe would be the establishment and Josh Shapiro would be the insurgent, and Josh was the real deal. Sestak is the grassroots progressive candidate because he has to be, and well I danced that dance in 2008.

The PA democratic party has gotten every democratic candidate for Governor to endorse a statewide single payer plan and has 10 GOP co-sponsors for a study in the State Senate. As much as they piss me off, I'm in no mood for the Sestak operation to be causing problems in a tough year for us.

At the end of the day, I give both a 50-50 shot against Pat with the mood in the state and low turnout.

Either way, I have no emotion in this race.

[MH1]

15. If Specter wins we will lose the Senate seat to Toomey

ah well.

you know single payer won't stand a snowball's chance in hell in the PA legislature particularly when we have a republican governor. And Onorato seems like he may as well be anyway. (I am not enthused about our gov choices, or chances. sigh.)

[AllentownJake]

16. Dan isn't bad

He's a policy wonk on state issues and he's ambitious so some of his social conservative history is about to go by the wayside.

I like his plan for combining services with municipalities by school district.

My mayor is on his side, and I generally trust Ed with what is best for my area.

We are PA, no matter what, we will always be lukewarm moderate. We have little tolerance for extremes.

[MH1]

20. Dan? You mean Pat? or who're you talking about?

[AllentownJake]

23. There is a Governor's race this year

That is actually more important...lest we forget.

[MH1]

29. After reading the postions of the gov candidates

it's kinda hard to see that I'll have a very good choice in November. So it may be important but a lousy outcome is already pre-determined, as far as I can tell.

I am sick and tired of Rendell, and I can't see that Onorato will be any better. Maybe he is at least a little less obviously slick than Rendell.

None of the bastards (other than Hoeffel) wants to let Philadelphia take reasonable measures to control crime. Onorato appears to be anti-women. So what's a progressive to do in November, if at least Sestak isn't on the ballot? I'll bet a bunch stay home. I won't be one of them but I understand the sentiment all too well.

[AllentownJake]

30. Sestak is not a progressive

I have no clue where you people got this crazy idea. I'm laughing at the OFA organizers that are making calls for Specter today that's heart isn't in it even though there isn't much of a difference. :rofl:

[MH1]

31. Actually he is

I'm not sure what your definition of 'progressive' is.

Our local progressive group endorsed Sestak, and they know him.

His voting positions are progressive except regarding Afghanistan, and actually his military cred is his cover for getting elected in a state like PA, so I think most progressives can live with that, when they get his solid voting record on things like environment, women's rights, GLBT.

Now Onorato, there's a guy who will never be mistaken as a progressive.

[AllentownJake]

34. We all know

I'm an economic junkie and I believe all stems from that. Dan gets it on that more than Joe. I've met both. I like Dan, really like him. Joe rubs me the wrong way. He has my vote against Toomey. Wish he'd say he'd endorse the winner of the primary. Arlen had that class.

[AllentownJake]

36. Btw

As far as PA democratic politics goes, I was briefly in the machine, till I realized I had better perks and pay as a corporate hit man. Swore it all off and now am in a non-profit make a third of what I used to make, but can look at myself in the morning. Joe is about to learn the 2008 Barack lesson. I earned Rich in August, I don't think he was listening.

[AllentownJake]

37. Warned

Stupid iPhone spelling.

[saltpoint]

27. Hi, AllentownJake. Is there any indication that the undecideds are

STILL undecided, or are they breaking one way or another?

[AllentownJake]

28. This is tied

It comes down to ground game. At this point undecideds will probably stay at home unless they are invested in the Governor's race.

The OFA thing is actually a big hinderance as Murtha's old district will have larger turnout do to a special election and the OFA organizers are under instructions to pump up Arlen. I'm kind of having a good laugh as the OFA people have been leaning more towards Sestak. That should kill OFA in PA, which is fine with me, I never liked the concept to begin with.

I give Specter the groundgame edge. Sestak needs to be winning by 3 points to overcome the state democratic party's GOTV operation.

[saltpoint]

32. Ok. Well, it looks like a dog fight getting people to the polls, and

thanks for that info-added there on the race for Murtha's seat. I hadn't calculated that at all.

[AllentownJake]

35. If this wasn't a public forum

I'd tell you a perfectly legal activity on election day that pissed people off that I'm sure will be going on in spades and I think the sestak people are about to learn the Obama primary lesson of the state. As a brief, part of the machine I'm 100% sure of it.

[blue neen]

38. I'm in PA-12,

and I belong to OFA. I have not been contacted by anyone from OFA to campaign for either Specter or Sestak. Out of the dozens of live and robo campaign calls we have received in the past few days, none have been from OFA.

There are a couple of races in this primary that I'm still undecided about, but the possibility of staying home and not voting does not exist. It is all just too important. I continue to do research and reading and may still be deciding when Tuesday arrives, but I sure as hell will be there. :)

[AllentownJake]

39. Funny

The OFA organizers I know that were pro-Sestak are suddenly working in the Specter office.

:rofl:

I called one today for Specter literature today just to fuck with them, because I was right about Barack after the Warren at the inauguration bullshit, and they are slowly but surely coming to that realization.


God, I hate to be right, but sometimes laughing at people who said you don't know what you are talking about is entertaining when they realize you figured out the game before they did.

:rofl:

[AllentownJake]

40. Also

I know I'm prick. However, I'm a prick you want on your side.

[blue neen]

41. Who said anything about anyone being a prick?

:shrug: I don't know you well enough to make any decisions about your personality traits.

I'm just stating things as I know them to be here right here in the heart of District 12 and my own personal experience with OFA. :)

[AllentownJake]

42. I feel guilty

over taunting a friend who works for OFA now, who I know was a Sestak supporter up to the day OFA endorsed Specter, though I did get a Specter yard sign

:rofl:

[blue neen]

43. Well, you never know how that person will actually vote when he/she gets to the polls.

You just never know.

One thing for sure...Tuesday is a big day in PA!

:dem:

[AllentownJake]

44. I know how he will vote

I'm laughing on how he gets paid.

[Rex]

8. No thanks, Specter will never be trusted. Too many shady actions

over the years. Trust this man at your own peril.

[JNelson6563]

9. Yeah, he's got Joementum.

I sure hope he doesn't win. Asshole.

[deaniac21]

17. I think he just smelled a fart.

[EndElectoral]

18. I don't know how any Democrat can vote for Specter. Unbeleivable.

[AllentownJake]

19. Talk to President Obama and Joe Biden about this

I'm not really happy they interfered in my state's politics, but they have...now we have to live with it.

Sestak isn't exactly a progressive dream. He'd be the DLC establishment candidate if it wasn't for the President, so I'm not exactly thrilled right now about voting on Tuesday.

I'll vote for Specter to keep the peace, I have no desire for the Sestak people to be causing trouble in a tough year for everyone.

[MH1]

21. Cynical political vote-trading and fraternity loyalty

Sestak is progressive in all social issues. He is excellent on environment, women's rights, and LGBT. The problem some progressives have with him is his rational stance on the military - he kinda thinks we ought to have one and it should be able to do its job. The people on the left who dislike him are the 'peace' activists, because he refused to abandon the troops in Iraq when his withdrawal bill failed. That's when I parted ways with the 'peace' groups - as far as I'm concerned they wanted my nephews to be under fire without body armor or supplies, and I don't appreciate that. I don't support incredibly stupid wars but once an idjit that a whole bunch of Americans voted for started the war, we have to support the troops who are there. That is the only issue where Sestak significantly parts from the left.

As for your continued trashing of 'the Sestak people' I've played along because there is a positive side to it - they are smart, energetic and far more organized and effective in their small group than the entire DelCo Democratic Party. But what you are apparently missing is just how incompetent the local democratic er, 'organization' (term used very loosely) is. Sestak wouldn't even be a Congressman if he had listened to the local party and played their games. When state and national strategists come into it after the primary, expect the 'Sestak people' to play nice, at least until they see they are going to be screwed. In theory, those larger organizations do actually have some organization and capabilities that make them worth playing with. But then again - how did that work out in the last Massachusetts senate election?

[AllentownJake]

22. I'm not a fan of his organization

Nor his way of doing things. Particularly the way he treats employess. The Specter sign is in my yard, I have my literature for the 7-9 shift on Tuesday at the polls as well as with my Onorato information.

[CreekDog]

24. winners rarely announce their victory in advance

:shrug:

[AllentownJake]

25. They both have declared victory in advance

Maybe that write in candidate thing will materialize in two days.

[saltpoint]

26. "...at least I vote" isn't good enough if way over half those votes

are for Nixon / Reagan / Poppy / Dumbya's initiatives.

In Specter's case, that figure is WAY over half.

I'm rooting for Joe.

[MrSlayer]

33. It baffles me that my and the other trade unions in Philly are backing Specter.

Considering his firm opposition to EFCA. Why vote for a guy who refuses to support you?

[AllentownJake]

45. There was never firm opposition to EFCA

Prior to 2009 he was pro-EFCA, than he still supported it but didn't want to have a vote till after the primary with Toomey.

Specter was the only person in the GOP that was for the EFCA during Bush's term. I think he cosponsored a bill for it.

[MH1]

46. Huh? He was vigorously opposed to EFCA right before his switch

and still opposes card check, I think.

[AllentownJake]

47. Primary politics

Prior to Toomey's surging in the polls, Specter was a co-sponsor on card check

Don't believe me, ask Pat when he was planning a second shot at the old man in a GOP primary.

http://www.toomeyforsenate.com/node/116

Specter would vote for Card Check in an off election year. He likes his job, and as such did some stupid things to keep it before the party switch.

Arlen was never against card check...that is a lie. Even when he decided to avoid voting for it, it was with a promise to do so after the recession.