Lame-duck Specter can still make a difference

May 27, 2010 at 2:39 pm

When Arlen Specter lost the Democratic primary last week, he joined the Specter wrote:

“Climate change is a serious and growing threat to the United States and the world. The consequences of climate change are already being felt at home and will intensify in the years ahead in ways that place the U.S. economy and future generations at risk. Internationally, the adverse impacts of climate change will threaten vital U.S. national security, economic, energy security

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What to look forward to (and my radio gig)

May 21, 2010 at 2:52 pm

What a week it’s been. Arlen Specter, the seemingly unbeatable political marathoner, was finally vanquished at the polls on Tuesday, as insurgent Democrat Joe Sestak won the primary in a political thriller that has left Washington abuzz.  Much ink has already been spilled analyzing this race, as well as the other major primary races around the country. Here’s my take on what happened on Tuesday, and what it means not just for Pennsylvania, but for…

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Why I’m voting for Joe Sestak

May 12, 2010 at 12:00 pm

After closely following the Democratic Senate primary for more than a year, and after careful and often painstaking internal deliberations in light of my beliefs and responsibilities as a loyal Democrat, I have decided to vote for Congressman Joe Sestak.

This has not been an easy choice. Senator Arlen Specter is a man I respect, a man who has dedicated his life to serving Pennsylvania. And since becoming a Democrat last year, he has been…

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Thoughts on Sestak closing the gap

May 6, 2010 at 4:12 pm

We’re 12 days out, and it appears that Joe Sestak is closing the gap against Arlen Specter. The most recent tracking poll puts Sestak just five points behind Specter—well within striking distance, not to mention just at the margin of error.

And this is just “just another politician.” By going heavy on the attacks, though, I start to get a bad feeling about Specter himself. It is as if the only way…

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Politics Daily: Incisive commentary on Specter

April 30, 2010 at 1:31 pm

I just want to direct my readers’ attention to this very insightful and well developed article published by Jill Lawrence on Politics Daily this week, entitled Full Story

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Attacks give Sestak an opportunity to ‘hang a lantern’ on his problems

April 23, 2010 at 11:18 am

The first major controversy to emerge from the initial launch of television ads by the Specter and Sestak campaigns is the brouhaha over Sestak’s military career. It basically comes down to this: Sestak is relying on his 31 years of military service to distinguish himself and win the respect of voters, because it is his most compelling characteristic. Specter is employing a clever old political trick by going after his opponent’s biggest strength and trying…

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Specter’s opening salvo

April 19, 2010 at 7:00 am

With still no television ads from the Sestak campaign, Arlen Specter struck first last week with three spots ads aimed at working-class voters in Pennsylvania. Rather than going negative or even mentioning any of his rivals, Specter’s ads portray him as a friend of the working class who has fought for 30 years to keep jobs in Pennsylvania.

Though they are about slightly different topics, the ads all take the same…

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The more things change, the more they stay the same

April 12, 2010 at 2:01 pm

Pat Toomey must be feeling pretty happy. Polls show him beating likely-Democratic nominee Arlen Specter in the November general election by comfortable margins. Democratic primary challenger Joe Sestak, his hope of pulling off an upset fading, spends him time telling Democrats that Specter is too conservative, while Toomey tells Republicans that Specter is too liberal. And both men continually bash Specter as an untrustworthy creature of insider Washington politics.

However, beyond…

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Clunky messaging spoils Specter’s new ‘Workers’ Bill of Rights’ (Updated)

April 1, 2010 at 9:00 am

In a speech to U.S. Steelworkers Thursday morning, Senator Arlen Specter unveiled a 5-point plan that he called his "worker's bill of rights." The Hill reported that his plan included forcing China to end its practice of pegging its currency to the U.S. dollar; more aggressive American enforcement of trade laws; rescinding the president's authority to overrule the International Trade Commission's recommendations; speedier remedies for illegal trade claims; and stronger "Buy American" requirements under the stimulus package. Full Story

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Union endorsement just another sign of Specter’s bedrock institutional support

March 30, 2010 at 4:19 pm

The AFL-CIO’s announcement Tuesday that they are endorsing Senator Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary is just another sign that the state’s Democratic institutions are satisfied with Specter’s newly-found liberalism and believe he has the best shot of defeating Pat Toomey this November.

In all of these endorsements, Joe Sestak is coming off as little more than an afterthought. Endorsements are a way of interest groups betting on a winner, in the…

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