Obama’s Pa. trip sparks war of words

President Obama’s trip to Pennsylvania to pitch the Democratic health care plan Monday sparked a political war of words, with the state Republican and Democratic parties facing off over what is the proper prescription to treat the state’s 1.2 million uninsured.

State GOP Chairman Rob Gleason joined Senate hopeful Pat Toomey on a conference call with reporters, during which the Republicans called “ObamaCare” the wrong option for Pennsylvania, saying it costs too…

March 8, 2010 at 6:28 pm | Comments (7)

More on the White House staff

Interesting post by Sean Wilentz at The Daily Beast on how President Obama needs to sack all or most of his White House staff—and soon.

A distinguished and (I might add) left-leaning historian and author of “The Age of Reagan,” Wilentz notes that successful presidents almost always need to part with much of their pre-White House staff in order to be so. Those who hang on too long are typically less successful.…

March 1, 2010 at 9:00 am | Comments (1)

Sestak looks to pressure Obama on his support for Specter (Video)

Democrat Joe Sestak’s campaign has posted a Web video and petition critical of President Obama for supporting Senator Arlen Specter, in what clearly amounts to the campaign’s most direct attempt to date at pressuring Obama and the Democratic establishment for backing Specter.

The video, published on Sestak’s campaign Web site Monday and embedded below, mimics an iconic Will.i.am video from the presidential campaign that went viral in 2008. Titled “Dear Mr. President,”…

February 22, 2010 at 7:27 pm | Comments (40)

Thoughts on a frozen government

If you follow The In-Specter, you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t posted much lately. It’s been difficult for me to write about anything political for the last couple of weeks because it has been so upsetting to see how selfishness, ignorance and fear have poisoned the ability for our government to deliver the change it was elected to bring to Washington. Instead, what we’ve seen in the United States Senate is a minority party in…

February 12, 2010 at 1:30 pm | Comments (3)

Obama and Republicans both need to take a deep breath

Since his administration took a tumble in Massachusetts a couple of weeks ago, people have been full of advice for President Obama, much of it less than helpful. In Sunday’s New York Times, Frank Rich urged him to “turn up the heat” on congressional Republicans, make clear that George W. Bush is to blame for the current budget mess and move more aggressively to advance his “progressive” agenda.  Rich cited Obama’s criticism…

February 1, 2010 at 9:15 am | Comments (4)

What a difference a week makes

The Left is in disarray following a week in which Republicans pulled political stunners in two of the three elected branches of the federal government.

First came the special election of Scott Brown to the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy since 1962, the year he won a special election to fill the seat vacated by his brother when he assumed the presidency. Politicos across the nation were stunned as an insurgent Republican state Senator…

January 27, 2010 at 9:57 am | Comments (3)

Republicans ready to lead

Last January, President Obama and a Democratic Congress swept into office under the guise of ushering in a new era of hope, change and bipartisanship to a country battling its worst financial crisis in nearly a century.

Sadly, though not surprisingly, Obama and Washington Democrats abandoned these empty pretenses shortly after taking office, shunning the needs of our country in exchange for a the chance to check off items of an arch-liberal agenda using only…

January 14, 2010 at 1:58 pm | Comments (4)

Toomey ‘delighted’ Obama came to Pa.

Keeping up his civil approach to disagreeing with President Obama’s policies, Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey on Friday lauded Obama’s decision to come to Pennsylvania, even while insisting it’s time to “end the bailouts, get spending under control.”

“I’m delighted that the President of the United States chose to come to Allentown,” Toomey said on a conference call with reporters. “It’s great to have a sitting president in the Lehigh Valley, and I’m pleased he…

December 4, 2009 at 2:51 pm | Comments (13)

Obama’s Afghanistan plan crystallizes difference between Sestak and Specter

A contrast that had recently emerged between the two major Democratic candidates for Senate on Afghanistan policy was hardened Tuesday night by President Obama’s announcement that he would send 30,000 more troops to the country.

A couple weeks after he first signaled opposition to a troop buildup, Senator Arlen Specter settled firmly to Congressman Joe Sestak’s (D-7) left on the issue, marking the first policy position on which he could clearly appeal more…

December 2, 2009 at 6:00 am | Comments (14)

Obama at (almost) one year

A lot in the 2010 elections obviously depends on President Obama’s standing one year from now. The conventional wisdom had him unstoppable a year ago, and now says he’s in today. I didn’t agree with it a year ago. And now? No easy answers, but a couple of observations:

—I wouldn’t be too quick to write Obama’s political obituary. A recent poll showed he had lost popularity faster than all but one or two presidents:…

November 30, 2009 at 9:14 pm | Comments (1)