Specter rips GOP: ‘A Party of obstructionism.’
By on Oct 18th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Specter rips GOP: ‘A Party of obstructionism.’
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), who until late April of this year was a lifelong Republican, castigated his former party this morning on Fox News. Specter ripped the GOP for refusing to be a good-faith negotiator in the health care debate:
On the Republican side, it’s no, no, no. A party of obstructionism. … You have responsible Republicans who had been in the Senate — like Howard Baker, Bob Dole, or Bill Frist — who say Republicans ought to cooperate. Well, they’re not cooperating.
Watch it:
Specter also indicated he would fight hard for the public option. “I’m not prepared to recede at all. I think the public option is gaining momentum,” he said. “I am not going to step back a bit. I am going to fight for the best public option.”
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Afghanistan
Bachmann
Beck
Boehner
Bush
Cheney
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
Dobbs
Economy
Education
Election
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Gingrich
Global Warming
Guantanamo
Health Care
Immigration
International Relations
Iraq
Justice
LGBT
Lieberman
Limbaugh
Media
Military
O'Reilly
Obama
Palin
Pelosi
Politics
Race
Radical Right
Religion
Steele
Stimulus
Tea Parties
Technology
Terrorism
Veterans
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
Like we are going to believe Arlen? This person isnt.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:22 amHe was on Fox, strike 1.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:27 amHe wasn’t being shouted at, strike 2.
He still looks like the crypt keeper, strike 3.
Things are looking bad in those polls Time to pretend that the will of the people is the driving factor
October 18th, 2009 at 10:30 amA little shaky are we Arlen? There is a more responsible demo nipping at your cuffs.
You’ll say anything to get elected. We know that, we are not the minions you played to most of your republican political life.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:30 amOnce and for all can Olby Sucks or whatever you want to be called today answer the following:
1) Who are todays GOP leaders?
October 18th, 2009 at 10:33 am2) What is their plan for leading the opposition party to victory?
3) Why are these leaders allowing the Grand Old Party to be defined by kooks, weirdos, and whackjobs?
The Republicans have truly gone “all in” on the radical right agenda. The interesting thing is that if Obama succeeds, will there be a Republican party left? Politically the Republicans could only either go along and get marginalized, or fight hard and if Obama succeeds, get wiped out, with a small chance of coming back strong if Obama fails. They are in effect throwing away a middle pair, and drawing two cards to an inside straight, a very small chance of winning. Now what has made them make this desperate bet, ordinarily you would figure you can wait for better cards?
October 18th, 2009 at 10:39 amYes.I’ve always found Specter to be an attention-grabbing hypocrite.
But, just a factual correction to the original item: Specter was originally a Democrat and changed party affiliation when he ran for District Attorney in Pa. I remember reading about this when he changed parties once again.In France at the fin-de-siecle there was an “Opportunist” party. Let’s put Lieberman and Specter in that one.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:39 amThis is the beauty of having a credible primary challenge (hooray Joe Sestak!) – The old guard is forced to take stronger positions. Specter is saying all the right things here. I don’t trust him to do the right things if he gets re-elected (and I would prefer Sestak to win the primary and the election), but, at least with a primary challenge, the right things get said at this critical time.
If only we could arrange credible primary challenges for the rest of the old guard who are shaky on key Democratic initiatives.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:39 amI think Arlen surprised Mike Wallace there with the forcefulness of his criticism of the Republicans. You can see a touch of panic is his eyes as he quickly moves to give Thune a platform.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:41 am‘Now what has made them make this desperate bet, ordinarily you would figure you can wait for better cards?’
Hi Wiz,
I think the answer is ‘FAILURE – massive, widespread, overwhelming failure’.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:44 amLifelong Republican? Specter was a Democrat until 1965, when he changed party affiliation to run against the Democratic attorney general of Philadelphia.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:47 amHypocrite or not, if Specter is held up to his words by other Dem senators, it’s another vote for a badly needed public option. What’s worrying is what he means by “best public option.”
October 18th, 2009 at 10:54 amMessage to Arlen: the Repubs (plus many Dems) are paid by insurance companies etc. to obstruct. They are grasping for anything to prevent change, and if there is change, that it continues to benefit the “free enterprise system.” Of course you do know it, but most of America doesn’t.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:54 amArlen reminds me of a kipper snack; two-faced, oily, gutless and stinky. Time to retire and write your memoirs.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:08 amThis phucktard is a saying these things because Joe Sestak is gonna womp his a$$ in the primary in PA. This bastard will say anything to get reelected and then he will turn his back on all of us. You can’t trust this a$$h0le.
This old puke needs to retire and be happy he survived cancer on our dime.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:09 amWouldn’t the “best public option” be a single payer system?
October 18th, 2009 at 11:10 amSpecter can’t be trusted. No one that has ever had an (R) next to their name can be trusted. Specter can pretend to be a Democrat if he wants to, but he doesn’t fool me.
Specter is as finished politically, as is the entire Republican Party.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:17 amPeter C: I agree that the failures of the Bush administration may be making the Republicans feel so desperate that it may have pushed them to their high risk, all or nothing political behavior. But there is the “this in not the country that I grew up in” element, which sounds like some level of racism, or possibly people with a poorly developed sense of social responsibility.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:18 amLOL…
… Don’t ya just love Chris Wallace’s disconnect?
He called Arlen Specter a “Liberal Democrat”. A Liberal!?!?!
.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:25 am#7 and #11
Thanks for reminding us that Specter is a turn coat when opportunity presents itself. If I were his opponent I would be hitting hard on the fact that Arlen belongs to whatever party (at election time) that can get him elected.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:29 amWhat week is this?
October 18th, 2009 at 11:37 amThis must be Specter’s week to be honest; next week will see a reversal.
Wait for the latest poll to determine Specter’s ever-changing position.
Arlen is a putz and needs to lose to Sestak. But in the meantime he is on the right side of this issue and Lieberman is not.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:39 amI’m with Shayne, we need the old coot right now and we can deal with the primaries when the time comes.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:57 amThe first line of the article identifies Sen. Specter as “a lifelong Republican.” But clicking on that phrase takes the reader to another article in which Specter is quoted as follows: “I have been a Republican since 1966.”
October 18th, 2009 at 12:16 pmSpecter is a by-product of what is happening in the Republican party. Unless the party moderates, there will be more defections to the Dems. I don’t see the Republican national party rebuilding. The bomb throwers on the sidelines are going to continue to do so. If the Republicans fail to gain any seats or they lose even more seats in 2010, then it will be up to the party to purge the radical right wing. The alternative is a dissolution into two parties.
October 18th, 2009 at 12:18 pmSpecter is correct, but he should use the simple word “no” in place of “obstructionism.”
So many teabaggers and repiggie stupidheads can’t spell “obstructionism,” and might even have some difficulty with the spelling of “no.”
October 18th, 2009 at 12:22 pmSo, Arlen is saying the right things…but I’m not going to trust him until I see him put his VOTE where his flapping mouth is.
Talk is cheap, Arlen – now, follow it up with ACTION.
p.s. I’m still contributing to Sestak’s campaign. Nothing personal, buddy.
October 18th, 2009 at 12:26 pmThe Democrats need Specter right now. Politics makes for strange bed fellows. Specter was never a mainstream Republican, and was marginalized by the southern wing of the party. The switch was political survival with no love loss either way. I say cut him a break, he has served Pennsylvania well.
The voters will determine his fate.
October 18th, 2009 at 12:31 pmevangenital says:
So many teabaggers and repiggie stupidheads can’t spell “obstructionism,” and might even have some difficulty with the spelling of “no.”
The stupidheads can always look it up at the lieberry :)~
October 18th, 2009 at 12:32 pmWoe… sounds like Specter is concerned with his ratings among the Democrats in PA. Joe Sestak is only 2 points behind Specter and is becoming a real threat to Specter winning the Democratic Primary next year.
October 18th, 2009 at 12:33 pmflight says:
I agree that Specter has served his state well. He had the common sense to abandon the Republican party that is sinking faster than the Titanic. He is a politician no different than any other. Specter has a very large asset with his campaign– Senate seniority, which means he exercises a lot of influence for his state. Sestak would have to start at the bottom.
October 18th, 2009 at 12:43 pmDear Arlen,
I’m surprised you didn’t notice the complete mental constipation while you were there. Have you always had this vision problem?
October 18th, 2009 at 12:47 pmOh, the IRONY!
LBRULS warning the gNOpigs about their demise.
Yet those idiots keep marching toward the cliff.
Instead of actually presenting IDEAS and cooperating to solve the problems they created, they insist in the same old tripe.
Buyble, guns and flag wrapping.
Heck, last year, they were dumping on the Chimperor, calling him not a “real conservative,” yet had to support another moron that promised to follow in his big clown shoes, but also Mc5th choice was not “conservative” enough for them.
LBRULS are basically throwing a life saver to the gNOpigs and those idiots refuse to take it.
Great plan, gNOpiggies!
October 18th, 2009 at 12:54 pmFox’s idea of a “balanced” panel: a Republican, a Conservative Blue-dog Democrat and a “former Republican”.
I would like to point out something that irritate me to no end:
Thune kept repeating the line “government RUN healthcare”… like the government would employ doctors and hospitals. It’s a huge lie used to scare people into opposing the Public Option and NO ONE ever calls them on it.
October 18th, 2009 at 1:01 pmMugsy @ 34,
October 18th, 2009 at 1:35 pmI am also irritated at the continued scare tatics of the Republicans. I am hoping it blows up in their faces.
IF (really big if) Arlen Specter really does push on the public option, if he really does put his shoulder to the wheel, it might help move a Blue Dog or two in the right direction.
I’d like to see Specter retire and leave the Democratic side to Sestak, though. Specter’s done good, and probably some not so good, in his Congressional career, and it wouldn’t hurt anyone, least of all himself, to leave his seat for someone else.
October 18th, 2009 at 1:38 pmTO AaronQ Another warm hearted Republican, making fun of a man with Hodgkins Disease. What compassion.
October 18th, 2009 at 5:13 pmRepublicans – unfriendly – unstable
October 18th, 2009 at 5:56 pmRepublican behavior has been appalling. [even for school kids]
What does a Republican have to do to convince ninety percent of everyone that Republicans are unfriendly, unstable, a big drain on the nation, and should not be voted for?
Not withstanding zombies of the self anointed zombie master Rush Limbaugh and all the FOX Theatre addicts…
October 18th, 2009 at 6:02 pmSorry Faiz Shakir, Spector is not a “lifelong Republican.” Maybe your definition of “lifelong” is different than mine, but Spector switched parties in 1965.
October 18th, 2009 at 6:13 pmI just looked out the window and noticed that the wind is starting to blow in the other direction, just like Arlen Specter.
God knows, I wish I could trust Specter.
October 18th, 2009 at 6:49 pmI am thrilled to hear Arlen talk like this and I look forward to voting for him next year if he survives the primaries.
October 19th, 2009 at 6:18 amArlen needs to be defeat with the rest of the bunch:
http://americaspeaksink.com/2009/10/how-obama-lost-reelection-for-the-presidency/
October 19th, 2009 at 8:00 amSingle Bullet Theory Spector is saying the right things but will he do the right thing?
Not in his history -that is for sure.
I think not.
October 19th, 2009 at 10:58 amDbadass,
It looks like your pre-emptive troll strike has had an effect
October 19th, 2009 at 11:18 am44
October 20th, 2009 at 10:28 am555
October 20th, 2009 at 10:30 amlll
October 20th, 2009 at 10:47 amYup!! Someone said, “This old puke needs to retire and be happy he survived cancer on our dime.” Ironic isn’t it that HE gets a public option whether or not he supports one for US? Take AWAY health insurance for Congresspeople!! Let THEM live in an ‘insurance company world’ where they must pay for their own!!
October 20th, 2009 at 12:23 pmThank you for your sharing.!
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:41 pmThey feel that all rules and regulations are wrong. Ever been to a football game estetik? What if there were no rules? What sort of a game would that be burun estetigi? What if we eliminated traffic lights and speed limits on the road? Why not go under one’s car hood and start pulling out wires and hoses gögüs büyütme ameliyatlari? Surely the car would run much better, because it would become “deregulated, gögüs estetigi” as opposed to a finely-tuned, “regulated” engine. The human body is itself highly regulated. gögüs küçültme ameliyatlari What happens when a human body part functions erratically, or not at all, that is, when precise biological “regulation” fails vajina daraltma ameliyatlari? The point is, the more things are regulated, the more efficiently, fairly, safely, and logistically they work lazer epilasyon. This premise includes the national economy and international trade. Consider the current banking and financial crisis as evidence of what “anything goes karin germe estetigi” deregulation can bring: destabilization and chaos! Libertarians confuse “regulation” with “diminished freedom. estetik” But as we have found, by the virtue of providing fairness and rules for all to follow, freedom is actually enhanced ? not restricted ? by rules and regulation. karin germe estetigi And whether these rules come from government, or God, we must have rules, or we have no civilization. Or freedom. saç ekimi
October 24th, 2009 at 4:04 am