In his own words
Arlen Specter, candid about his own opportunism
In his own words
Dick Polman, Inquirer National Political Columnist
The most effective TV attack ad is the kind that essentially shows the targeted candidate using his own words to attack himself.
It is anyone's guess whether underdog Democrat Joe Sestak can wrest the Pennsylvania Senate nomination away from incumbent/survivor/chameleon Arlen Specter in the primary election 12 days from now. But if Sestak does manage to stage a major upset, we're likely to look back and say that his new TV ambush on Specter was the move that changed the game - precisely because ex-Republican Specter is right there on camera, talking about how he switched parties a year ago in order to preserve his political career.
The Sestak ad is clearly aimed at the reportedly large number of Democrats who have yet to decide on a candidate. One senses that these undecideds may well be leaning toward Sestak, if only because Specter is universally known in Pennsylvania, and one can reasonably speculate that if the undecideds wanted to back Specter, they'd be in his camp already. This new ad is crafted to give the undecideds one last reason to dump Specter - and erase the senator's poll lead. Specter recently topped Sestak among Democratic voters by double digits, but his margin has since been whittled to as few as five percentage points - a situation that has unnerved Democratic leaders, notably state chairman T. J. Rooney, who told the Politico website this week that a Sestak victory would be "cataclysmic" for the party's prospects of beating Republican Pat Toomey in November.
Anyway, the Sestak ad features footage of Specter sharing a podium with his former Republican compradre, Rick Santorum, and with an effusive George W. Bush. (Bush on Specter: "I can count on this man. See, that's important. He's a firm ally.") And it closes with a freeze shot of Specter on the stump with Sarah Palin. Naturally, all that footage is designed to induce the proper Pavlovian response among Pennsylvania Democratic voters, and remind them - if they need any reminding - that Specter was not always a left-leaning lawmaker who voted for the Obama economic stimulus.
But the potential zapper is when Specter talks about his own party switch: "My change in party will enable me to be re-elected."
Sestak's media team liked that clip so much, they used it twice within a span of 16 seconds - understandably so, because it's probably their best weapon at the finish line. Democratic voters are potentially just as fed up with the political establishment as their GOP counterparts seem to be, and here is Specter, in his own words, describing himself as an establishment fixture motivated only by self-preservation.
When Specter announced his party switch 13 months ago, he also specifically spelled out his reasons for leaving the GOP this way: "I have traveled the state and surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania and public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls and have found that the prospects for winning a Republican primary are bleak." In terms of message, the clip in the ad is essentially the same - with the requisite soundbite concision.
A politician never looks good when he's quoted undercutting himself. Just ask John Kerry, who suffered politically in 2004 for saying, "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." The nimble-footed Republicans sped the footage into a Bush campaign ad, and, fairly or not, Kerry's nascent image as a flip-flopper was sealed by his own words. The risk for Arlen Specter right now is that his own words might seal the suspicion, among many undecided Democrats, that he's only driven by opportunism.
The irony is that when Specter spoke those words, he was being candid about himself. Rarely has a politician been so open and honest about being so conviction-free, and now we'll see whether Sestak can make him pay a fatal political price.
Comment removed.
still_independent, what a shock. Bredesen, the DEMOCRAT governor and Obama supporter praises the administration for its Tennessee flood response (were they there from Day One?). Meanwhile, in NPR May 7, 2010.."Tennessee has been dealing with the effects of flood waters lately. The Nashville area has been the hardest hit. Mayor Karl Dean talks to Renee Montagne about the flooding of the Cumberland River. There are concerns the city's clean water supply may soon run out." Where is FEMA with clean water (same criticism leveled at Bush for New Orleans). Where is FEMA, or rather the media coverage of FEMA and their Tennessee flood response? Has it even been reported? There were whole neighborhoods with flood waters over the roofs of houses, has FEMA even been in Tennessee? Sure, Obama declared them disaster areas, but big deal. From the Houston Business Journal, dated May 6, 2010..."Dean also praised the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, which has created a website to help connect businesses to the resources that many will need to recover from the flood and to help connect other businesses to those in need. He also stressed that FEMA help is only available to people who register at FEMA.gov or by calling (800) 621-3362." Say, if your house is flooded, does your phone still work?— tom - wilmington, de- Say it again...."FEMA help is only available to people who register at FEMA.gov or by calling (800) 621-3362." Heckuva job Barry.— tom - wilmington, de
- Still Independent- you said " They've had the same massive debt for years. Their mess is a conbination of too much debt, too much inflation, and being locked into the Euro (there's no way for them to devalue their currency)"............. Well OK, so are implying there are massive pitfalls in deferring sovereignty to a " world body" or this case a continental union? i.e. a common currency that a country can no longer control? If the left had their druthers the constitution of the United States would be a distant second to some World Body government. My point here is that European socialism and the debt that comes with it isn't something to emuluate. If the left isn't learning a lesson by what is going in Greece then I fear our situation is hopeless.
- Specter is a uniter, a political rarity these days. Everybody hates him, democrat and republican.— tr88
- "Second, it would be a little easier for the rest of us not to live in fear if the president's entire national security strategy didn't depend on average citizens happening to notice a smoldering SUV in Times Square or smoke coming from a fellow airline passenger's crotch. But after the car bomber, the diaper bomber and the Fort Hood shooter, it has become increasingly clear that Obama's only national defense strategy is: Let's hope their bombs don't work" www.anncoulter.com- Another great column from Ann
- "But there are similarities to the U.S. as well -- and because we have elected Democrats, they are growing. By the end of 2011, Greece's debt will be 150 percent of its GDP. According to a March report by the Congressional Budget Office, President Obama's 2011 budget will generate nearly $10 trillion in cumulative budget deficits over the next 10 years -- $1.2 trillion more than the administration projected -- which will increase our debt to GDP ratio to 90 percent by 2020. One in three Greeks works for the government. Government employees enjoy higher wages, more munificent benefits, and earlier retirements than private sector employees. Civil servants can retire after 35 years of service at 80 percent of their highest salary and enjoy lavish health plans, vacations, and other perks. Because they are so numerous, and because Greece is highly centralized, public sector unions hardly have to negotiate. They simply vote in their preferred bosses. Some civil servants receive bonuses for using computers, others for arriving at work on time. Forestry workers get a bonus for outdoor work. All civil servants receive 14 yearly checks for 12 months' work. And it's impossible to fire them -- even for the grossest incompetence." From Mona Charin of NRO
- swedesboromike : first of all, the Euro was a bad idea in that many of the countries the joined in the currency were too weak to do so (including Greece). So yes, using a common currency is a bad idea for nations with disimilar economies and economic status. Many economists warned at the time that this would be an eventual outcome, that this was a case of "when", not "if"... As to European "socialism", no, I don't want to emulate that. But you have to acknowledge that some nations (like Spain) are in nearly the same dire straits as Greece without the same debt burden and without being nearly so "socialistic".— still_independent
- Ruh-Roh Righties:”U.S. economy added 290,000 jobs in April” Don’t bank on a big November and forget 2012. Obama is saving the country! What’s the GOP got? Nothing. Except FAIL. Happy Friday!— LorettaL
- LorettaL- and unemployment went up to 9.9%. You left that part out.
- tom: is your issue w/ FEMA, the coverage, or simply the fact that this administration can do no right? All of the above? For what it's worth, three people that work for me were in Nashville for work during this mess. They got relocated to hotels outside the city. This is obviously anecdotal, but I have pic messages on my cell, and a couple of them have federal response units in the photos (along w/ local EMS, TN units, etc.) To your larger point, the media coverage of Nashville has been much smaller. However, if you're trying to compare the coverage of a massive hurricane that leveled two states and killed over 1,000 people during a slow news week with some horrific flooding in a small portion of a state that (unfortunately) killed 17 people in the midst of the oil spill and the Times Square attempted bombing, then I have no idea why you are shocked at the lack of coverage. You can say it's because it's Obama, but I'm on FoxNews' website right now. There's four main stories. None of them are about the flooding.— still_independent
- 290,000 jobs were created in April. The fastest growth since Bush was President. The unemployment rate, however, rose to 9.9 percent as the size of the labor force increased.
- still Independent- you said " simply the fact that this administration can do no right? "............. For 8 years the left and the MSNBC crowd sat there and criticized Bush's every move, speech, policy, etc etc etc. Much of the criticisim was about as intellectually dishonest as it gets. Google chimpanzee and Bush and see how many pages you'll find. What did you think was going to happen when your side got in charge?
- swedesboromike : not for nuthin', but I've noticed that when the unemployment rate drops, it's because people gave up, the labor pool shrank, and you tout the "real unemployment rate" - it's not that jobs were added. When jobs go up, the unemployment rate is what matters. Which is it? Listen, I'm the first to admit that the employment situation is only getter better in tiny little increments, if at all, and that this has generally been a "jobless recovery". But at least be consistent. Either the unemployment rate matters or it doesn't - it shouldn't only matter when it goes up (and makes Obama look bad).— still_independent
- Jobs created in April - 290,000. Census workers hired that will show up in the April and May jobs numbers - 600,000. And since the unemployment rate went up since more people are now looking for work, all the bragging about the unemployment holding steady in prior months was overblown. Where are those 3.5 million jobs created (saved?) from the stimulus bill? Here in DE teachers are holding their breaths. In my wife's district they find out about layoffs May 15th and they are expecting a lot of people let go (she has tenure and 7+ years seniority and is worried). With no more stimulus money, the state cannot afford the teachers and workers.— tom - wilmington, de
Cited by the Columbia Journalism Review as one of the nation's top political reporters, and lauded by the ABC News political website as "one of the finest political journalists of his generation," Dick Polman is a national political columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is on the full-time faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, as "writer in residence." Dick has been a frequent guest on C-Span, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the BBC. He covered the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential campaigns.
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