Pass the butter, please.
Arlen Specter just popped. You never know in politics, but based on my experience in watching polling trends, only a mid-May blizzard or some other freak phenominon of nature can at this point prevent the five-term senator from losing the Democratic primary to Rep. Joe Sestak of Delaware County, one week from tomorrow. Over the next week, you will see some remarkably nasty attack ads from Team Specter and intensive campaigng from his erstwhile East Falls neighbor Ed Rendell and maybe even from Barack Obama, although if anyone on the Democratic side has any common sense (heh) they will allow the president to save face by announcing that he's busy dealing with some crisis in D.C., since there are so many to choose from. None of this will work. Specter has already thrown the dirty-ad kitchen sink at Sestak.
It just hasn't worked.
What amazes me is that the pundits didn't see this coming a year ago. Everyone is acting all stunned by the Sestak ad showing Specter's endorsement from a Will Ferrell-esque George W. Bush and his political flirtations with Sarah Palin, when it was obvious a year ago that such an ad was coming and that it would destroy Specter and that he would melt faster than the Wicked Witch of the West the second that it hit the airwaves. Do the talking heads even know who votes in an off-year Democratic primary? If not, hop into my Prius and I'll drive you down to the Whole Foods and show you -- they are NOT voting for an ex-Bush "ally"...ever.
Also, there was so much talk of what a political genius that Specter is, when it turns out that his only genius is in using the power of incumbency to raise millions of dollars. In fact, his handling of the party switch -- when he looked into the camera and said the main reason he was switching parties was to get himself re-elected -- was actually the biggest political botch I have ever seen in my life. I'm sure he thought that didn't matter, because Rendell and Obama and the supposed Democratic machine would save him in the end. Except that those two guys and and the creaky "machine" couldn't elect a dogcatcher in Pennsylvania right now (I think Obama's fortunes here will improve greatly in 2012 as long as the economy improves as well -- but that's two long years away).
Which is why Specter is toast. Hey, it's been a heck of ride, Arlen, for about 50 years. Now Pennsylvania's senior senator will be able to enjoy something that I -- and quite possibly you -- will never experience.
Retirement.
Will, assuming what you are forecasting holds true and Specter loses, what do you think the chances are he will pull a Lieberman/Crist and run as an independent? Haven't heard any talk of this but I wonder if he's thinking about it. What I will love if Sestak wins will be the big middle finger state voters will be giving the state's Democratic Party machine...— BillHicksLives!
I'm sure he's thought of it -- the guy will do anything to get re-elected! However, the law in PA is very different from CT -- I'm pretty sure that if you lose a primary here you can't turn around and run as an independent. The only way would be write-in, as Bennett in Utah is considering. Good luck with that.— will- Say, RG - your Utopia finally exists: --snip-- The official platform for the Republican Party of Maine is now a mix of right-wing fringe policies, libertarian buzzwords and outright conspiracy theories. The document calls for the elimination of the Department of Education and the Federal Reserve, demands an investigation of “collusion between government and industry in the global warming myth,” suggests the adoption of “Austrian Economics,” declares that “‘Freedom of Religion’ does not mean ‘freedom from religion’” (which I guess makes atheism illegal), insists that “healthcare is not a right,” calls for the abrogation of the “UN Treaty on Rights of the Child” and the “Law Of The Sea Treaty” and declares that we must resist “efforts to create a one world government.” --snip--— Talking point sleuth
- PA does have a "sore-loser" law that would prevent Specter from running as an independent if he loses. However, he could have a write-in campaign. BTW, Rasmussen released a poll today that has Sestak ahead 47-42 in the primary.— buttermilk67
Sloth, assuming what you posted is accurate, a big assumption, I see that as a real positive platform. The UN is the most corrupt organization on the face of the earth and only slightly less anti-semetic than Hamas. AGW is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated by the intellegensia (and follow the money to ALGORE's house). Bad science based strictly on computer models that that make wild and unreliable assumptions. The real test of this is that the data is not reproduceable (a basic tenet in research). There is no such thing as settled sciece. Examples:1930's-don't touch the heart in surgery, 1940's lobotomies will cure mental illnesses, 1950's tonsilectomies for all children. More research and better techniques and information sources change "settled science". AGW is a religion of lefties who want to bring some significance to their meaningless lives. Ludwig von Mises was right. One world government is silly idea idea that would never be possible. Kind of like you having a rational thought.— georgel- TPS, that i right wing troll utopia. Methinks RG and Mr. Smith are packing their bags for Maine now.
- Add George I to that list packing their bags for right wing utopia. During the Great Depression families migrated to California, during the sixties hippies migrated to California, and now it looks like the teebaggging crowd are migrating to Maine.
- I'm picturing long lines of Humvees along northbound I-95 with "Palin 2012" bumper stickers, all filled with bovine white men.
- I'm picturing long lines of hybrids and Range Rovers heading southbound with "Obama--Yes We Can!" bumper stickers, all filled with bovine white guilt men and women and black supremicists.— timetostopthis
- That's good, lefties (I'm looking at you, BHL)... keep mocking, deriding, and above all stereotyping those you disagree with.
- A lot of what is being said on here borders on stereotyping. I lean Repub, and would identify myself with the Tea Party, as one in five people in this country do. People like Bill Hicks can say it's all "bovine white men," but the Tea Party stretches across all people. I can even blast timetostopthis for calling Obama supporters "bovine white guilt men and women and black supremicists." ALL of you are wrong. Why not stick to the facts of this blog and not resort to name calling and stereotyping?— buttermilk67
- Specter wins and will order toast and coffee for breakfast. What will Sestak do?— OldSchoolG
- Our current laws regarding candidacy for office are offensive. Rather than giving creedance to individuals, these hacks all run on party tickets, using their party coattails to stay in office. If Specter's name appeared on a ballot, without a party designation, he would have been toast years ago.— Mark Glaeser
- If you are correct, Will, I may have to change my screen name to "Happy". Shame on Specter for pushing his agenda on Sports talk morning shows ("J-Roll endorsed me"). Desperation.— AngryWhiteMale
Will is right, Specter is toast. Its about time we had a real Democrate representing Pennsylvania. Remember when he was a Republican, he would always make noises like he was going to do the right thing on big issues in America but always ended up toeing the Cheney/Bush line. Never once voted his principles (if he actually has any) as a Regressive. November 2010? Bring. It. On!— Les Ismore
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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