Check out this letter that union leader John Dougherty sent out to his email list on behalf of U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter. In the lengthy screed, he seems to compliment longtime rival Vince Fumo -- now in prison -- noting that he can no longer provide funds for the region.
Read the full text below:
May 17, 2010
Dear Friends:
I wanted to take a moment of your time to thank you for your support of the many charitable events we participate in, including the past six years at the Variety Club and the recent and very successful Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Please consider joining us again on Sunday, June 20th for the annual Father's Day Prostate Cancer Run.
I try not to email you too often, other than to ask for your support for charities, to wish you a safe and happy holiday, or to simply show loyalty to a friend. It is for that last reason that I am reaching out to you now.
As you know, tomorrow is Election Day. In the Democratic Primary race for U.S. Senate between Sen. Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak, the polls appear to be a toss-up. I am asking you to consider all that Arlen Specter has done for Philadelphia and our entire five-county region and return his loyalty to us by returning Sen. Specter to the U.S Senate to continue fighting for the Greater Philadelphia region.
Arlen Specter is a stand-up guy, despite what you've heard from his challenger's below-the-belt attacks. Understand what is happening here and what is at stake. For the first time in nearly two decades, Philadelphia and the surrounding suburban counties won't have Ed Rendell to rely upon. Sen. Fumo is no longer able to deliver for our region (that's right, I said Senator Fumo!). The possibility of losing Sen. Specter in the Senate and not having anyone from Philadelphia in a position of power will drive down our entire region - and it would take us years to recover. We cannot allow it to happen.
The difference tomorrow will come down to our loyalty to a man who has done so much for so long for our region. Sen. Specter is responsible for bringing hundreds of millions of dollars to the city in PHA projects. He helped to deliver the dredging project to Philadelphia and did most of the heavy lifting. He helped deliver the Convention Center expansion project and was the key swing vote on the Recovery Act that created 20,000 jobs in Pennsylvania and is helping to pull our country out of a recession. He also fought to extend unemployment benefits for out-of-work Americans, helping save their homes and their dignity.
When I think of my friend Arlen Specter, I can't help thinking of this 2010 Flyers' team that has captured our hearts as they continue their incredible run through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Like Sen. Specter, they've been discounted and written off before. The difference in this year's resilient squad is Chris Pronger. He's not afraid to go into the corners, he's a natural born leader, and his fighter's mentality wills his teammates to win.
In Arlen Specter, we have an equally tough leader and a defender of our region. But unlike Chris Pronger, we don't have to trade for Arlen Specter, - we just have to re-elect him.
One final note: much has been made of who's the true Democrat in this race. Yesterday, when asked by a CNN reporter if he would support Sestak in the General Election if he loses tomorrow's Primary, Sen. Specter did not hesitate to say "Yes," adding that Democratic unity was critically important to keeping the Senate seat in the fall. When asked the same question, Sestak refused to say that he would support Specter in the General, despite the serious challenge ahead of defeating likely Republican nominee Pat Toomey. So I ask you, who is the true Democrat in this race?
For the sake of Philadelphia and the entire five-county region, I respectfully ask you to vote for Sen. Specter tomorrow. We need him in the Senate, now more than ever.
As always, thank you for listening.
Sincerely,
John J. Dougherty
Business Manager
IBEW Local 98