Specter Ends 30 Years in Senate

Democrat Arlen Specter took on the Supreme Court and increasingly partisan politics during his farewell speech to the Senate.
Specter played a high-profile role in the confirmation process of every sitting Supreme Court Justice, and warned the court has gotten more and more aggressive during his 30 years in Washington.

"The Supreme Court has been eating Congress' lunch by invalidating legislation with judicial activism after nominees commit under oath in confirmation proceedings to respect Congressional fact-finding and precedent. "

Specter said Chief Justice John Roberts promised to "call balls and strikes" as a judge, but ended up "moving the bases."
He says one thing Congress can do is pass a law requiring the Court to allow cameras into hearings.
Specter also argued against increased ideological polarization in politics, saying parties' push to eliminate moderates from their ranks amounts to "sophisticated cannibalism."
Specter says one way to reduce Senate gridlock is to let lawmakers offer more amendments on the floor. He warned reducing that right has led to more and more filibusters.

The five term Senator was defeated in the May Primary by Congressman Joe Sestak who subsequently lost the general election to Republican Pat Toomey.

Listen to the entire speech of Senator Specter.

State Funding for Murtha, Specter Projects Criticized

Governor Ed Rendell is defending allocating 20 million dollars to projects named after Senator Arlen Specter and Congressman John Murtha.
Nearly every state department lost funding in this year’s budget, but an accompanying bond measure hands out 300 million dollars for construction projects across Pennsylvania.
That includes 10 million dollars for an Arlen Specter library at Philadelphia University, and the same amount for a John Murtha Policy Center in Johnstown. Murtha, the longest serving Congressman in Pennsylvania history, died in February. Specter, a 30 year member of the U.S. Senate, lost a primary election in May to Joe Sestak.
The two line items drew the ire of conservative lawmakers during weekend budget votes, but Rendell defends them.

"The Murtha project will help us in the long run because it’s technology. It’s going to be a technology center. The Specter library – it’s just a good construction project. It’s necessary. Philadelphia University, I know about it. I don’t live far from the campus. They could use an expansion and the Specter library will help them do just that."

Rendell points out the borrowed money can’t be used for operating expenses, so the 300 million dollars would not have restored any budget cuts. Still, critics point out that it is money the state is borrowing.
The bond measure was passed by both legislative chambers on Saturday, less than a day after its line items were made public.

NLRC Open Convention in PA

The National Right to Life Committee opened its three-day national convention Thursday morning and the group’s leadership is optimistic about the future. NRLC President Wanda Franz says recent studies show more Americans are calling themselves “pro-life” and the number of abortions performed in the US continues to fall even as the number of women of childbearing age increases. She says it all points to a changing mood in the nation. A mood they hope to be able to tap into in the November elections. NRLC Political Director Karen Cross says that new mood is already showing up in the political arena. She says the last few months have been exciting to watch. “Every week its almost like Christmas for me,” says Cross. She says many of the races pit candidates with clearly defined differences when it comes to abortion issues. That includes the US senate race in Pennsylvania between Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey. Toomey is strongly Pro-life, Sestak is Pro-choice.

The National Right to Life Committee leadership is also praising some state level gains made in the last year including a law in Oklahoma that will force those performing abortions to display the ultrasound in a place where the woman can see the image. Other states with ultrasound viewing laws only force the procedure provider to offer the pregnant woman the opportunity to see the image. NRLC State Political Director Mary Spaulding-Balch says that is a slight difference from other ultrasound viewing laws but one that clearly makes a difference. “In the states where they are offered the opportunity to view there has not been a single challenge and yet when Oklahoma simply changes the language to the point that the ultrasound must be displayed it is challenged by our opponents,” says Spaulding-Balch. That law is to go into effect in October.

The group is also taking an interest in the confirmation of Elena Kagan. NLRC Executive Director David O’Steen says his organization will “very actively oppose” the nomination of Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court. Hearings for Kagan begin Monday. The Committee has already sent a letter to all members of the Senate asking that Kagan be rejected. The letter lays out an argument that Kagan was key in defeating the partial birth abortion bill during the Clinton administration. He says Kagan’s writings show she strongly argued with the president that he should not support the bill saying it was unconstitutional and that pro-choice groups “will go crazy.” O’Steen says those writings also show that Kagan is a “social engineer” and will be more interested in driving change if she is added to the court rather than defending the constitution. The letter to the Senators reads in part, “she believes that ‘it is not necessarily wrong or invalid’ for appointed judges ‘to mold and steer the law in order to promote certain ethical values and achieve social ends.’” O’Steen says the NLRC Federal Legislative Department will be lobbying members of the Senate Judicial Committee but they will be, “choosing people to speak with based on, of course, the anticipation of success and Arlen Specter (D-PA) is history… it seems he has been rejected by both parties now.” The letter says Kagan will “treat the US Constitution not as a body of basic law that truly constrains both legislators and judges, but rather, as a cookbook in which may be found legal recipes that will allow the imposition of the policies that Ms. Kagan deems to be justified.”

Sestak Upsets Specter

Arlen Specter's bid for a sixth, 6-year term in the U.S. Senate has failed. The 30 year senior Senator from Pennsylvania lost the Democratic Primary to Congressman Joe Sestak of Delaware County. Sestak received 54% of the vote to Specter's 46% capping a big rally by the former Navy admiral who trailed Specter in the polls by 20 percentage points 2 months ago.
It was Specter's first election since he switched from the Republican Party 13 months ago. In his victory speech, Sestak called the vote a win for the people over the establishment, the status quo and even Washington, D.C.

In a brief concession speech, Mr. Specter thanked those who had supported him. "It's been a great privilege to serve the people of Pennsylvania," he said. "And it's been a great privilege to be in the United States Senate, and I'll be working very, very hard for people of the Commonwealth in the coming months."
The vote was also a defeat for President Barack Obama, who supported Specter when he defected from the GOP. Governor Ed Rendell, who also endorsed Specter, said he was disappointed because he thought Specter had the better chance of defeating Republican nominee Pat Toomey in November's general election.

Specter, Sestak Criss-Cross PA on Final Day to Campaign

With the Democratic Senate race in a virtual dead heat up on the eve of Pennsylvania’s primary, the national media is focusing on the race, and waiting to see whether Arlen Specter’s party switching gamble will pay off.
The final Quinnipiac poll today has Joe Sestak leading Specter 42 to41 percent with 16 percent undecided. The final Muhlenberg College tracking poll over the weekend shows Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak tied at 44 percent each.
Specter has the backing of the Democratic establishment, and three decades worth of accomplishments to tout, but Sestak is doing all he can to out-hustle the incumbent.

"Am I working my toes off from now until then? Absolutely. Because until that ball is in the end zone, you just keep on working. But look – I understand and I respect the establishment. I just disagree."

Sestak made his remarks in Philadelphia’s Love Park, where he greeted voters on Friday afternoon.
A few blocks away, Specter held a press conference in a high-rise office tower with Governor Rendell, Mayor Michael Nutter and members of the city’s black clergy.
He says he’s seen his political obituary written before, and he’s confident going into Tuesday.

"I counted them up: I’ve been in 14 contested election. Six have been within three points. I’m still in the lead in key polls, but the poll that counts is next Tuesday."

Specter says he may have switched from Republican to Democrat last year, but he’s always been consistent when it comes to bringing back federal dollars and resources for Pennsylvania.