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Political Hay
Dear Arlen
Let's be frank senator, you've painted yourself into a pretty tight corner. Never the most popular fellow in the World’s Greatest Deliberative Body, you have at least always had everyone’s grudging respect as a tough, smart guy. We may not like Snarlin' Arlen, they['d say, but we’d much rather have him as an ally than a foe.
But in the space of a single week, you have squandered that respect. First, you alienated the Republicans by defecting to the Democrats and then you managed to annoy the Democrats enough to have them vote to strip you of your seniority -- the preservation of which was the very reason you switched parties in the first place.
Now you are the 79 year-old rookie senator on every committee the Democrats will consent to let you sit in on. Without that seniority, it is hard to see what you have to offer the voters of Pennsylvania to stay in office. It's not like anybody in the Senate is rushing to do you favors right now.
You needed it too. The labor unions are certain to back a Democratic primary challenge because you've come out against card check. Enough other lefty groups are upset at you for one reason or another -- not to mention your Johnny-come-lately-to-party status – that you are certain to have a real fight on your hands.
Yes, you were double-crossed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He promised to preserve your seniority and then let the caucus vote against it. But it should have occurred to you that after you switched parties Reid would have the upper hand. You had already played your trump card by then and had no leverage left.
That was the fate of Vermont party-switcher Jim Jeffords. After he turned to the Democrats and the hoopla died down, he realized that he wasn’t any better off than before. No, actually, he was worse off. As a Republican he could use the threat of defection to wring concessions from the GOP. As a Democrat he had no such pull. What was he going to do, switch back? He ended his Senate career a bitter man, not even bothering to run for re-election.
Ah, but you didn't ask him, did you?
So now what do you do? Stay with the Democrats? It is hard to see why you'd want to do that. As the vote Tuesday made perfectly clear, they are not going to go to bat for you. I put your hopes of actually winning your state’s 2010 Democratic nomination as slim to none.
You cannot switch back either. That would turn this whole situation into a farce and destroy your remaining credibility. And the Republicans are so ticked off at you they may tell you to take a hike anyway.
Here's my suggestion: Retire. Announce that you are not running for re-election after all.
Yeah, it will smart. Now matter how you spin it, it will taken as a surrender. Pundits will write snarky things about you. Your critics will high five each other. And so on.
But so what? That will pass after a news cycle or two. It’s about time you stepped down anyway. You’re going to be 80 next year and you’re a cancer survivor to boot. You’ve earned a rest. When the history books are written they’ll say Specter served 30 years and then stepped down. There’s no shame in that. Or would you rather end your long career with a loss like Ted Stevens or Bill Roth?
Besides, think of the fun you can have with the rest of your term. Between now and the end of 2010, you’ll be beholden to no one. Nobody could threaten you. You won’t have to second guess your votes, worrying how they will affect fundraising or boost Pat Toomey’s numbers. You can let it rip at every press conference.
Are you ticked off at Reid for his double cross? Then think of the sheer pleasure you can have in watching him come groveling to you every single time he needs that 60th vote for cloture. Play your cards right and you might even be able to get him to give his press conferences in a pink tutu.
(By the way, you could do the same thing with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who will need you as much Reid will during cloture votes.)
So that's my suggestion. You have made a mess of things and the best thing you can do now is to cut your losses. But you still have one last chance to be a big shot in the Senate, however briefly. Take it.
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Becky| 5.7.09 @ 7:20AM
Spectator on Spector the spectacle: retire. Good advice.
Rob| 5.7.09 @ 7:59AM
You don't really think this egotistical, two faced slimeball will retire with good grace do you?
Michael L. Hauschild| 5.7.09 @ 8:03AM
The way the fly spec votes is now based on his Scottish Traditional anger. Surely it will be more vehement at those making him sit in his junior status chair in the corner. He has shown that his priorities do not include his constituents or his country, only his own glorification. Listen closely to those roll call votes, embedded within you should be able to detect a shrill insane shriek.
Jeannine| 5.7.09 @ 8:17AM
Great advice Thirsty! Would a "big head" like Specter follow it? Nah! I'll take the "what if " 1 step further for fun. What if Specter did grovel back to the Republican party asking to be readmitted & the Republican senators, like the weak-kneed, yellow-belly sap suckers that they are, said yes?
Curly Smith| 5.7.09 @ 8:24AM
Or you could join the Heritage Foundation and learn why Philadelphia is a cesspool. Hint: it's because of your lunatic big government liberalism, not in spite of it. Get the good folks at Heritage.org to give you a crash course in conservatism and learn why it means more freedom, liberty and economic opportunity for "the downtrodden" than the tyranny of liberalism does. Maybe you'll have a "come to Reagan moment" and become a Crusader for Conservatism, maybe you'll become a real leader in the Senate instead of an slimy dealmaker. Sure, it'd mean repudiating the body of your 30-year career in the Senate but maybe at this stage in your life you'll come to appreciate what makes this country great (another hint: it's not Congress or the Federal Government), maybe you'll have the courage to be a champion for its ideals and the vision of the Founding Fathers. Maybe you can restore Philadelphia to prominence as the cradle of liberty... but, sadly, all of those grand ideas would require you to put the nation ahead of Arlen Specter, to finally admit that "what's good for Arlen Specter may not be good for the nation" but "what's good for the nation is good for Arlen Specter".
1Freeman| 5.7.09 @ 9:10AM
This slimeball is as crooked as they come. Now he has mocked the voters who elected him. A typical politician who will publically align himself with whoever will elect him and then do whatever he wants when in office.
Arlin, please DON'T RETIRE; I want to see you force-retired by the voters. I want to see you listed as the first real joke of the Obama administration-senate. Your temper is continually out of control and you lost touch with the people a long time ago. Too old, stupid and arrogant to continue. Even the democrats know you are a self-serving traitor and they have taken away your seniority so you can't do too much harm or cause trouble. Idiot, your name is Arlin. Buh- bye.
Anthony| 5.7.09 @ 9:27AM
We all know the old saying; "There's no fool like an old fool." Well, Specter is the poster-boy for this today. This arrogant, self- serving, perfidious traitor has gotten what he deserves from the party that "he feels more comfortable with".
Did this aging hack really believe that HARRY REID would keep his word, or that the Dems had any respect for him? They don't need Specter, he's just a useful idiot to bash Republicans with, as is Colin Powell. They have their 60 votes, so they can treat him like the piece of dung that he is.
The Ds play raw politics, not like the Polly-Annish Rs; those who are not needed get destroyed. Welcome back to the D Party Arlen, You fit right in with them. What's that other saying? something about those who lie with dogs..... And this clown thinks America needs him!! What a joke he's become.
Specter's self absorbed thirst for power clearly demonstrates that the political ruling class is out of control. We need TERM LIMITS.
Tim| 5.7.09 @ 9:54AM
"Hard hardball" indeed.
J. Kelley| 5.7.09 @ 10:26AM
It is good that Spector is gone, now they can't say we picked up a Moderate Republican. And he voted with the Democrats most of the time anyway. But one would have thought he would have checked out what happened to "jumping Jim Jeffords". And if he did not know to not trust the Democrats, then he has not been paying attention.
SeniorD| 5.7.09 @ 10:29AM
Just let this waste of oxygen sit in a corner singing
'Everybody hates me, nobody loves me. I think I'll go eat worms'
Son Of Sam| 5.7.09 @ 12:31PM
You've got a better chance of taking a hambone off a junkyard dog than in getting Benedict Arlen to retire. He's a career politician with very little in common with the voters who've elected him. He won't retire for the same reason Ted Kennedy doesn't retire: he LOVES POWER. Without the power, he's just another grumpy old man yelling at the schoolkids to get off his front lawn.
I'm looking for a Toomey/Specter rematch
stay strong until freedom dawns
Son Of Sam
http://www.geocities.com/samadamssos
Big Jim| 5.7.09 @ 12:59PM
The question of the day: Is Arlen Specter a big windbag completely without principle? My vote PROVEN.
It appears that there is near bi-partisian unanimity on this point. Who among us thouht that Specter, and not BO, would unite the right and left in harmony on any issue?
Davey Frump| 5.7.09 @ 1:16PM
Wrong. You'll all be sorry when he's gone. The GOP needs more Snarlin Arlens.
dave williams| 5.7.09 @ 2:36PM
Specter is Dave Mathews on steroids.
jr| 5.7.09 @ 6:01PM
Can politics get any better than this? I would swear that Arlen baby said he got assurances that he would still be somebody. Holy capes, Batman, he is now a junior senator (lower case Senator) with nothing but his puffy cheeks to make you drowsy. Nothing more of substance. The Pa. voters have what they voted for. Can one of them explain why they voted for him? If it is for pork, he is a piker conpared to others in our Holy Congress.
PCP Smoker| 5.7.09 @ 6:34PM
Nailed it. Absolutely nailed it.
k.t.| 5.7.09 @ 11:31PM
Thirsty McWormwood?
Verbosity Bombast| 5.8.09 @ 1:03AM
Snarlin' Arlen? Benedict Arlen? Local radio guy came up with Senator Sphincter - splendid noms de derogation, all.
Thirsty sounds like he might be a junior partner in the famous law firm of Dewey, Screw'em & Howe, as well as a steely-eyed Specter Spectator.
Verbosity Bombast| 5.8.09 @ 1:04AM
Snarlin' Arlen? Benedict Arlen? Local radio guy came up with Senator Sphincter - splendid noms de derogation, all.
Thirsty sounds like he might be a junior partner in the famous law firm of Dewey, Screw'em & Howe, as well as a steely-eyed Specter Spectator.
Verbosity Bombast| 5.8.09 @ 1:05AM
Snarlin' Arlen? Benedict Arlen? Local radio guy came up with Senator Sphincter - splendid noms de derogation, all.
Thirsty sounds like he might be a junior partner in the famous law firm of Dewey, Screw'em & Howe, as well as a steely-eyed Specter Spectator.
VB| 5.8.09 @ 1:39AM
oops - a bit of a sending stutter, there. Just pretend you are reading the never-ending postings of Tom Paine.
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