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The Spectacle Blog

Why Specter Flipped on Card Check

By W. James Antle, III on 3.25.09 @ 1:00PM

Take a look at this poll: according to Quinnipiac, Sen. Arlen Specter trails Club for Growth President Pat Toomey by 41 percent to 27 percent in a 2010 Republican primary in Pennsylvania. Specter has a 16-point net disapproval rating among Republicans, 52 percent of whom don't like the job he's doing as senator. After Specter's vote for the stimulus package, conservative opposition to him hardened. The Pennsylvania GOP has been hemorraghing moderates since George W. Bush became president, leaving Specter with a weakened base.

Specter's numbers among non-Republicans remain respectable, with a 71 percent to 16 percent positive score from Democrats, suggesting he'd still be favored in the general election. But Specter is in a deep hole with the primary voters. It remains to be seen whether his apparent change of heart on card check will be sufficient to dig him out.

View all comments (4) | Leave a comment

Bill Bailey| 3.25.09 @ 1:20PM

Duh!

Jack Bauer| 3.25.09 @ 1:24PM

But, of course, cards can always be flipped back over on their face.

Which is what will happen if Specter survives being primaried.

Penn. Reps... this guy is Rasputin. He must be metaphorically killed and buried, just to make sure.

Siegfried X| 3.25.09 @ 1:56PM

The party establishment will strongly support Specter in the primary, as they did last time. That's the rule, that the incumbents support each other. The head of the Republican Senatorial committee told CPAC that we need more like Specter (besides in his opinion in some states only RINOs can win)

Toomey has the disadvantage that John McCain's campaign censorship legislation makes it illegal to criticize a senator at certain times of the campaign.