Sunday, October 14, 2012

The LuLac Edition #2229, October 14th, 2012

Arlen Specter.
This blog editor with Specter in 2009 at WVIA TV.
President Bush on the campaign trail with Specter in 2004. Specter made sure he was on every flight that year.
Fellow Republican Rick Santorum and Specter in 2004.
A photo of Specter when he began his political career.  

ARLEN SPECTER 


The family of former Senator Arlen Specter released the news this afternoon that Mr. Specter passed away today. Specter was battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma, this year and lost his battle this morning. He was 82. If you lived in Pennsylvania in the last twenty years of the 20th century, chances are Arlen Specter changed your life. Elected to the Senate in 1980 (he succeeded Richard Schweiker who went on to serve in Ronald Reagan’s cabinet) Specter had a huge list of accomplishments under his belt. Most notably he co-sponsored an amendment to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibits discrimination in the rental, sale, marketing, and financing of the nation's housing. The amendment strengthened the ability of the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity to enforce the Fair Housing Act and expanded the protected classes to include disabled persons and families with children Specter also was a champion for his adopted state of Pennsylvania. (He grew up in Russell, Kansas, the very same town that fellow Republican Bob Dole was from). 
Specter made it a policy to visit every county in the state every year that he was in office. It would not be unusual to see him at a Senior Center in any one of the counties in the state. Specter also had a habit of dropping in on new businesses that migrated from other states. In 2003 Specter made a stop at the old Active quilting building in Plains when an on line travel company came to set up shop. He toured the facility and asked pointed questions as to the wages of the employees as well as the economic impact the facility would bring. Specter was legendary for his support of the Tobyhanna Army Depot too. It was not uncommon to have Specter lead the charge when a base closing committee was formed. It was Specter who made the case for the continuation of the work the Depot was doing. And the neat thing about this was that he could explain what the Depot did. While those visits to the 67 counties seemed like a seamless easily coordinated event, usually they weren’t. Specter packed his day with numerous constituency event and was very demanding on his staff. As a matter of fact in a 2002 PoliticsPA Feature reported that he was named the "Toughest to Work For. 
Specter’s road to the Senate was not stumble free. In 1976 he ran against John Heinz in the GOP primary and was trounced. (Heinz went on to defeat Congressman William Green in the General Election). In 1978 Specter ran for Governor in a crowded field that included David Marston, Henry Hager, as well as the eventual winner Richard Thornburgh. In 1980 he was swept into office by the Reagan landslide. 
A veteran of the Korean War, Specter won fame and in some quarters infamy as one of the Attorneys for the Warren Commission. Specter was recommended by then Congressman Gerald Ford. It was Specter's contention that “a single bullet” theory existed in the John Kennedy assassination. The theory suggested the non-fatal wounds to Kennedy and wounds to Texas Governor John Connally were caused by the same bullet. This was a crucial assertion for the Warren Commission, since if the two had been wounded by separate bullets within such a short time frame, that would have demonstrated the presence of a second assassin and therefore a conspiracy.  Using that national exposure Specter ran for District Attorney in Philadelphia and won in an upset. Two years later he over reached and tried to defeat the Democratic machine of then Mayor James Tate. He lost big. Returning to the District Attorney’s office, Specter focused on crime in the city and hired a cadre of young enthusiastic lawyers who shared his passions for long hours and getting the bad guys. One of his new hires was Ed Rendell who would later go on to political fame himself. 
As a Senator Specter concentrated heavily on constituent duties. Letters would have a 5 days turnaround and his district offices helped answer questions and solve problems for anyone who sought help. On the national stage Specter was well known for some controversial headline grabbing news events. Here are just a few: 
1. He opposed conservative Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork in 1987 which set GOP conservative’s hair on fire. 
2. However in 1991 he had angered women’s groups for his very tough and some say insensitive questioning of Anita Hill. during the Clarence Thomas hearings claiming she had committed "flat-out perjury" in her testimony. 
3. During the Clinton Impeachment hearings, he did a political straddle. While he criticized the Republican Party for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Because he thought that Clinton had not received a fair trial, Specter cited Scots law to render a verdict of "not proven" on Clinton's impeachment. However, his verdict was recorded as "not guilty" in the Senate records. 
4. In 2002 he authorized a vote for the Iraq War. 
5. During the 2004 election, Specter, under fire by conservatives for his bipartisan cooperation with Democrats faced a tough challenge from Congressman Pat Toomey. Specter prevailed on his fellow contemporary Rick Santorum to endorse him although Santorum was closer ideologically to Toomey and even had President Bush campaign for him. When Bush came to Pennsylvania on campaign trips, Specter stuck to him like Velcro. Specter survived the primary (with help from Democrats like me who registered as Republicans in that 2004 primary) and then won re-election later that year. 
6. Once back in office because of Bush’s primary election support, Specter talked of a possible impeachment of Bush. Specter was very critical of Bush's wiretapping of U.S. citizens without warrants. When the story first broke, he called the effort "inappropriate" and "clearly and categorically wrong." He said, he intended to hold hearings into the matter early in 2006, and had Alberto Gonzales appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer for the program (although Specter declined to force Gonzales to testify under oath). On January 15, 2006, Specter mentioned impeachment and criminal prosecution as potential remedies if Bush broke the law. 
7. In 2007, Specter cosponsored the Equal Justice for United States Military Personnel Act of 2007 with Senators Dianne Feinstein, Hillary Clinton, and Russ Feingold. 
8. The beginning of the end of Specter’s career as a Republican started in 2009 when Specter voted in favor of the Senate's version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 10, 2009; he was one of only three Republicans to break ranks with the party and support the bill, which was favored by President Barack Obama and was unanimously supported by the Democratic senators. As a result of his support, many in the Republican mainstream have begun to set up ads calling for his removal from office.Specter was instrumental in ensuring that the act allocated an additional $10 billion to the National Institutes of Health over the next two years. 
9. When Specter became a a Democrat in the Senate, he was denied seniority on Senate committees which was his calling card for re-election. During the 2009 debate on what would become the Affordable Health Care Act, Specter hosted many a town meeting that exposed just how raw the opposition to the health care legislation would get.  
Specter ran as a Democrat in the 2010 election and was handily defeated by Pat Toomey. His age and the fact that he pledged in 2004 that it would be his last term most likely attributed to his political demise. After beating Congressman Bob Edgar, Women’s Advocate in the “Year of the Women” Lynn Yekel in 1992, and TV anchorman Ron Klein in subsequent re-election attempts, it was ironic that the only Democrat who could defeat Arlen Specter was Arlen Specter himself. Specter will go down in history as one of the greatest Pennsylvania politicians and statesmen of all time. Historically no one else served longer in the Senate. In person you needed to have your thoughts organized and your questions pointed. Specter valued his time and I saw first hand how he would not allow people to waste it. He was however deep down a great retail politician and his snarl could turn into a smile in an instant. He was accessible to the media and his constituents. Health wise he battled cancer and brain tumors with characteristic zeal and belief that he would prevail. He was a complicated fellow who most likely delighted in the fact the no one could ever pigeon hole him ideologically or politically. Specter was a practical politician. He knew that you could not affect change without first being elected. As a political junkie you had to love the guy for that. 
Specter's passing comes at a time when both political parties and the nation are divided straight down the middle. Long gone are the days when a Republican like Specter could reach across the aisle and enact legislation without being pilloried as a pariah. In the next few days, many editorial writers in referencing Specter’s life and career will say or write, “You shall not see his like again” Sadly for our country that will also apply to an era when compromise and working together was not a political mortal sin punishable by banishment from Capitol Hill.

19 Comments:

At 8:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dave, Once more you hit it out of the park. It is timely, informative (there are a few facts I forgot or did not realize) and right on point. Thanks for your committment to serious blogging and informative commentary and opinion.

 
At 8:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very balanced portrait of Specter. You actually became a Republican to vote for him?

 
At 9:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I couldnt stand him for a while there.
Then I liked him,
then I thought he was an ass
shortly afterwhich I really started to like the Man again
and with the exception of the Magic Bullet Theory I always thought he made sense with some sense of balance. I always
Respected him! The Man went his own way always and now he is gone
and we wont see another like him.
Rest in Peace, Sir.


Carey Avenue Jack

 
At 10:30 PM, Blogger David Yonki said...

IN RESPONSE
You actually became a Republican to vote for him?
YES, IN THE 2004 PRIMARY WHEN HE WAS FACING PAT TOOMEY, I CHANGED MY REGISTRATION TO VOTE FOR SPECTER IN THE PRIMARY. THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION I WALKED OVER TO THE VOTER'S BUREAU AND CHANGED BACK TO BEING A DEMOCRAT. IF IT WERE ANY OTHER TIME, I WOULD HAVE KEPT THE REGISTRATION FOR A WHILE. BUT BUSH AND THE NEOCONS WERE SO HELL BENT ON DESTROYING THE COUNTRY, THAT I DECIDED I'D HAVE TO CHANGE BACK. WE WERE GOING TO THE BAHAMAS A FEW DAYS AFTER THE ELECTION AND IN CASE THE PLANE WENT DOWN, I DID NOT WANT TO DIE AS A MEMBER OF THE GOP RIGHT THEN. KEEP IN MIND I VOTED FOR SPECTER EVERY GENERAL ELECTION AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF OTHER REPUBLICANS STATEWIDE AND EVEN FOR PRESIDENT. THAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THAT.

 
At 6:15 AM, Anonymous Professor Milburn Cleaver, OPA said...

Good morning Students,

As I can see you are all a little under the weather…….some of you seem to be sporting black eyes or are they the product of just a lack of sleep after evading your various bookies. My apologies to all of you who lost your bets yesterday and on Saturday. As for the Philadelphia Eagles, I see a great comparison to the present occupant of the Oval Office. A long memory of glories past and no vision for the future. I rarely comment on sporting events as they are mere triviality….however the display by the City of Brotherly Loves best and brightest was as pathetic as the Democratic standard bearers debate performances of this year.

The business of this classroom goes forward…….

Students,
Tomorrow evening shall mark the final act in the desperate campaign for President Obama’s re-election. I expect the President to come out on the platform acting much the way Al Gore did in the 2000 town hall debate. Watch for the President to way over compensate for his mannequin-like behavior of two weeks past. Equally , keep your eyes on Pres. Elect Romney. I realize it is fashionable to say the Romney is a square/stuff shirt. Well as you malcontents would put it, “You ain’t seen cool like you gonna see tomorrow night”, where Mitt Romney is concerned.

So, putting my crystal ball on the desk (you may laugh) I now tell you what the pundits will be saying Tuesday night/Wednesday morning: “ President Obama was way over the top. Romney got his points across without coming out as an aggressive bully. Obama was almost irrational in his high strung behavior. Romney was calm and to the point and defended his policies admirably.” That’s what you shall hear.

In closing, I would like to give my sympathies to the family of Sen. Arlen Specter. I did not always agree with the man from Philadelphia, but you must respect a man who was able to hold on to a Senate seat for thirty years. And I greatly admired the fashion in which he proved Anita Hill to be an opportunistic liar in the 1991 Clarence Thomas hearings.

Equally, I would also wish to give my sympathies to the family of Dr. Donald Buzinkai, former King’s professor who also left us. I had the pleasure of knowing “Buzzy” over the years and although we were of different political persuasions he was in all aspects a gentleman and a scholar. I enjoyed our many conversations because he had an ability to let you know that he was in your league without being snobby about it. Rest in Peace, my friend.

I ask you to remember these two men in your prayers…….
Something to think about this morning……..

Class Dismissed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
At 9:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"WE WERE GOING TO THE BAHAMAS A FEW DAYS AFTER THE ELECTION AND IN CASE THE PLANE WENT DOWN, I DID NOT WANT TO DIE AS A MEMBER OF THE GOP" I did just the opposit. Why? Because I plan to switch to Republican just before I die. I would rather see a Republican die than a good Democrat! Guess who.

 
At 9:09 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I thought that Arlan was the best Democrat to ever serve as a Republican. He truly cared about the working class.

 
At 9:43 AM, Anonymous Pope George Ringo said...

SPecter was a good man. Voted for him in '80 and ,86. Voted for Heinz in '82 and 88. My entire 1980s Senate picks were Republicans (I am a liberal DEM). oF course, we lost Heinz (another great man) in 91. Spector lost my vote for good, however in 1992 due to his inquisition of Anita Hill the year before.
Nevertheless, compared to what we have in the Senate today, Specter was a class act.

 
At 9:48 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love it when a Republican compromises he/she is considered measured and intellectual.

When a democrat refuses to compromise he/she is considered principled.

I liked Snarlin Arlen when he exposed the Anita Hill b.s.

 
At 2:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A Republican/Democrat that I actually respected. Thanks for your service and RIP.

Bruce J. Simpson

 
At 9:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

IN RESPONSE
Voted for him in '80 and ,86. Voted for Heinz in '82 and 88. My entire 1980s Senate picks were Republicans (I am a liberal DEM). oF course, we lost Heinz (another great man) in 91.
ME TOO. I ALWAYS VOTED FOR HEINZ AND SPECTER. AND SOME POSTERS SAY I'M A GODLESS FASCIST. HEINZ WAS A TRAGEDY BECAUSE I THINK HE WAS GEARING UP TO RUN IN 1994 FOR GOVERNOR AND THEN TRY FOR THE PRESIDENCY IN 2000. ALTHOUGH I WASN'T CRAZY ABOUT THE WAY SPECTER TREATED ANITA HILL, I WAS EVEN MORE PUT OFF BY WOMEN'S CANDIDATES THAT YEAR MILKING THAT UNFORTUNATE HEARING. THAT'S WHY I VOTED FOR HIM IN 1992 OVER LYNN YEKEL.

 
At 2:35 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here is the definition of a troll:

Internet Troll (n): One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.

The Professor is a troll.

Need I remind viewers of this blog that there is an adage as old as the internet itself:

"Don't Feed The Trolls".

 
At 2:41 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yo, Proffie. Stop calling Romney Pres-Elect Romney. You look like a jackass.

Specter was a good guy. I was proud to have voted for him in 2010. Didn't vote for him in 04, but he still made me proud anyway. He was a good guy, one of the last great moderates.

PA lost a giant. He may not have always been right on everything, but you always knew he cared about everybody and not just the people that put him in office.

There's a video of him from last year cracking jokes in Philly, and he was a hit with the crowd. This is why he was one of the coolest senior citizens ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFAWGqLPyTg

 
At 9:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I always find it amusing how Specter was labled a moderate. The only issue he was moderate on was abortion; other than that the guy was very conservative, so much so he visciously attacked Anita Hill in his triumphant play to get Clarence Thomas on the Court.
Later on, because of illness, his thinking went to health care, but check out before he got ill.
It is sad that abortion is such a defining feature in politics.
Snarlin Arlen was a right wing attack dog in many ways in his day.

 
At 2:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know who the professor is! I wont disclose the identity. He/She
is truly a troll as defined.
Again I do know the identity of the character who calls him/herself the professor. I will say this, the individual is not a distinguished member of the community or an educator just a bore. That info will surprise no one.

 
At 2:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

of course you respected him simpson..he was a turncoat republican. the best and only kind..right?

 
At 8:15 AM, Anonymous Professor Milburn Cleaver, OPA said...

Anon: 235:

Young man,
Please, when you submit a paper use proper grammar/pronunciation!!!

You are indictative of the our modern day education system---or lack therof.

Do your research!!!!!!!
Young child,
YOU ARE DISMISSED!!!!!!!!!

 
At 9:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you know who it is, out him/her and put your name on it... Just remember if you're wrong, Yonki is held liabel.

 
At 5:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't believe some of the sophomoric and juvenile responses to the Professor's opinions.

Now you guys have sunk to name calling? Calling him a troll at this stage of the game exposes how empty your intellect has become.

For Chrissake answer or defend your position with some rational and logical responses. The only thing you are proving is that his take on you is right.

If you were in any higher ed class and tried to defend your position in such a fashion you would certainly fail the course. NOT trying to understand a position demeans yours.

You are evidence of social promotion and why it is a fallacy and stunts growth.

 

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