Arlen Specter

Background

• R, US Senator
• Snarlin' or Darlin'.
• Specter is the most successful politician in Pennsylvania history. Attacked from the right, attacked from the left, he won his fifth term (6 years each) by more than a half million votes. Specter won by 10.834% over Hoeffel in 2004.

Moderate Democrats and suburban Republicans embraced Specter as an independent senator to stand up to the right-wing.

Congressman Joe Hoeffel, D, was too unknown, yet Kerry won PA. In Allegheny County, Kerry beat Bush by almost 100,000 votes. Hoeffel's win was by only 17,000. In bedroom suburbs of Philadelphia, Kerry beat Bush; Specter over Hoeffel. Hoeffel lost his home county.

Conservative Republicans did not abandon Specter as they did in the primary. Constitution Party candidate Jim Clymer, the only pro-life candidate in the race, was a credible option, but got only 215,000 votes, not 5 percent.

Links

• VIPs
• Rick Santorum
• Pat Toomey, past primary opponent

Issues

Terror

• Arlen Specter was a co-author of the Homeland Security Bill.
• Arlen Specter voted with the liberals to allow American Soldiers to be tried in an international court. The jurors are from countries hostile to the United States.

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Insights

Specter Two Step

Senator Specter takes pride in being one of the biggest spenders in Washington. In any spending contest, Senator Specter is generally going to win. When elections occur, Specter wants you to believe that he is a fiscal conservative. This is not true.

Porker

Citizens Against Government Waste gave Arlen Specter the award for the most wasteful spender in the entire senate, from either party. CAGW also gave Specter the lifetime (tied for first place) award as the most wasteful GOP spender.

Arlen Specter supports the line item veto and the Balanced Budget amendment, but he knows that they won't pass. Arlen Specter won't get spending under control. Government is growing 3,4,5 times the rate of inflation. And the War and Homeland Security are not the biggest problems. It is domestic spending programs that are out of control. Too much government spending minimizes out ability to make our economy grow.