Former Sen. Arlen Specter, switched parties, gone at 82

Forums: Arlen Specter, News, Politics, Obituaries, Obit
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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/14/former-us-senator-arlen-specter-dies-at-82/

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Former Sen. Arlen Specter, whose 30 years in the Congress included a late switch from Republican to Democrat, died Sunday. He was 82.
Specter has been sick since late August and died in his Philadelphia home from complications of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, said son Shanin.
Specter startled fellow senators in April 2009 when he announced he was switching to the Democratic side, saying he found himself "increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy."
Earlier in the year, he had been one of only three Republicans in Congress -- and the only one facing re-election in 2010 -- who voted for President Barack Obama's economic stimulus bill.
He also said he had concluded that his chance of defeating a GOP challenger in the 2010 party primary was bleak. But he said the Democrats couldn't count on him to be "an automatic 60th vote" to give the party a filibuster-proof majority.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/14/former-us-senator-arlen-specter-dies-at-82/#ixzz29JLkVrDh

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Type: Discussion • Score: 5 • Views: 1,246 • Replies: 10

@Lustig Andrei,

Rest in Peace, Arlen.

0 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

For me, Specter's great accomplishment was his ability to switch parties when the GOP had ceased to be the party of Lincoln and had degenrated to its present state of right wing hysteria. I know that our Republican friends on this forum will say he only turned to the Democrats because it had become obvious he could not be re-elected as a Republican. Maybe. Be that as it may, I see it as a very courageous thing to do. Would that more moderate Republicans would see the light.

2 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

I remember being pissed at him (I'll have to review the whole Hill and Thomas thing) on this and that.

On changing, some change along the way and there are probably subtexts in all the changes, given how politics works. I still insist I've known two honest politicians, not as best friends, but friend of either my husband or business partner. One of those changed early, remains very temperate, smart to both (all) sides of the aisle.

I'll take Spector's change as honest.
(That's an edit, I know my friend's change was honest)

0 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

Lustig Andrei wrote:

For me, Specter's great accomplishment was his ability to switch parties when the GOP had ceased to be the party of Lincoln and had degenrated to its present state of right wing hysteria. I know that our Republican friends on this forum will say he only turned to the Democrats because it had become obvious he could not be re-elected as a Republican. Maybe. Be that as it may, I see it as a very courageous thing to do. Would that more moderate Republicans would see the light.

Whether his motives were to retain a seat in the Senate, which he had heald for many years, or whether he suddenly became disenchanted with positions on fiscal responsibility and governance that Republicans had held for many years is something neither of us can know for sure.

Somehow I think the odds strongly favor the first explanation.

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Specter wasn't a Democrat and he wasn't a Republican. He was a Spectercrat. He was the leader and the sole member of the party, which had only one plank in its platform: the re-election of Arlen Specter.

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they are saying that for 20 years Specter was the man most responsible for shaping SCOTUS.

What a strong indictment!

2 Replies

@hawkeye10,

You seem to be bitter about everything HAwkee. Is your life in turmoil?
You have to look at folks lives in toto before you spew opinions unaffected by any research atall.
I suggest that you study some about his life and missions before you dismiss anyone based on little knowledge. Anyone can have a "bold"pinion about anything, doesnt ean we should give you the time of day on em.
BEST REGARDS

1 Reply

@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

they are saying that for 20 years Specter was the man most responsible for shaping SCOTUS.

couldn't he have shaped it in such a way that it didn't start to sag and hang down as a man ages, a poor design in my opinion

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@farmerman,

I am bitter that our once great SCOTUS is now so highly disregarded by global constitutional experts that its actions are routinely ignored. It is other nations courts which are looked to for quality decisions. The politicalization of the court has ruined it, and Specter was frount and center in ruining it.

1 Reply

@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

I am bitter that our once great SCOTUS is now so highly disregarded by global constitutional experts that its actions are routinely ignored. It is other nations courts which are looked to for quality decisions.

What could you possibly know about "global constitutional experts" or their views on the US supreme court?

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Former Sen. Arlen Specter, switched parties, gone at 82

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