PA Gov. Rendell Promised Specter He’d Be “Unopposed” In Dem Primary
Here’s another incentive that may have persuaded Arlen Specter to switch parties: Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell guaranteed that he wouldn’t face anyone in a Democratic Primary.
Rendell made the vow in a little-noticed interview with the Regional News Network in mid-March, which means he certainly privately promised Specter the same:
Asked if Specter could win a Dem primary, Rendell said: “He’d be unopposed. The Democrats in the Senate would welcome him. We in Pennsylvania would welcome him. He’d be basically unopposed for the Democratic nomination.”
That’s basically a guarantee by Rendell that he’d use his muscle to clear the primary field for Specter.
This is a big deal. First, it means it will be much tougher for labor to field a Dem primary challenger against Specter, which they might want to do, now that Specter has said he’s not changing his position on Employee Free Choice. The question is whether labor will buck Rendell to field their own candidate.
In a way, labor may be left kind of high and dry in this deal: If Specter had stayed a Republican and lost a GOP primary, the victor, right-wing Pat Toomey, would likely have been defeated by the eventual Dem candidate — who likely would have been a real Democrat, friend of labor, and EFCA backer. So labor could end up getting shafted here.
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Unless, as many have pointed out, he threads the needle by voting for cloture and against the bill. Man, a rush of details out there. Specter to Obama: “I’ll be a loyal Democrat and support your agenda.” Obama to Specter: “You have our support.”
Trevor, where was that “loyal democrat” quote
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/28/obama-to-specter-we-are-t_n_192309.html
Whoops. Here: http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009/04/specter-switche.html
Apparently Joe Sestak wasn’t in on the deal with Rendell. He tells Andrea Mitchell he isn’t planning to drop out.
I take your point about labor theoretically being better of in 2011 after (you assume) Twoomy beats Specter in the R primary and after (you assume) the “real” Dem beats the R nominee to pick up the seat. But remember, under the current scanario, EFCA goes from completely dead to likely to pass in slightly modified form. Certainly Specter himself, having shown his pricipled side by not immediately changing positions, will be eager to court labor for 2010 by making the compromise very favorable to them. If that happens look for the President (remember him?) To finally come in and line up Warner and the blue dogs in support of the compromise. And by 2011 (when your scenario would just be starting) it’s all done. I am a management attorney, but I see this as a plus for labor — always better to have the bird in hand than a hypothetical “we’ll pick up a seat and get ‘em next year”
Yup. Sestak doesn’t sound like he is giving up and I don’t blame him.
From my understanding, the dem base in PA has always hated Specter and Sestak made some very good points on the tv a few moments ago which would give me pause as a dem in rushing to vote for Specter in a primary.
I’m going to make a prediction: Specter loses the dem primary despite dem establishment support.
Mitch McConnell just now, “…the threat to the country posed by this defection”
Sestak impresses the heck out of me.
I won’t hold Arlen to that vote on EFCA. I think we’ll gradually see a “change of heart” when it comes time for a vote. I can’t believe that Dems would guarantee him no primary challenge if would still vote against EFCA.
Anybody blame Rush Limbaugh and Operation Chaos yet?
I look for Specter to vote for cloture on EFCA, though he may vote against final passage.
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He says his position on it hasn’t changed, but he has to say that to avoid looking like too much of a ****. Besides, he said he wouldn’t switch parties. Look how reliable that pledge was.
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Specter has always been known for standing on principle, right up until it actually matters, and then caving. The cloture “out” is a possible path, another is for EFCA to be changed in some cosmetic way that allows him to vote for it while claiming that it’s not the same bill he said he was against. One of those two will definitely happen.
Specter est un ver!
Audemars Piguet