Specter signs Bennet letter, enjoys surge in polls

Cuyo

Training a Guineapig army
Feb 17, 2010
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Denver, PA
Arlen Specter happens to be my senator. Hasn't always been, but he is now. However, I first found out about this on a nationally syndicated radio show (Ed Schultz) and just confirmed it on RCP:
RealClearPolitics - Election 2010 - Pennsylvania Senate - Specter vs. Toomey

Specter signed the Bennet Letter on 2/19. The most recent Quinnipiac poll for the period of 2/22-2/28 shows a 7-point surge in his favor. This is the first lead Quinnipiac has given Specter since July, and his first lead by ANY poll on RCP since October.

Will other senators catch wind of this and sign the Bennet letter as well? And what does this do to reinforce the public's desire to see a public option in the bill?

34 Senators have signed so far. Remember, the subject of the letter is the public option specifically, not reconciliation in general.
 
Arlen Specter happens to be my senator. Hasn't always been, but he is now. However, I first found out about this on a nationally syndicated radio show (Ed Schultz) and just confirmed it on RCP:
RealClearPolitics - Election 2010 - Pennsylvania Senate - Specter vs. Toomey

Specter signed the Bennet Letter on 2/19. The most recent Quinnipiac poll for the period of 2/22-2/28 shows a 7-point surge in his favor. This is the first lead Quinnipiac has given Specter since July, and his first lead by ANY poll on RCP since October.

Will other senators catch wind of this and sign the Bennet letter as well? And what does this do to reinforce the public's desire to see a public option in the bill?

34 Senators have signed so far. Remember, the subject of the letter is the public option specifically, not reconciliation in general.
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) announced via Twitter today that he has signed onto Sen. Michael Bennet's (D-CO) letter urging leadership to use reconciliation to pass a public option.

Specter is the 19th senator to do so. The most prominent signatory is Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate.

"I'm proud to sign Sen. Bennet's letter. I support a public option to lower health costs and keep insurance co's hones," Specter tweeted.

Under reconciliation, such a measure would need 51 votes to pass. Majority Leader Harry Reid today released a statement about the letter.

The other signatories : Sens. Bernie Sanders (VT), Al Franken (MN), Patrick Leahy (VT), John Kerry (MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), Michael Bennet (CO), Sherrod Brown (OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Jeff Merkley (OR), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Roland Burris (IL), Barbara Boxer (CA), Jack Reed (RI), Tom Udall (NM), Barbara Mikulski (MD) and Frank Lautenberg (NJ).
 
Specter not going to win.

SUMMARY: On Fox News Sunday, Karl Rove stated, "I'm confident the Republican candidates are going to have enough money to make enough damage out of this record to make gains in the Congress." Host Chris Wallace did not note Rove's incorrect prediction that Republicans would retain control of Congress in the 2006 elections or Rove's incorrect predictions about the 2000 presidential election.
-mediamatters Ignoring his flawed 2006 forecast, Wallace allowed Rove to predict GOP "gains in the Congress" in 2008 | Media Matters for America
 
Arlen Specter happens to be my senator....

34 Senators have signed so far. Remember, the subject of the letter is the public option specifically, not reconciliation in general.

There is strong public support for a public option, across party lines.

The overwhelming majority of Americans want a public option. The latest New York Times poll on this issue, in December, shows that despite the attacks of recent months Americans support the public option 59% to 29%. Support includes 80% of Democrats, 59% of Independents, and even 33% of Republicans.

Much of the public identifies a public option as the key component of health care reform -- and as the best thing we can do to stand up for regular people against big insurance companies. In fact, overall support for health care reform declined steadily as the public option was removed from reform legislation.

Although we strongly support the important reforms made by the Senate-passed health reform package, including a strong public option would improve both its substance and the public’s perception of it. The Senate has an obligation to reform our unworkable health insurance market -- both to reduce costs and to give consumers more choices. A strong public option is the best way to deliver on both of these goals, and we urge its consideration under reconciliation rules.

Respectfully,

Michael Bennet (D-CO), U.S. Senator
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), U.S. Senator
Jeff Merkley (D-OR), U.S. Senator
Sherrod Brown (D-OH), U.S. Senator
The Bennet Letter on the public option | Progressive Change Campaign Committee
 
Specter will not win...

PA Democratics spent years hating the man as an R and the party faithful won't be enough to carry him....

He's toast....
 
Specter will not win...

PA Democratics spent years hating the man as an R and the party faithful won't be enough to carry him....

He's toast....

I can't speak for anyone else, but that's not me you're talking about. I would have voted for him when he was a Republican and I'll vote for him now, hand to god. If anything, Repubs hated him for being a "RINO."
 
Specter will not win...

PA Democratics spent years hating the man as an R and the party faithful won't be enough to carry him....

He's toast....

You don't understand PA politics. Democrats in a lot of the state are more conservative, and the urban liberals are often straight ticket die hards. Plus his probable challenger reminds too many people of a certain other Senator we kicked out in 2006. Specter's got a shot. Whether I approve or not is another matter, but we'll see what the primary voters do. Maybe Toomey won't get the Republican nod, but I don't know how that would happen. The GOP and think tanks have poured way too much time and money into him over the last year and a half to give up on their investment now.
 
I have always voted for Arlen Specter, glad to see he signed on to real positive change.
 
Specter will not win...

PA Democratics spent years hating the man as an R and the party faithful won't be enough to carry him....

He's toast....

You don't understand PA politics. Democrats in a lot of the state are more conservative, and the urban liberals are often straight ticket die hards. Plus his probable challenger reminds too many people of a certain other Senator we kicked out in 2006. Specter's got a shot. Whether I approve or not is another matter, but we'll see what the primary voters do. Maybe Toomey won't get the Republican nod, but I don't know how that would happen. The GOP and think tanks have poured way too much time and money into him over the last year and a half to give up on their investment now.

I understand my state's politics well...

I don't think Specter will get as much of the hardline vote as you believe he will as voter apathy will be strong... I don't believe the power of the big cities will come out to support his ass without the draw of Barry to get them to the polls.... They won't be energized to vote for a carreer inside-the-beltway old white guy....

This is the first time he's had to run as a D and even left-leaning folks such as yourself will have a hard time pulling his lever after so many years of pulling the lever of his opponent... Many will stay home - I think you even mentioned that possibility... Santorum shot himself in the foot so many times that people didn't vote for him based on the creepyness factor... Toomey will benefit from the lack of enthusiasm for good ol' Arlen in the inner cities...
 
I think voters in general detest this kind of opportunism. He can't have won any friends among the die hards, and among the rest, they would hold their noses anyway.

If it is a contest between a young energetic true believer and a has been perpetual running machine who you never liked anyway.....

And I think voters are in a toss the bums mood anyway.

I can't speak to PA politics, but human nature makes me doubt he could get 40% in the primary. Not unless the challenger is a total kook, and even then, I think an honest kook would do better than a slithery opportunist this season.
 

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