On Tue, 05 May 2009 00:12:40 GMT, "Tom Littleton" wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
I have no idea what it has led to in PA, but outside of PA,
he sounds like a nut with all the "and THAT is THE reason I switched" on a
wide
variety of un-related topics, when just about everyone knows the biggest
reason
he switched because it was his only real chance of get re-elected.

First, I don't know how it's playing in the Deep South, but it's playing
just fine here in PA. A weekend poll vs. possible challengers shows Specter
beating any Republican, including Ridge. He would, is the election were held
now, hammer Toomey by 22 percent. The fact is, I suspect Specter, nor much
of anyone in Pennsylvania cares what is thought of him in MS. Nor should
they. We don't get too exercised over YOUR Senators, after all.

I'm not talking about "the Deep South" - few folks down here know or care who
Specter is or what he does (but there are a few who do know). I'm talking about
what I'm seeing in the "national media," hearing out of DC, etc. And from what
I've seen, he and Ridge are about a dead heat, with Specter polling about 2-3%
better, WME. Hell, Politico has Specter as the headline (as of 11PM Monday)
with the tagline "After Specter switch: buyer's remorse?"


Would he be in any real danger - moreso than he is - if he had just said,
"look,
sure, mainly I'm switching to get re-elected, but it's a lot easier given
the
way the GOP appears to be headed..." and then stuck to it and shut up? I
guess
what I'm asking is that if he has fairly broad support in the voters
overall,
why all the bull****?

because, despite the fact YOU think so, it ISN'T bull****.

Oh, please. I'm not knocking the guy (exactly), but he's a pol, so to say he's
not spreading at least some bull**** is disingenuous. Even DC Dem insiders are
wondering about him and it.

He sincerely feels that way, and wishes to speak his mind.

Therein lies my question - he's given about 5-6 reasons, in different venues/to
different audiences about _the_ reason he switched, all unrelated. They can't
all be _the_ reason, obviously. Even if he had objective, reasonable reasons,
when he says stuff like that it was because of Jack Kemp and the GOP holding up
cancer funding, and oh, by the way, go to my website where I claim if I'm not
re-elected cancer will not be cured, and to do it in the setting of an informal
Kemp memorial session, he sounds like a nut.

If you think this
is so simple as to be only about getting elected, you: 1) don't know Arlen
Specter, 2) don't understand half of what he's been subjected to from his
own 'fellow Republicans' and 3) don't realize that he probably COULD have
won as a Republican.

I'll respectfully disagree with "probably" - I'd agree with "possibly." IAC,
from what I've heard, he figured his odds both ways (including figuring in who
would campaign for him as a Dem and what he'd get out of it), and decided to
switch.

I know it, and thus, he darn well knows it.

Um, no offense, but you don't _know_ who'll win or how in such a case and
neither does he, me, or anyone else. If he is polling about even, WME, with
Ridge, IMO, it isn't a done deal.

Hell, Rick,

I even spelled out to you how it might have happened, and probably would
have.

Apparently, he wanted to do this, for a complex mix of reasons.

"Might," "probably," and "apparently" ain't "knows for sure."

I'm beginning to wonder if the GOP didn't help run him off, with the idea that
Ridge will seem like a relief after Toomey and waltz right in amid the Dems
fighting with each other.

Good for him!

Is it? He's a, what, 80 year old guy with a past of which to be proud, so I
can't say it will be "good for him." I hope it is, but I sure don't "know"
it...

TC,
R
Tom