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Specter is Ousted in Democratic
Primary Part One of Three By Dave Andrusko Good evening. Part Two today picks up on yesterday's discussion of PPFA of Iowa's first-of-its-kind program to do chemically-induced abortions via videoconferencing. Part Three announces that the entire NRLC 2010 conference schedule is online. And please also be sure to read "National Right to Life News Today" (www.nationalrighttolifenews.org) . If you can, please comment on some or all of these and then send your thoughts to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like join all those who are now following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha.
You have to be of a certain age to appreciate this, but when pro-abortion Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter lost to Rep. Joe Sestak in the Democratic primary last night, I couldn't help thinking back to 1987. That was the year in which Specter, then a Republican and also an influential player on the Senate Judiciary Committee, attacked Supreme Court nominee Judge Robert Bork with both stilettos and sledgehammers. Chosen by pro-life President Ronald Reagan, Bork was among the most distinguished jurists of his era. But that didn't stop Specter from joining the witch hunt initiated by pro-abortion Sen. Ted Kennedy. It was an ugly time when the pro-abortion attack on Bork knew no limits. I vividly remember both his line of questioning and the look on Specter's face. "The campaign of lies and deceit waged against Judge Bork was spearheaded by pro-abortion groups," said NRLC Executive Director David N. O'Steen, Ph.D., at the time. "It is widely recognized in Washington that many of the attacks on Judge Bork were motivated mainly by Bork's past criticisms of the Supreme Court decisions legalizing abortion." Flash forward to April 2009 when Specter announces that he is not about to allow the future of his then 29-year Senate career to be decided by voters in a Republican primary. Now, suddenly, he was a Democrat, which meant, of course, that voters in a Democratic primary could decide his fate. And that's just what happened last night. Sestak prevailed comfortably, 54%to 46%. Sestak's near-legendary 30-second clip ("The Switch") allowed Specter to hoist himself on his own petard: "My change in party will enable me to be reelected," Specter says, twice. Which opened the door for the narrator to add, "Arlen Specter changed parties to save one job . . . his . . . not yours." Everyone is spinning the results to their own satisfaction. But what does a simple recitation of the facts tell us? Specter's jump was catnip to pro-abortion President Obama. According to published accounts, Obama heard of Specter's jump the morning of April 28 and "reached out to the senator minutes later to tell him' you have my full support,' and we are 'thrilled to have you.'" At the time, it gave Democrats a veto-proof 60 votes in the Senate. (Specter was also embraced by pro-abortion Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D), which included Rendell's vaunted political machine.) But, that was then, and then it was last week when Obama couldn't find time in his busy schedule to come campaign for Specter. Let's see how that Obama magic is working out. He endorsed Martha Coakley for Senate in Massachusetts. Loss. Jon Corzine for Governor in New Jersey. Loss. Creigh Deeds for Governor in Virginia. Loss. And Arlen Specter for Senate in Pennsylvania. Loss. By last night, Obama sympathizers were reduced to saying how smart he was not to campaign for Specter, whose candidacy had stalled. Wow, with friends like Obama, who needs enemies. |
