In Pennsylvania, polls are tightening between Democrat Republican Democrat Arlen Specter and Republican Pat Toomey.  While a recent Franklin & Marshall poll had Specter with 34% to Toomey’s 44%, the most recent RCP Average shows Toomey leading Specter by a mere 2.4 percentage points, with the most recent weighted* Daily Kos poll skewing the average by showing Specter with a six-point lead.

Of late, Arlen’s been looking for a little boost to aid his flagging campaign.  And, miraculously, Andy Stern’s union has come to the rescue.

Today, the octogenarian party-crosser got a little purple-pick-me-up, courtesy of pfizer the Service Employees International Union:

Sen. Arlen Specter racked up another union endorsement Monday as the Pennsylvania chapter of the Service Employees International Union said they will back the five-term senator in his Democratic primary battle with Rep. Joe Sestak.

“SEIU fights for its members so we have a natural kinship with Senator Specter who is well known as a fighter for Pennsylvania,” state SEIU Executive Director Eileen Connelly said in a statement. “He’s been there for us and now we are proud to be here for him. We have close to 100,000 SEIU members in PA and we are ready to play our part in making sure Senator Specter stays in the US Senate so he can keep working on behalf of Pennsylvania families.”

The SEIU’s endorsement is not wholly unexpected, as Specter has been the near-perfect union candidate since running into Harry Reid’s open arms.

However, the endorsement may turn out to be more curse than blessing given the expected public backlash if Democrats succeed in nationalizing health care.

Now that Specter has the SEIU’s endorsement, we’re wondering if he’ll be sporting a purple bracelet too.

* Daily Kos poll demographics of likely voters:

• DEMOCRATS                         280                 47%
• REPUBLICANS                        235                 39%
• INDEPENDENTS/OTHER          85                 14%

———————-

“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Follow LaborUnionReport on Twitter.

For more news and views on today’s unions, go to LaborUnionReport.com.

Cross-posted.

Behold your NRSC-favored candidate in the California Senate race, in a 2006 interview in Salon:

[Salon:] Are you a Republican?

[Carly Fiorina]: Right now.

What does that mean?

I hesitate because in this country right now, party affiliations have become so polarized. In business you try and focus on what you can agree on and common goals and common objectives. In politics in this country all we ever do is talk about what we disagree about. I’d much rather talk about what we agree the problems are.

Could Carly Fiorina actually be the second NRSC-backed candidate this cycle to jump parties? Or, more accurately, in Fiorina’s case it would mean jumping back out of the Republican party, as the self-proclaimed lifelong Republican was an Independent when she finally managed to register in 1997.

Does the NRSC vet its candidates using surplus Obama administration checklists? Seriously.

We take a break from the hyperventilating over the latest moves in the slow-motion kabuki dance that is the Obama Administration’s efforts to ram its federal takeover of the health care system down the throats of the overwhelming majority of Americans who oppose the various bills to take a look at what should be a much, much bigger story.

Last week, Democratic Senate Candidate Joe Sestak, a retired Admiral, let slip in an interview that someone in the White House offered him a position in the Administration if he would drop his primary challenge of Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania.  Sestak wouldn’t elaborate on which job he was offered - speculation centers on Secretary of the Navy - but it hardly matters.  As Jeffrey Lord points out, federal law prohibits anyone from offering, soliciting, or receiving any federal office in exchange for a political favor.

“Whoever solicits or receives … any….thing of value, in consideration of the promise of support or use of influence in obtaining for any person any appointive office or place under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.” - 18 USC Sec. 211

It seems highly unlikely that this was a misunderstanding or exaggeration on Sestak’s part.  It’s the second time in this election season that another Democrat has accused the White House of trying to buy them out of a Senate challenge with an offer of employment.

Read More →

In a letter to Democratic Congressman Joe Sestak, U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey agreed to participate in round two of what is shaping up to be a right-left tag team against the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter, who trails former Congressman and Club for Growth President Pat Toomey, according to a recent Rasmussen Poll. Both Toomey and Sestak hope to replace Specter in the Senate in November.

Read More →

Get yourself a glass of something nice before you start in on the article: it’ll heighten the enjoyment.

Even as he accepted the resounding backing of the Pennsylvania Democratic state committee here Saturday, party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter’s vulnerability was on vivid display as he botched the name of a key Democratic officeholder in his acceptance speech.

“I’ll be fighting hard for the entire Democratic ticket. Senator Andy. . . Andy . . .” Specter said, before pausing briefly, squinting his eyes.

“From Chester County,” he continued, losing his train of thought after clinching an emphatic 229-72 U.S. Senate endorsement vote from party regulars just minutes earlier.

“Dinniman,” the crowd responded almost in unison, referring to the state senator who represents West Chester. One committeeman seated in the audience dropped his head and shook it.

This should be an entertaining primary: Joe Sestak has 5.1 million dollars to play with, and is inclined to spend it - both because he wants the nomination, and because by now there must be at least a little desire for Blue-on-Blue revenge on Sestak’s part. Personally, I don’t see why either candidate is so eager to win the position of Being The Guy Who Loses To Pat Toomey, but they are, which is… nice of them, I suppose.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

Senator Arlen Specter and his brash temperament are back in the news.

The incorrigible Republican-turned-Democrat attended a Pennsylvania Progressive forum Saturday, opposite his primary opponent Representative Joe Sestak, where he stormed the stage prematurely during Sestak’s closing remarks.

Explaining why he is best suited both professional and politically for the post, Sestak was unexpectedly greeted by Specter, prompting a moderator to bluntly ask the senator to “get off the stage.”

The forum’s rules were rather strict, holding that each speaker would answer a series of questions while the other was sequestered, according to the blog Pennsylvania Progressive. While the event’s protocol was established at Specter’s request, for whatever reason, he “shredded his own rules,” the blogger wrote.

Read More →

Figured I would update if and when we had any new polling for Indiana, and lo and behold, Bayh isn’t so untouchable anymore. While Pence has dropped out, Hostettler polls now within the margin of error and thus this seat is now BARELY Democratic. More polling out of Pennsylvania courtesy of Franklin  & Marshall shows Specters ridiculous decision to abandon the GOP last year won’t save him from a November booting- in LIKELY voters, he is getting crushed by Toomey, whom he was beating handily just six months ago.

We should expect more polling from Missouri and Illinois, and perhaps some hypothetical match-ups out of Washington and Wisconsin soon. By the way, Missouri based on the latest poll would show Blunt and thus the GOP ahead (Rasmussen pegged him beating Carnahan by 6 last week), however as this is the ONLY poll showing a significant lead for the GOP (and all other recent polls still show Carnahan with a 1-3 pt lead), I will leave it as a TIE until we get some verification from another pollster.

By the way, where the heck is Survey USA?

Republican Senate hopeful Pat Toomey, three-term Pennsylvania Congressman, surged ahead of incumbent Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat Senator Arlen Specter in the latest Daily News/Franklin & Marshall Poll.

According to the article:

… Toomey jumped out to a 14-point lead when the poll targeted “likely voters,” people who said they are certain to vote and are paying close attention to the race.

Among that group, Toomey led Specter 45-31 percent, with 20 percent undecided.

Pennsylvania voters remember that Arlen Specter only narrowly defeated Toomey in the Republican primay in 2004, by less than two percentage points or about 26,000 votes. As Pennsylvania voters react in the wake of a Scott Brown victory in Massachusetts, one can only expect Toomey’s poll numbers to increase over his Democratic opponent’s through the general election. Note: Specter himself is being challenged by Congressman Joe Sestak; however, the incumbent Senator holds a commanding lead over his challenger.

Read More →

A joint radio appearance with Representative Michele Bachman and Senator Arlen Specter turned ugly yesterday when the Pennsylvania Republican-turned-Democrat became irate and demanded of Bachmann that she “act like a lady.”

The pair were invited by Philadelphia-based conservative talker Dom Giordano for a special program marking the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration.

Asked by Senator Specter to reflect on the fiscal policies she supported over the course of the previous year, Bachmann said the recipe for economic prosperity would involve cutting the income tax rate to 22 percent and eliminating capital gains taxes and the estate tax. But before she could go any further, Specter interjected and began criticizing the substance of Bachmann’s answer.

“Now wait a minute,” Specter said to Bachmann. “I’ll stop and you can talk. I’ll treat you like a lady. So act like one.”

“I am a lady,” an unphased Bachmann replied.

“My question to you was what did you vote for,” Specter pressed, to which the Minnesota Republican promptly shot back: “I voted for prosperity.”

“She said, ‘I voted for prosperity.’ Well prosperity wasn’t a bill,” crowed Specter.

The Minnesotan’s next question, however, sent Specter reeling. “Well why don’t we make it a bill?” she asked, evidently before the senator had a chance to finish speaking.

“Now wait a minute, don’t interrupt me,” he said. “I didn’t interrupt you. Act like a lady.”

Read More →

Y’know, for a guy who constantly gets hung up on “civility,” this party-hopping pissant sure can sling the insults.

The exchange, broadcast on 1210 AM’s Dom Giordano Show [but not archived on the station's site], began when Specter challenged Bachmann to articulate what, exactly, she stands for, according to a readout on the clash published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s lively Early Returns blog.

Bachmann first laid out her agenda — cutting taxes and killing President Obama’s health reform bill — at considerable length.

When Specter tried to counter, Bachmann, darling of the Tea Party movement, kept on talking, which didn’t sit well with the one-time Philadelphia DA, who is a stickler for politeness and protocol.

“I’m going to treat you like a lady,” Mr. Specter shot back. “Now act like one.”

Ms. Bachmann replied, “I am a lady.”

I used to be one of those guys who defended Specter as a necessary evil — a guy who was with us 85% of the time, he wasn’t that bad, etc. etc.

Oh MAN, was I wrong.

Here’s my major beef with this particular instance of idiocy: You wouldn’t say that to a man.  You wouldn’t tell a guy who is killing you in a debate to “be a gentleman.”  You’d come back at him harder, fight stronger, outsmart him, out-flank him — but you don’t whine about his manners.

And here’s why: When you’re getting rhetorically curb-stomped by a male, you don’t worry about whether he’s treating you nicely.  Arlene — I mean Arlen’s problem is that he got beat by a girl, and he doesn’t like it.

Suck it up, you unprincipled swine.  You won’t be here for much longer anyway.