Arlen Specter: Decent man or con man?

[durrrty libby]

Is he a pug with scruples? I’m curious as to what the much more astute Du’ers think of this guy. What do the wingnuts think of him?

Stephanopoulos asked him what the solution would be, if it was found that W was guilty of breaking the law on the spying issue? Spector said that hypothetically, impeachment and a criminal trial.

I was very surprised at his candor with this question and also what appeared to be candid responses on other occasions.

[Oceansaway]

1. 1 word fits him...'asshole'....n/t

[durrrty libby]

2. OK...but

would you expound on that a bit..please?

[Oceansaway]

8. he says 1 thing and does another...he cant be trusted...

he just another Repuke asshole....

[ananda]

3. Bush isn't worried though..

.. because 65% of the American people think it's OK to spy domestically w/o warrants to protect the people from threats.

That's amazing.

On the basis of polls showing that most Americans don't care whether he spies or not, Bush is welcoming congressional hearings and saying that debate is good for "democracy."

Cheney is popular with Reeps and says that Alito did well. With SCOTUS packed in his favor, then, I'd say Bush has nothing to worry about; and with polls showing Americans apathetic about spying, I'd say he'll skate away scot free on that issue, too.

Dems will just fold and play nice because they know who really butters their bread; it's lobbyists, corporations, pollsters, and the press... not the people. Elections are such a sham.

I'm feeling so pessimistic today. Escapism looks so good right now.

Sue

[Jara sang]

16. You should read 'Tragedy & Hope' by Carroll Quigley

He basically comes to the conclusion that democracy is a sham and that we are being ruled by the power elite.

[Innocent Smith]

4. con man

seems like a con man to me

[Ninga]

5. Oh my gosh, we JUST discussed that question in my household this morning.

We decided that Specter is a combination of a Court Jester and a "beard", (a person who provides heterosexual credence in a social environment). Not meant in anyway to be negative.

1. Court Jester - amuses and entertains the royalty, supporting their rulings. (this morning Specter clearly defended Bush by saying that "he knows" (how?) that Bush is using good judgment and being honest in his approach to the war.)

2. beard - because by speaking in a way that suggests Bush is honorable Specter is giving the illusion of honesty and fair mindedness to Bush which is false and does not exisit.

[seabeyond]

6. seems to be a man, the first republican

that is remembering that it is wrong for anyone, even a president, to break a law.

i really dont care much more about spector at this moment. if this is his baby, and he is pissed and thinks it is wrong enough to do something, i will take it

i have also seen him weasel from strong statement. so not fully trusting

also i know he isn't opposed to lie for what he may justify the good of the nation. which brings him to hypocrisy. i refer to his involvement of kennedy assassination

[PWRinNY]

7. Do not trust

I think Specter would like to be a good guy, but somebody's got him by the balls. I think he's a hypocrite and a chicken. A pro-choice group that he's part of came out in opposition to Alito, but Specter says he'll support him. WTF? Specter, for some reason, is not able to be his own man. I don't trust him one bit. NOT a true moderate. And definitely not honest.

[montanacowboy]

9. LEST ANYONE HERE FORGOT THAT SPECTER

IS THE AUTHOR OF THE "MAGIC BULLET THEORY"

HE WAS IN THE POCKETS OF THE JFK MURDER BUNCH

YEP, THE ONE PRISTINE BULLET "FOUND" ON THE TABLE AFTER PASSING THROUGH HOW MANY BONES AND BODIES?

THIS CREEPY BASTARD IS JUST THAT - A SNAKE IN THE GRASS IN WITH THE BFEE UP TO HIS NECK

[peekaloo]

34. Ramen! Every time I see him I think Warren Commission. nt

[acmavm]

10. Con man and super-weasel. I wish that you could live through the

Anita Hill hearings again. Both he and Biden established the fact that they were self-serving bastards.

[durrrty libby]

11. You guys are the best

I do remember Anita Hill and the Coke can drama, but not specifically his role, and didn’t realize he was part of the Magic Bullet theory.

One of my New Years Resolutions was to try not to despise an entire species…aka pugs. Ha! It’s not working out so well.

[JeffR]

12. A decent con man

Sorta.

[Nomen Tuum]

13. How about "LIAR"?

Specter is a very good liar. My Dad and Mom were hard core Democrats, but they always voted for that liar.

In 1980, he said he would do whatever needs to be done to save Pennsylvania's steel Industry. After he got their votes, he sat on his ass and did nothing.

In 1986, He said that he would help the "Notch babies" get their fair Social Security benefits. After he got their votes, he sat on his ass and did nothing.

In 1992, He said he opposed NAFTA and would fight to keep American jobs. After he got their votes, he sat on his ass and did nothing.

In 1998, Dad was dying from Asbestosis and he was being screwed out of compensation by Halliburton. Once again, Specter said he would see to it that Dad got was due him. After he got their votes, he sat on his ass and did nothing.

In 2004, he didn't have to lie for their votes anymore, they were dead. But my sisters and nephews and nieces still voted for that liar.

All Specter has ever done is lie. From the Magic Bullet till now, he never told the truth about anything.

[durrrty libby]

22. Wow

Nomen Tuum, I’m so sorry for you. You have powerful message. Thank you for sharing.

[enough]

33. Excellent history here.

And very well told.

Arlen has always had this ability to schmooze old-time hard-core democrats in PA. It breaks my heart to remember some old line Democratic activists (now dead) who used to draw a wide circle around Specter and assume that whatever he was doing was for the good of us all. That's what I call a con.

And there are still active democrats around in PA who will go along with Specter because of his supposed pro-choice stance. Thinking it over, realize that I don't know WHAT EXACTLY Arlen has ever specifically done for the pro-choice cause. Maybe you know, N.T.?

The one great thing I know that he has done AGAINST reproductive rights was to lie, cheat, and abuse to get Clarence Thomas into a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

[prescole]

14. A good man, honest and principled. He's fighting cancer right now, yet

he keeps serving his constituency in what has to be a lot of pain and discomfort. Disagree with much of his philosophy, but what other Republican would even suggest Bush might be impeached and tried? And Specter has condemned the warrantless wiretaps.
Not everyone with whom you disagree is a demon...I wish both sides would acknowledge that. Fat chance in today's political climate.

[Rainscents]

17. I totally disagree!!!

Anyone who is going to vote for Alito is scum!

[Nomen Tuum]

19. Cancer is too good for him

I remember when that liar looked my Dad right in his face and said he would get what was rightfully his from Halliburton. Dad was hooked to an oxygen tank and struggling for air. I bit my tongue and shut up because I knew what a liar Specter is.

Dad never got a cent of compensation, while Honest Arlen took millions of campaign cash from Big Business and voted the way they wanted him to.

You cannot ask me to have any sympathy for Specter. Karma will get him and I'll pop open a champagne bottle when that worthless sack of shit is gone. That day cannot come soon enough for me.

[in_cog_ni_to]

20. A good man? honest? and principled????

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: Now THAT is the funniest thing I've read here in DU in a LONG, LONG time.:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:



As Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter wrote in his 2000 book, Passion for Truth:



“The Senate should resist, if not refuse to confirm Supreme Court nominees who refuse to answer questions on fundamental issues. In voting on whether or not to confirm a nominee, senators should not have to gamble or guess about a candidate’s philosophy, but should be able to judge on the basis of the candidate’s expressed views.”

(emphasis added)

The SOB is voting for ScAlito. He's a damn HYPOCRITE and a DANGER to this country.

A good man? Honest? and principled? :rofl:

[FreedomAngel82]

28. Honest and principled?!

I don't think so! Magic bullet theory and recent events with Alito. Specter isn't a demon because I disagree with him. He's a demon because he helped cover up the asses of those who killed Kennedy! I will NEVER forgive him for that or give a crap about what he has to say! He's dead to me.

[rustydad]

15. He is a good man but

He is a Washington politician. That means he knows a little about a lot and that he must raise a bundle of $$$ every day he is in office in order to be re-elected. The system is bust. bob

[Surya Gayatri]

21. That's how I read the guy...

At heart I think he's a decent person, but completely compromised by the system. He'll go along to get along--anything to keep his perks and priveleges. SG

[FreedomAngel82]

29. If that's true he should come clean

Tell us who really killed Kennedy. He should stand up and say no to Alito instead of kissing the ass of facism.

[Surya Gayatri]

30. I think he's just in too deep

to be able to do that. That's what too many terms in DC will do to you. Let's go back to the original intent of the founders, who foresaw a breed of "part-time citizen legislators" not career pols. Amend the Constitution--limit Congressional terms, maybe 3 terms for Reps & 2 terms for Senators. Beyond that point, the temptation for graft and corruption is nearly irresistible. Just my idea...SG

[RBHam]

18. Cover up artiste extrordanaire...

The Magic Bullet Theory.

This guy is proof we evolved from pond scum...

On second thought, why insult pond scum?

[ArbustoBuster]

23. I'm a Pennsylvanian so I know this man's words and his actions.

Specter went far to the right to defeat a right wing opponent in the Republican primaries, and then clawed back towards the center to run against his Democratic opponent in the general election. And now that he has been reelected, Specter is one again doing the bidding of his right wing overseers so he can maintain his status and power. Specter is a self-serving, lying bastard. And I say that as someone who used to vote for him before the Republicans came out with the Contract on America in 1994.

[enough]

24. Another long-time Pennsylvanian here -- I agree completely.

(except that I never voted for him)

Specter is CON MAN through and through. His biggest CON is convincing people that he is independent-minded and moderate.

Today's remarks by him are typical -- he says that if the president broke the law, impeachment is a remedy. Nobody can argue with that. The statement means nothing and carries no weight or political meaning at all. I don't understand why anyone on DU thinks it means anything. That's just Specter doing what he does all the time -- that's his CON. He'll say something that sounds judicious and impartial, but when it comes down to it, he will always go with the right wing.

Having cancer does not make you a decent or honest person.


The poster above who uses the metaphor of the "beard" makes a very good point.

[ArbustoBuster]

27. In defense of my vote...

I was young, stupid, and believed some of the BS the so-called moderate Republicans were spewing. I never registered as a Rethug, though...

[Surya Gayatri]

32. Very interesting to hear from

some native Pennsylvanians. Has he always been this compromised or has he become more so due to the corrupt climate of DC?

[BuyingThyme]

25. The Bush Crime Family owns this bastard.

He saved the BCF after JFK, and the BCF put him back in office the last time around.

He's a total fraud and a murderer of a U.S. president.

[FreedomAngel82]

26. Three words

magic bullet theory.

[951-Riverside]

31. ...Nixon n/t

[Laelth]

35. Single Bullet Theory

That's all I have to say on this subject. :puke:

-Laelth

[marions ghost]

36. Arlen The Ernest...

Crest = Weasel. Secret Weapon = an air of authority that lends immediate credibility. Character = self-aggrandizing chameleon. Threat Level = dangerous, more crafty and insidious than your average Repuke. Con = see how he got you thinking he might be trustworthy?
(I know, this sounds harsh...but study his record--you will also pick up on the weasel psychology)