Specter flips on EFCA

[JohnBrowdie]

he was against EFCA when he was a republican.  I predicted that either an offer of his seniority in the senate or the pressure of the primaries would have him flipping positions faster than a russian gymnast.  and why the hell you would vote for a bill that you disagreed with (bolded text) is beyond me.

it just proves what many people long suspected;  he doesn't truly believe anything.

Specter: I Expect To Vote For Cloture On Democratic Bills, Particularly EFCA

Just a quick data point. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) fielded questions at a Netroots Nation panel this morning about whether he'd encourage his colleagues to support cloture on Democratic bills. Though he elided the specific question, he did say that, unless Democrats flew off the handle and began trying to limit the first amendment, or civil rights for gays, he will vote with the party to bring legislation to the floor for an up or down vote. Specifically, he said he'd support cloture on the Employee Free Choice Act, even if he disagrees with the underlying bill.

He's also recently assured labor organizers that they'd "like" how he votes on EFCA. Before he switched parties, and even for a while thereafter, he said exactly the opposite.

Link

[JohnBrowdie]

maybe this explains his sudden conversion to pro-labor positions . . .  what a fraud. :

Obama, Biden to raise money for Specter

Sen. Arlen Specter (D) will welcome President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to Pennsylvania in the coming months as he looks to build his financial lead in his race for reelection.

The president will attend a Sept. 15 fundraiser for Specter at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, while the vice president will join the new Democrat for an event in Western Pennsylvania later this fall.

Fundraisers for Specter's campaign hope to raise $2.5 million during the event in Philadelphia, according to an e-mail invitation obtained by the Philadelphia Daily News. The event has already raised $600,000, and backers have committed another $700,000 to organizers, wrote David Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast and a major Specter donor.

Obama and Biden both pledged to support Specter after he bolted the Republican Party in late April. Biden, who as a Delaware senator had a close working relationship with his Pennsylvania colleague, had long worked to convince Specter to jump ship.

"We asked the president to help us [by] campaigning with us and doing a fundraiser, and they were gracious enough to say yes," Chris Nicholas, Specter's campaign manager, told The Hill.

More

[Wretched Excess]

the last time he ran for re-election, he begged GWB to campaign for him to rescue him from primary challenger pat toomey.  and now he needs barack obama . . . this is where the voice in the TV says, "we are experiencing technical difficulties.  there is nothing wrong with your TV."

[Miss Mia]

I don't have a problem with politicians allowing a bill to go to the floor even if they disagree with it.  As far as Specter, it doesn't surprised me that he'd flip flop, and really, until he votes on the final bill there's no telling what he'd do.  I suspect with the current atmosphere in Congress, EFCA won't get too far any time soon.  Didn't they remove the card check provision?

[JohnBrowdie]

I don't have a problem with politicians allowing a bill to go to the floor even if they disagree with it.  As far as Specter, it doesn't surprised me that he'd flip flop, and really, until he votes on the final bill there's no telling what he'd do.  I suspect with the current atmosphere in Congress, EFCA won't get too far any time soon.  Didn't they remove the card check provision?

unless he is the 60th dem vote in the senate, and specifically said ad nauseam that he wouldn't be the automatic 60th vote for cloture on any issue.  and that was his position right up until we find out that the president is going to stump for him in the primaries, were he is trailing badly.

generally speaking, if you are against something, voting for it isn't the quickest way to accomplish your goal.

card check is out last I heard, but that was all a matter of votes, and the numbers really weren't that far apart.

[JohnBrowdie]

apparently, specter just twittered in favor of the public healthcare option.