Toomey for Senate

Allentown, PA – Arlen Specter’s desire to win over the far-left wing of the Democratic Party took on a new level of desperation this week.
 
Nearly a year ago, Specter adamantly opposed both the public option and using a procedural method known as reconciliation to jam a mammoth health care bill through the Senate.  Specter even went so far as to call reconciliation a “colossal mistake.”  Since then Specter has done a one-eighty on both matters, signing a letter this past weekend urging Harry Reid to bring the public option back for a vote and to use reconciliation to ram it through the Senate despite widespread public and bipartisan opposition (see a detailed timeline below).

Now, Specter is defending his about-face, saying, he has suddenly discovered “research has disclosed there are many occasions where reconciliation has been used in analogous circumstances.” (PoliticsPA)
 
The question Pennsylvanians are asking is: What has Senator Specter been doing in Washington over the past 30 years? 
 
Over the past thirty years, Specter has voted on several measures using reconciliation, including welfare reform.  Does Senator Specter not know what he has voted on?
 
Senator Specter goes on to defend his position saying, the public “won’t really understand the technicalities and the nuances” of using reconciliation. 
 
“This is a completely arrogant statement made by a Washington insider who has clearly spent too much time making backroom deals,” said Toomey Communications Director Nachama Soloveichik.  “Arlen Specter seriously underestimates the intelligence of the people of Pennsylvania.  Voters across the state know when career politicians like Specter use-back-room deals to pass massive tax and spending increases.  They know when Sen. Specter switches his positions, it is only to further his political career and to try to win a Democratic primary.  All of Specter’s “technicalities and nuances” can’t hide his blatant opportunism and his support for a massive government-run health care program that will deny Pennsylvanians the choice and competition they deserve.”

Specter’s Timeline:
 
August 8, 1994: Arlen Specter stands up on the floor in opposition to President Clinton’s health care plan, using large blow up charts to demonstrate the kind of bureaucracies President Clinton’s health care plan would create.  Specter credits his charts with helping to turn public opinion against the legislation. (Video)
 
March 30, 2009: Specter said on the Senate floor that using reconciliation for health care or other issues would be a “colossal mistake.”
 
Specter: I have sought recognition to comment on the issue of reconciliation which may, according to some speculation, seek to deal with substantive legislative proposals such as health care or perhaps even education or perhaps even global warming. I believe any such effort would be a colossal mistake, to try to change Senate procedures to deal with such substantive measures on a legislative vehicle which will take 51 votes instead of allowing for the customary Senate debate which could be cut off only by 60 votes. (Specter Press Release)
 
April 28, 2009: Specter says: “I am opposed to reconciliation to be used for health care or for any other substantive legislative issue.” (April 28, 2009)
 
May 3, 2009: Specter opposed a public government-run health care plan. (Meet the Press, 05/03/09)
 
David Gregory: Would you support health care reform that puts up a government-run public plan to compete with a private plan issued by a private insurance company?
Specter: No.
David Gregory: Let me—I want to return then to the issue of health care.  You would not support a public plan?
Specter: That’s what I said and that’s what I meant.
 
October 8, 2009: Specter signs a letter to Harry Reid urging the inclusion of a public option. (Specter Press Release)
 
February 1, 2010: At the Pennsylvania Progressive Forum, Specter came out in support of passing amendments to the Senate health care bill using reconciliation.  He said: "I believe we ought to pass comprehensive health care reform and we ought to do it now and there is a way to do it," Specter said. "I provided the 60th vote. We passed it in the Senate. Let the House accept it, simultaneously with a bill to make certain changes through reconciliation and 50 votes.  (Huffington Post)
 
February 20, 2010: Specter becomes the 19th senator to sign onto an official letter to Harry Reid urging him to push the public option through the Senate using reconciliation. (Daily Kos) 
 

-30-