Robert Schlesinger

Arlen Specter Party Switch Becomes Money-Maker for Republicans

April 29, 2009 RSS Feed Print

By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Arlen Specter may be gone from the GOP, but he is definitely not forgotten. In fact, he's quickly developed a new role in the party: fundraiser.

That's fundraiser in the same way that Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton have been longtime GOP rain-makers and Sarah Palin has been for the Democrats.

The Republican National Committee's Michael Steele sent out an E-mail last night comparing Specter to Benedict Arnold and asking the party faithful for money.

P.S. ... we need to respond to Senator Specter's decision to join President Obama's efforts to change America into a European Welfare State. Please help our Party move forward by making a secure online contribution of $25, $50, $100, $500 or $1,000 to give our Republican leaders & candidates the political muscle they need to resist the Obama-Pelosi-Specter agenda. Thank you.

Obama-Pelosi-Specter agenda? I wonder how Harry Reid feels about being snubbed like that.

Steele and the RNC were not alone. The Club for Growth, whose former chief, Pat Toomey, had challenged Specter in the Republican primary, also sent out a fundraising appeal. "We always knew that Senator Arlen Specter could not be trusted. Today, he made it official," it starts, concluding, "Please make your contribution immediately. The future of our country and our freedom is at stake."

I suspect these are not the only such appeals. Can someone forward me the DNC's?

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Tags:
Arlen Specter,
Senate,
democratic party,
politics,
republican party

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The only time in my life I have been proud of Arlene Spector is when he finally admitted he was a democrat. You can have him he is as worthless as tits on a bore hog. He has always been a rino, and God knows we don't need anymore of them.

The reasons the republicans lost is because no one on the right wants to vote for any more rinos. We are tired of selecting the lesser of two evils.

We wan to see some true conservatives in our party. I believe the only reason McCain (The chief rino) got as many votes as he did was because we saw a real conservative in Sarah Palin.

Good bye Arlene we won’t miss you. Maybe the occasional vote you cast or way to save face, but you... Never!

Roy Sekulich of TN 2:18PM May 04, 2009

The label merely gave him some appeal to centrist Republicans (who he never supported in any real way.)

He has been the fox in the chicken coop for most of his 30 years in the senate. The GOP hasn't lost anything, since you could count on Arlen to vote with the opposition on any issue of importance before the Senate.

He is ugly and stupid enough to fit in real well with Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Feinstein, Boxer and their ilk. Good riddance!

John Frykman of MN 2:46PM April 29, 2009

45% of you digging in your heels? only 21% of Americans now call themselves Republicans. I think in the interests of Republican Purity you should all sign pledges with the Club For Growth, move to the woods, build yourselves some concrete bunkers, and THEN dig in your heels. While all of the rest of us well-heeled middle of the roaders drink cocktails and celebrate diversity of opinion and impurities in general. Bon Voyage!

twinkle twan of OR 1:01PM April 29, 2009

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger is managing editor for opinion at U.S. News and World Report, overseeing all opinion editorial content. He is the author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters. E-mail him at rschlesinger@usnews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rschles.

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