Bright and Early: Obama and Specter Ruining Republicans' Day

[bigtree]

Veteran Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania discusses his switch to the Democratic Party at the White House with President Barack Obama in Washington, Wednesday, April 29, 2009 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)


HP:

President Obama and Vice President Biden joined former Republican Senator Arlen Specter at a press conference on Wednesday morning, welcoming him to the Democratic party.

Biden introduced the Pennsylvania senator, saying it gave him "great pleasure to officially be in the same caucus as Arlen Specter ... it's just a delight."

Specter pronounced himself "ready willing and anxious to take on all comers in the general election" and restated that he would not be an "automatic sixtieth vote" for Senate Democrats. But he told Obama he thought he could "be of assistance to you" and that "you have projected an administration that I have felt very comfortable with."


TPM:

Obama praised Specter for his work on health care, education, expanding America's manufacturing base and medical research. Pointing out that Specter has battled multiple life-threatening diseases, Obama called the senator "one tough hombre."

"I don't expect Arlen to be a rubber stamp," Obama said. "In fact, I'd like to think that Arlen's decision reflects recognition that this administration is open to many different ideas and many different points of view."

The president added, "I'm eager to receive his counsel and his advice, especially when he disagrees."


Swamp:

Specter also told a little story on Obama this morning: Specter, who was born in Wichita, Kansas, the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, and raised in Russell, Kansas, said the young senator from Illinois, whose mother had hailed from Kansas, once had a question for him:

"I got to know the president to some extent in the Senate,'' Specter said. "The president approached me when he was Sen. Obama, before the Democratic primary, and he said, 'Tell me, if a Jewish kid from Kansas can carry Pennsylvania, how can a black kid from Kansas carry Pennsylvania?'...

"And I gave him some advice.''

The advice apparently ultimately, panned out. Sen. Hillary Clinton carried the 2008 Democratic primary there, Obama won the state in November and he made Clinton secretary of state.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Obama twittered: "@republicans: Im in ur caucuz, Im stealin ur senators".

[ourbluenation]

3. Bwahahahaaaaaa!

:rofl:

[FSogol]

6. LOL. n/t

[Beetwasher]

10. ROFL

:thumbsup:

[TommyO]

12. Would that be a POLcat?

[lamp_shade]

2. He (the President) looked tired (his eyes) this morning.

[BlooInBloo]

7. Good - I wanted a President who worked hard.

[Tim01]

4. From what I hear the repubs hate him and wanted him out,

they were about to vote him out, so he became a democrat to save himself.

[bigtree]

8. yet

. . . they've certainly obliged themselves handily to the benefits of his support of their party initiatives and actions in the past.

[old mark]

11. Partly true - they think he is too "liburl", but this has really hurt

the GOP in PA, maybe even killed it. The Republican who will run for senate in PA in'10 is an extreme RW anti-everything know nothing, which is where the GOP wants to go.
The GOP gave Specter a lot of shit over the last few years because he didn't vote with them each time - he seems to think representing his voters is more important than a party line vote. Oh, and I think Arlen just paid the GOP back for all the bad times they gave him....

mark

[yardwork]

14. The hard-right Republicans wanted him out. He's taking all the moderate Republicans with him.

The Republican Party is forcing out all the moderates, whom they label as "traitors." This will leave them with a party of people who are dumb as a box of rocks and mean as snakes. That appears to be ~30% of U.S. voters - not enough to win elections, and aging rapidly.

[FSogol]

5. Caption for pic #1: Pres. Obama laughs as he makes Sen. Specter suck on lemons. n/t

[Beetwasher]

9. Obama Drinks Repubs Milkshake

I just have a gut feeling this will turn out to be a very good thing. Specter won't be w/ us on everything, but he will play enough ball to make a difference.

[bigtree]

13. Obama’s Remarks About Specter Changing Parties

April 29, 2009

The following are statements by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, as released by the White House on Wednesday

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/us/politics/29obama.text.html?pagewanted=print

[bdamomma]

15. this should be very interesting with upcoming votes in the Senate