Specter Addresses Supporters in (Gettysburg) Boro
Jarrad Hedes
The Gettysburg Times
Jul 2, 2009
“This is why I became a Democrat,” said U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, of Pa., as he entered Gettysburg College Wednesday to a standing ovation from a room full of supporters in the College Union Building.
During a lengthy question and answer session with the group, Specter addressed his recent switch in political parties, issues such as health care reform and global warming, and his re-election status.
In April, the five-term Senate veteran announced he was becoming a Democrat after enlisting as a Republican in 1965 to challenge the Democratic district attorney of Philadelphia.
“When President Obama came up with the stimulus package it seemed to me that we needed something to revitalize the economy or we ran the risk of sliding into a 1929-like depression,” Specter said. “The Republican Party has become, with the filibusters, unwilling to allow the country to legislate. Global warming, for example, is a very big problem. We need an energy program and these filibusters are not doing anybody any good.”
With Specter’s switch and Al Franken recently winning the disputed Minnesota Senate race, Senate Democrats have the filibuster-proof majority of 60 seats.
U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter addresses a group of supporters while speaking at Gettysburg College on Wednesday.
“That will allow us to move ahead with questions like health care reform and global warming and energy programs,” Specter said. “I had been voting pretty much with the Democrats anyway for things like stem cell research and education funding. I always believed in independence. When I voted for that stimulus package, there were irreconcilable differences with the Republican Party. I wasn’t going to be an obstructionist to stop important legislation. I wasn’t elected to play it safe, I was elected to do what I thought was right for America.”
By that point, Specter said, many in his own party wanted to see him switch along with Democratic leaders.
“I had always been urged to switch parties by Joe Biden,” he said. “We ride the train together and he is one of my best friends. Gov. Ed Rendell urged me to do it as well. The far right has not supported me in the past and they won’t again. The majority of support has come from people who look at the man or woman and not the party.”
Earlier Wednesday, Specter was in Lancaster and said his stop in Gettysburg occurred on his way to Chambersburg as he headed out to the west part of the state. Every week for 29 years, he added, he has made it a point to travel the state and get back to Washington to vote by 5:30.
“People who are elected to Washington don’t stay too long,” Specter. “You have to know what people are thinking. For years I have tried to bring moderation to the Republican Party. I think America needs a two-party system.”
One of the issues Specter put at the top of his list is health care reform.
“America needs action,” he said. “It needs a comprehensive health care program and a public component. A lot of people are happy with their health care program and if they are, let them keep it. But, if they want to be in the public program, let them have that option. That is what America is about, a choice. I am not concrete about how to get it done. I want to get it done and I will be flexible about it.”
In answering a question from the audience, Specter said labor law reform is necessary because if employees want to join a union, they have to fear getting fired.
“Labor can not get certified the way the law is now because employers block it,” he said. “Today, if there is an unfair labor practice proved, they get back pay minus what they earned in a substitute job. I think they should get triple the pay with no subtraction. The union should have equal access to the employees as the employers do.”
Specter expects to be challenged in the 2010 primary election by Rep. Joe Sestak, but said he is not backing down.
“I’ve never asked the President or the Governor or anyone else to clear a path for me,” he said. “There was no discussion about it and I’m ready to take on all comers.”
