The White House continues to avoid discussing details on whether Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak was offered a job if he skipped the Pennsylvania Senate primary but spokesman Robert Gibbs said Sunday that lawyers reviewed conversations and found “nothing inappropriate.”
“I’m not a lawyer. But lawyers in the White House and others have looked into conversations that were had with Congressman Sestak. And nothing inappropriate happened,” Gibbs told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“I’m not going to get further into what the conversations were. People that have looked into them assure me that they weren’t inappropriate in any way,” he said.
Arlen Specter, a true turncoat, has lost his bid for re-election. O Happy Freakin’ Day! May we have 167 more days like this as we march toward flipping this congress and restoring some Common Sense, Integrity and Dignity to our nation’s leadership. We are definitely off to a great start with Rand Paul!
Upstart Senate candidates claimed two stunning victories in primary elections Tuesday night as Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak denied incumbent Democrat Arlen Specter renomination to a sixth term and Kentucky insurgent Rand Paul easily bested establishment favorite Trey Grayson for the Republican Party’s Senate nod.
The AP called Pennsylvania’s Senate primary for Sestak just before 10:15 p.m., as Sestak led Specter, 53 percent to 47 percent, with 65 percent of precincts reporting. The second-term congressman and former admiral will face off in the general election against former GOP Rep. Pat Toomey.
Addressing supporters shortly after the race was called in Sestak’s favor, Specter endorsed his victorious opponent: “I will support him in the election.”
Not being able to continue his march toward global socialism could not have happened to a bigger POS than Arlen Specter (except, of course, Barry Soetoro/Obama).
Good Frakkin’ Riddance and take that grinning Fool with you!!
Well, well, well….it’s almost fun watching the carnivorous dinosaurs eat each other. You also know what this means; at the end of the day, Sestak has got to be defeated because he is accepting the endorsement of one of the worst offenders in Congress. That old adage about judging a person’s character by the people that he associates with is raising it’s ugly head again. Hopefully, this time around more people will be paying attention, and act judiciously.
Ah, the audacity of the spin that occurs on Sunday news shows that spotlight politicians and their bills.
I am absolutely convinced that either the Senate has a completely different version of the health care bill from the one they posted last week, or they are too dangerously stupid to serve because they do not have all the facts, or they ARE LYING. Which one is it?
The following video has more than one instance where I am scratching my head trying to decide which of the three options really should apply. What follows is a couple of examples of the “stupid or lying” question. I guess one would have to look at the IQ of the person making the statements, now wouldn’t one?
Fox News Sunday – This bill Is A Fraud On The American People
Senator Debbie Stabenow boldly made this statement on Fox New Sunday today:
…what we’re doing is for the the first time making sure women have maternity care and actually have mammograms covered.”
That sounds great but what about this from a 11.20.09; the day BEFORE Stabenow voted for this bill and two days before she unzipped her head, took out her brain, and stuck it in the glovebox of her car before entering the studio:
Reid’s merged Senate bill left out part of an amendment that Barbara Mikulski had successfully introduced into the Senate HELP legislation, which requires insurance companies to include women’s preventative services as part of all minimum benefit packages, for little or no cost. Mikulski argued that women of child-bearing age end up paying an average of 68 percent more in out-of-pocket costs, partly due to reproductive health needs, and often ended up delaying or forgoing care (like mammograms) because of the expense. The provision—which was in neither the House nor Finance Committee legislation—was slated to be in Reid’s bill this week, but “CBO decided at the last minute there was a problem and it was removed until that is resolved,” Mikulski spokesperson Rachel MacKnight said in an email today.
The problem, according to sources familiar with the issue, was that the Mikulski’s amendment wasn’t specific enough in terms of how it would determine which services would be covered, simply saying that it would be it up to the discretion of HHS to set the guidelines for coverage. As such, the provision was so broad that CBO ended up having to give it a very high—i.e. expensive—score, and Reid ended up leaving the language out of the bill.
According to MacKnight, Reid and Mikulski “are working on a solution to include her amendment” and strengthen provisions for women’s preventative services in the final bill. But given the tempest surrounding the new mammography recommendations—along with today’s news about Pap smears—this might not be an easy task. In all of the bills, HHS uses the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force serve as a basic guide to determine what should be covered at little or no cost as part of a minimum benefits package.
So which policy position is it? Women receive basic health care OR NOT? Dangerously stupid or just lying?
Who’s Next? Arlen Specter. Where do I start because not only is he telling bald faced lies, his last statement makes no sense. Term limits anyone?
Listen Chris, the real issue here is whether we are going to have governance?
We have the opposition refusing to admit that there’s any problem with health care.
…refusing to admit there’s any problem with global warming.
…refusing to take a stand on the economic crisis.
So the question really here is, let’s take up the amendments one at a time. If the amendments offered by anyone are good, but, the one option which is not present, in my judgement, is the option of doing nothing.
What does Arlen mean by “are we going to have governance”? I have no clue exactly what he is trying to say, considering once again, the definition of governance is probably two different things. This congress stopped attempting to pretend to listen to us when Barack, The Magic Shapeshifter was installed in the White House.
As for Arlen’s comments about his republican colleagues not admiting or taking a stand on issues, here are some examples of republicans refuting his statements from earlier in the year and last year. Dr. Price on the Republican Plan, 8.11.09: (starting at 2:20)
Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) on the economy, global warning, debt and the deficit, 7.24.09. Please watch the whole video because this guy is sharp and articulate:
The Real Message About Democrat Healthcare Plan From Ron Paul:
Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) on the vote for or against T.A.R.P.” 9.30.2008
My #1 problem with the democratic health care bill is that it starts taxing us immediately for services not to be provided until 2014! At least with a burial plot, you KNOW it’s going to be there when you need it.
How STUPID are we if we allow these congressman and senators to continue to chow down on the whole hog when there may not be a viable American economy left in 2014. How stupid are we to continue to pay our taxes when they vote FOR Trillion dollar bills that we have specifically targeted, and melted their phones, fax, and email lines of communication over, and then do whatever they think is best according to their party’s idealogy? What happens when the asset bubble bursts, the economy crashes, and there is no more tax revenue for them to abscond?
I know….I’m beating a dead horse here; just wanted to figure out where the spin ends and lies start.
The silent majority (yes you – you know you are “republican operatives paid by the insurance companies”) are putting down their remotes, getting up off their couches and using Obama’s own Saul Alinsky and ACORN tactics against the Progressive Socialist Democratic Party, and the other side is stunned?
Here is the most common sense statement I have heard about why the government should get out of our doctor’s examination room and only do the jobs the Constitution provides for the federal government:
I look at this health care plan. I see nothing that is about health or about care. What I see is a bureaucratic nightmare Senator. Medicaid is broke. Medicare is broke. Social Security is broke. And you want us to believe that a government that can’t even run a Cash For Clunkers program is going to run 1/7 of our US economy. No Sir! No.
In the little world of Washington, D.C. the power grab and political machinations are so predictable, but the selected resident is so confident that imitating a mafia Godfather encouraging a primary candidate to step aside does not even make him blink. Obama is in his realm when “persuading” or forcing opponents off the ticket.
Word out of Washington, D.C., is that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the political wiseguys from the Obama administration plan on “visiting with” Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Joe Sestak.
Their objective is clear: Get him off the stage and out of a primary race against incumbent (and now Democrat) Sen. Arlen Specter.
“I have received a call” from DSCC chairman Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Sestak said, “but we keep missing each other.”
So the battle lines are drawn: Sestak is not inclined to be pushed out of the race, and Menendez’s marching orders from the White House are to shove, not just push.
“Joe Sestak is a very credible candidate,” said Larry Ceisler, a Philadelphia-based political consultant. “If Specter would have stayed in the GOP, I believe Sestak would have been the Democratic nominee.”
Ceisler said part of Sestak’s appeal is that he is outside the traditional Democrat establishment and doesn’t owe anyone anything: “He is sitting on enough cash to lay the foundation for a good campaign.”
Ceisler predicted that President Obama will try to shut Sestak off from traditional campaign fundraising sources. But Sestak still could produce a strong fundraising showing.
Would it be enough? “To be determined and tested,” Ceisler said.
As of last week, Sestak had no plans of going anywhere but forward. “I felt when everyone was told to get out of the race that it was violating a principle of why I got into politics. Rather than being upfront and letting Pennsylvania Democrats have a choice in an election, they have cut a deal,” he said.
The downside for Sestak is that he would have to give up his House seat to run. But fear is no deterrent for a guy who was a Navy admiral and won his House seat by defeating an incumbent, Curt Weldon, in eastern Pennsylvania’s 7th District. “Last time I checked, there was no anointing of individuals to seats in America,” Sestak said. “Washington is trying to be a kingmaker. … This is a primary; it is open to all.”
Here is to hoping that the admiral does not have a Kellerman or Levy moment, and “crack” under the pressure.
…for being such a chickensh*t liar that he is switching parties from Republican to Democrat. He says that his beliefs are more in line with the Democrats now, but it really looks like he just wants to continue his 29 year run in the Senate using obot voters after amassing a 5.8 million warchest of contributions from Republicans. Good luck with that Arlen; there is going to be alot of surprised politicians on both sides of the isle in 2010 (or sooner).
From AP:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania disclosed plans Tuesday to switch parties, a move intended to boost his chances of winning re-election next year that also will push Democrats within one seat of a 60-vote filibuster-resistant majority.
“I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” Specter said in a statement posted on a Web site devoted to Pennsylvania politics and confirmed by his office. Several Senate officials said a formal announcement was expected later in the day or Wednesday
President Barack Obama called Specter almost immediately after he was informed of the decision to say the Democratic Party was “thrilled to have you,” according to a White House official.
Specter, 79 and in his fifth term, is one of a handful of Republican moderates remaining in Congress in a party now dominated by conservatives. Several officials said secret talks that preceded his decision reached into the White House, involving both Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden, a longtime colleague in the Senate. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell as well as Democratic leaders in Congress also were involved, added the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details.
He has publicly acknowledged in recent months that in order to win a sixth term, he would need the support of thousands of Pennsylvania Republicans who sided with Obama in last fall’s presidential election.
“I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate,” he said in the statement.
Asked by a reporter what he had to say to his constituents, Specter replied with a smile, “I don’t have to say anything to them. They said it to me.”
