Saturday, November 13, 2010

Catching up with Arlen Specter

I ran into Senator Specter at the opening of the Philadelphia Craft Show. In a sign of things to come, he paid for his own ticket. He acted as if he did not have a care in the world and was making jokes all night. Recalling his performance during the Clarence Thomas hearings, I marveled that this was the same man.

While Specter did not want to talk about his primary opponent Joe Sestak, he had plenty to say about his old adversary, Anita Hill. “While Ginny Thomas should not have called Anita Hill’s office at 7 30 in the morning, it was even stupider of Anita Hill to alert the press of the call,” he commented.

Specter is ready to retire yet. He said, “I am going back for the lame duck Congress to soak it the rich and raise tax rates. Don’t ask don’t tell is also a priority.”

Specter had no regrets about leaving the Republican Party and becoming a Democrat. “I was born a Democrat, he stated. “When I decided to run for office, I was forced to run on the Republican ticket because the city Democrat machine was so corrupt they would not consider me. I was still registered as a Democrat at the time.”

The Senator is coy about his future plans. “George Mitchell advised me to take my time in making a decision,” he mentioned. Like many a politician, he is considering become a pundit. His outlet of choice was a surprising one. It is the liberal bastion of NPR.

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