Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is much like Arlen Specter -- in the middle of a rapid, awkward transition from Republican to Democrat. Last night, as Specter begins to rebuild his political base in his new party, he spoke to a meeting of the county's Democrats. A friend of TAP reports from the scene:
Specter fielded 27 questions, the vast majority of them policy-related. His answers to the two questions on EFCA did nothing to win over unionists, who heard Specter rehash the red herring of "preserving the secret ballot." On health care, he said that he thinks the president is on the right track and that he supports Senator Schumer's approach of having a "public aspect" that would have the "public sector on equal footing with the private sector."
When challenged on his questioning of Anita Hill, he said it was a "learning experience," and that he had "no idea that so many women saw themselves in her place." He agreed to sponsor legislation that would fund the replacement of electronic voting machines with a system of voter-marked paper ballots. He agreed to support the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. On same-sex marriage, he recognized that much had changed since the passage of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and offered that his "view is evolving" on the issue.
Perhaps the most consequential and room-energizing moment of the night came when Specter was asked -- separately and apart from any particular issue -- "If push came to shove, can we count on your vote to break a filibuster," he answered, without hesitation, "Yes." If he really meant to answer the question in such a categorical fashion, it means Specter will be more loyal as a Dem than he ever was a Republican.
Did he win folks over? He did himself more good than harm; people left feeling more comfortable, though not necessarily enthusiastic. These are folks who have been working against Specter and the candidates he has supported for a long time. They've done battle, not just because of party labels, but because of policy positions. This meeting reinforced the view that it will take a full airing of the policy differences between Specter, Sestak, and any other Senate candidate before grass-roots Democratic activist settle around anyone.
-- The Editors
