Sen. Arlen Specter has had his share of problems since switching parties. So he decided to take matters into his own hands — and cancel an appearance on Larry King Live. Good move. There is really nothing to be gained at this point by appearing in public to retrace the Norm Coleman gaffe, the bad polling numbers, the pending primary challenge, the threats from Big Labor to oppose him and the loss of seniority. As Politico bluntly put it in a story headlined “Meltdown: Specter stands alone”: “Arlen Specter infuriated Senate Republicans when he bolted from their party last week. Now he’s alienated just about everybody in the Senate Democratic caucus, too.”
The liberal blogs are giving potential Democratic challenger Rep. Joe Sestak plenty of visibility. In a Talking Points Memo interview, Sestak went on a tear:
”He left the fight,” said the former admiral and highest ranking military man ever to serve in Congress. “In the military, we just don’t leave fights.”
Sestak’s shot at Specter comes amid grassroots grumbling that the deal Democratic leaders struck to get Specter to defect from the GOP cost the party a shot at putting a real liberal in the seat in 2010.
“I can’t figure out…why the deal was done,” Sestak told me, saying he’s concerned that the party was so quick to embrace Specter for reasons of “expediency,” and without regard to the needs of Pennsylvania voters. “It isn’t Washington’s prerogative to tell us what to do,” Sestak insisted.
And Sestak isn’t the only primary opponent for Specter. Joe Torsella is redoubling his efforts. His spokesman had this to add:
I certainly think there will be a core of Democrats in the primary who cannot stomach the idea of voting for a guy who just a few years ago was standing on stage in the warm embrace of George W. Bush. . . There is an opportunity to build a coalition of Democratic voters in the primary who aren’t willing to accept Arlen Specter as a Democrat.
Given all that, perhaps it is best for Specter to keep his head down and his mouth closed. That’s appropriate, after all, for a senator with the least seniority in his party.
On the bright side, maybe if they keep digging that hole they’ll strike oil.
Obama’s polls keep falling…fallling…Advise. Trolls has to spend time calling polls to propped up that number.
But don’t forget! powerful intellect, judicious temperament, political and oratorical skill without equal.
And the eloquent speeches, several among the finest ever uttered. Lincoln might have come close once or twice.
But don’t forget! that all enabling teleprompter
Don’t fret neocons. Things are looking up.
This morning: HOUSING STARTS SEE BIGGEST GAIN SINCE JAN. 1990
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New U.S. housing starts unexpectedly rebounded in February, surging 22.2 percent, according to data on Tuesday that provided a rare dose of good news for the recession-hit economy and fractured housing market
The Commerce Department said the jump in housing starts to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 583,000 units was the biggest percentage rise since January 1990. That was also the first increase since April last year, when they advanced by 1.6 percent. January’s housing starts were revised to a rate of 477,000, the department said.
GALLUP: CONSUMER MOOD INDEX HITS HIGHEST MARK SINCE SEPTEMBER (March 16 release)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gallup’s Consumer Mood Index rose sharply over the last week … and is the most positive the Index has been since mid-September 2008.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/116869/Consumer-Mood-Index-Hits-Highest-Mark-September.aspx
RASMUSSEN: CONSUMER, INVESTOR CONFIDENCE REBOUNDS
Consumer and investor confidence increased dramatically over the past week… . On Sunday morning, March 15, the Rasmussen Consumer Index rose to the highest level since November 5, the morning after Barack Obama was elected president.
CBS NEWS POLL, March 17 release:
Amid all the economic uncertainty and controversial government bailouts, President Barack Obama’s job approval rating remains at 62 percent and includes a growing number of Americans who believe the country is moving in the right direction, according to a CBS News poll. The percentage that says the country is headed in the right direction has been steadily rising this year; 35% now say that, up from a low of 7% last October and 23% last month. The percentage that says the economy is getting better has more than doubled.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/03/17/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4870721.shtm
So is there any truth to the rumour that Obama fells his message just isn’t registering, so he is going to replace press spokesman Gibbs with Bobcat Goldthwait ?
I would feel that the end is near if I hadn’t survived the same level of non accomplishment with Jimmy Carter.
Kim:
Who believes anything CBS says?
I don’t know why people are so critical of Obama. He is this country’s greatest President-Elect.
Kim thanks for the polls. If that is all you have I hope you sleep well. The number of people who thinks he is doing well is only 4 points above the people who think he is failing. He is coming back to earth. People like him, but hate his policies and hate Washington in general. His latest reversal on the economy just shows him the political hack like everyone else in Wash DC is. He has a brewing trade war with Mexico because of the “porkulus” bill or maybe it was in the ongoing budget bill, and his “capitalist” supporters are not happy with his economic plan. His tax cheat we had to have in the Treasury is continuing to demonstrate he is incompetent with his handling of the AIG bonus – it has already been paid and much of it to international employees who we cannot tax Mr. Dodd.
Jennifer, Obama won the November election, so he gets to run the economy however he wants. That’s how it works, right? Like a King, only he’s a Messiah–he knows what’s best. And if he’s not focusing in a manner to your liking, well that’s his choice–he won. Just ask him, he’ll tell you.
Nice to see the trolls have returned.
Housing starts–largest since the last housing recession. Meanwhile industrial production is at a 7 year low, while capacity utilization is at levels not seen since December 1982.
Yup, things are looking up alright. So low that everything else is up.
Love the polling data–always a sign of confidence in the strength of one’s argument. Misery loves company–never alone when you’re wrong.
They May as well tax my farts
Yes, btenney! It’s kind of like Johnson and Cartef all together–first the big spending that stymies parts of the market and expands the underclass, then the stagflation.
Our big goal now should be to keep the government’s hands off health care and energy.
One little known fact is that even when President Bush’s job approval rating was in the 20-30% range, a majority of the American people still had a positive impression of him as a person. Forget what the liberal sufferers of BDS believe: Americans liked the man, but disliked his job performance.
So there’s precedent for Americans not experiencing cognitive dissonance when they see President Obama as a charming incompetent.
Jennifer Rubin has it exactly right. The world is in authentic crisis and we have the embodiment of amateur hour at the helm of free world leadership.
Ones hopes they’ll tie domestic policy in so many knots as to prevent much of the actual spending of money looted from taxpayers.