On Saturday, PA's newly Democratic Senator, Arlen Specter, was in town to address the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee but first he had to face Labor.
SEIU, PA AFL-CIO, the Allegheny County Labor Council, the Communication Workers of America, Local 13000 and others rallied for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) before the committee meeting and Specter spoke to the union members. There's video of his speech below courtesy of a Daily Kos diary.
Specter said that he is "'committed to finding an answer' on legislation making it easier to organize unions" and "If you want to become elected in this state, you have to come to labor, and I know that."
Some in the crowd were less than impressed. From pa2010:
But that wasn’t good enough for many rank-and-file union members in the crowd—some groaned in displeasure, some booed, and at least one hurled an epithet at Specter.You can see Heinlein make his point at around 4:52 in the second video (you can also see Rob Frank who recently ran for City Council standing in front of him).
“You want my vote? I want yours!” John Heinlein, 20 a retired ironworker, shouted repeatedly until Specter was forced to acknowledge him.
Attempting to calm the crowd, Specter said: “I understand your job’s on the line and I understand that my job’s on the line. I understand that, and I believe that you’ll be satisfied with my vote on this issue. And if you’re not, I recognize your right in a free society to cast your vote as you choose.”
Later, after Specter left the makeshift stage to chants of “Free Choice Act,” Heinlein told pa2010.com that Specter was on thin ice.
“I voted for him in the past,” Heinlein said. “But he can’t fence-ride on this. If he wants our support, he has to vote for this. If he votes against this, he’ll never get my vote again.
Keystone Progress (http://www.keystoneprogress.org/), Penn Action (http://www.pennaction.org/), ProgressNow (http://www.progressnow.org/) and True Majority (http://www.truemajority.org/) have joined forces to create the Specter Scorecard web site (http://www.specterscorecard.org/ ). The sponsors of the site say:
“We'll keep you informed about key upcoming votes where Sen. Specter's vote will be vital to the success of the progressive position. We'll give you accurate information about the issue and we'll provide you with the opportunity to take action to help persuade Arlen to do the right thing.”
And “We'll let you know how Sen. Specter has voted on important progressive issues since he made the switch. We'll display his ‘progressive batting average’ and keep it updated when he takes votes on those issues.”
Joe Hoeffel, Montgomery County Commissioner, who ran against Specter in 2004 sent out the following in his newsletter under the title "Darlin' Arlen or Snarlin' Arlen?":
We have a long way to go before the Senate primary in 2010. Give our new Democratic Senator a chance to prove that he will support the President's agenda on the floor of the Senate, both on the merits and on procedural votes.(NOTE: At about 3:45 in the 2nd video Arlen puts on the charm. While talking about the chemotherapy he had, he notes that you lose all your hair but "Of course you can become a sex symbol like Joe Hoeffel.")
Congressman Joe Sestak is indicating he is likely to run for the Senate next year. Joe Sestak would be a great candidate and would pose a terrific primary challenge to Arlen Specter.
Let's make sure we nominate a candidate for the Senate in 2010 from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party.
From pa2010:
Short of divine intervention, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) is running for Senate.C'mon, Joe, take the plunge!
“It would take an act of God for me to not get in now,” Sestak told a Democratic State Committeeman Saturday morning within earshot of reporters.
Hearing his quote read back to him, Sestak cringed.
“That sounds blasphemous,” he said, not denying that he said it—and has said it before.
But he reiterated to pa2010.com that the final decision rests with his family—not the Lord Almighty.
“I want us to be in this together,” he said.
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I don't believe Spector has it in him to vote for labor. Not even to keep his job.
ReplyDeleteHe'll try to straddle the fence somehow, maybe cast a good vote when there's nothing on the line. Then, he'll do what he's always done-vote against labor and the middle class.
When you really think about it, the seamless "change of party" of Arlen Specter is symptomatic of
ReplyDeletethe essential one-corporate-party disease the nation suffers under.
Issue "debates" on healthcare for example exclude real reform like single-payer from the discussion.
The bail-out of the banksters and the plundering of our financial resources is never really challenged in Congress.
The wars that continue raging
(and expanding) continue to be funded...liberals and conservatives alike for the most part are silent.
So it's no wonder that Specter leans right on the fence on labor legislation...the leadership of the Dems will never hold him accountable.
And as for the rest of the President's agenda, when the
positions become smoke & mirrors
rather than real reform, it's quite easy for any repub/dem to shift around the dance floor in multiple costumes.
eb,
ReplyDeleteDon't know if you're in PA, but if you are they'll be a rally for Single-payer in Harrisburg on the 11th.
See here for details.