Arlen Specter

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Arlen Specter
Senior Senator from Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 5, 1981– Serving with Bob Casey, Jr.
Preceded by	Richard Schweiker
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2011)
Born	February 12, 1930 (age 77) Wichita, Kansas, USA
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Joan Specter
Religion	Judaism

Arlen J. Specter (born February 12, 1930) is a United States Senator from Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Republican Party.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life and career

Specter was born in Wichita, Kansas to Jewish parents Lillie Shanin and Harry Specter.^[1] He was raised in Russell, Kansas (also the hometown of 1996 Republican Presidential nominee Bob Dole). His father was Harry Specter, a tailor and junkyard owner; his mother was the former Lillie Shanin. Specter studied at universities before and after serving in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1953. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in International Relations, in 1951 and from Yale Law School in 1956. He passed the Pennsylvania Bar in 1956.

In 1953, he married Joan L. Levy, a former at-large member of the Philadelphia City Council. The couple now have two sons, Shanin and Steve.

Soon after graduation from Yale, Specter became a prominent lawyer in Philadelphia and active in politics, beginning his political life as a Democrat. At the recommendation of Rep. Gerald R. Ford, he worked for the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. As an assistant counsel for the commission, he authored the controversial "single bullet theory" to attempt to explain the commission's finding that a lone assassin killed Kennedy.

Sen. Specter has long been considered a moderate Republican, famously labeled as a RINO. Here, Specter comments on the issue of stem cell research, in which he joined hands with (left to right): Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA).

He eventually became a Republican and scored an upset by winning a 1965 race for District Attorney in heavily Democratic Philadelphia running on an anti-corruption platform against the Democratic machine. His slogan, deemed "brilliant" by The Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, was "We need these guys to watch those guys."^[2] Before his run for District Attorney, Specter briefly represented the "unicorn killer," Ira Einhorn, who remained at large for years after Specter successfully argued that Einhorn should only pay 10% of his $40,000 bond.

He mounted an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Philadelphia in 1967 and was defeated for re-election to a third term as district attorney in 1973. He was defeated in the 1976 Republican Primary for U.S. Senate by John Heinz and in the 1978 primary for Governor of Pennsylvania by Dick Thornburgh.^[3]

He also made an abortive bid for the Republican nomination in the 1996 presidential race, before withdrawing and endorsing future nominee Bob Dole.

[edit] Senate career

[edit] Elections

In 1980, Specter became the Republican candidate for Senate when Republican incumbent Richard Schweiker announced his retirement. Specter won the election and was reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998 and 2004. Recent reports suggest that he is planning to run for re-election to his Senate Seat in 2010, when he will be 81 [2]. He was briefly a candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination in the 1996 election, but dropped out early in the race. He was chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1995, when the Republicans gained control of the Senate, until 1997, when he became chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs. He chaired that committee until 2001 and again from 2003 to 2007, during the times the Republicans controlled the Senate.

[edit] Political leanings

[edit] Overview

Specter is a moderate Republican, reflecting his roots in Kansas and in Philadelphia. He is generally considered pro-choice on abortion (although he received a 20% rating from pro-choice group NARAL) and supports civil unions for gay couples. On the immigration issue, Senator Specter supports a "pathway to citizenship" and a "guest worker program" which opponents call amnesty. He introduced Senate Bill S. 2611 (the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 on April 6, 2006 and it was passed on May 25, 2006, before reaching a stalemate in the House. On the conservative side, he strongly supports the death penalty and opposes most gun control, voting against the Brady Bill, background checks at gun shows, the ban on assault weapons, and trigger locks for handguns. His work has included numerous articles on the deterring effect the death penalty has on future crimes. He supports affirmative action and voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1990. He was one of only four Republicans to vote against the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act and in recent years has been less enthusiastic about lawsuit reform than many members of his party. In 1995 he was the only Republican to vote to limit tax cuts to individuals with incomes of less than one million dollars. He voted against CAFTA. Specter also supports an increase in the federal minimum wage. These stances helped him to win election in three cycles (1986, 1992 and 1998) that have generally been seen as bad years for Republicans. His opposition to Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork is seen as an important factor in the nominations failure. However, he raised the ire of many Democrats who had supported him for years with his aggressive questioning of Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearings. In 1998 and 1999 Specter criticized his own party for its impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Believing that Clinton had not received a fair trial, Specter famously cited Scots law to render a verdict of "not proven" on President Clinton's impeachment. However, his verdict was recorded as "not guilty" in the Senate records.

Sen. Specter and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee discuss the merits of issuing subpoenas to Karl Rove and Harriet Miers over the firing of US Attorneys last year.

Specter is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership and supports stem cell research. He is also a member of The Republican Majority For Choice, Christine Todd Whitman's Its My Party Too, Republicans For Choice and Republicans for Environmental Protection.

On March 16, 2006, Specter upset some conservative Republican activists when he proclaimed, "The Republican Party is now principally moderate, if not liberal!" after securing $7 billion for domestic spending programs. This has only further cemented the attitude of many Republicans that Specter is a Republican In Name Only.^[4]

In April 2006, he was selected by Time as one of "America's 10 Best Senators." According to polls by SurveyUSA, Specter has a higher approval rating among registered Democrats in Pennsylvania than Republicans (though the difference is within the margin of error).

[edit] Reputation as abrasive

Specter is notoriously abrasive, and earned the nickname "Snarlin' Arlen" among his foes on Capitol Hill and in the public. In 2004, Specter, who is often dubbed a "Republican In Name Only" (RINO) by more conservative critics, faced a challenge in the Republican primary election from conservative Congressman Pat Toomey. Toomey charged that Specter was too much of a liberal and big spender to represent the Republican Party. The match-up was closely watched nationally, being seen as a symbolic clash between the conservative and moderate wings of the Republican Party. With support from fellow Republican Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and President George W. Bush, Specter narrowly avoided a major upset with 51% of the vote. Some considered this primary battle to have damaged his re-election hopes, moving him to the right of his past moderate stances. He faced Democratic Congressman Joe Hoeffel, Betsy Summers of the Libertarian Party, and Constitution Party candidate James Clymer in November 2004's general election. He was easily reelected, becoming the longest-serving senator in Pennsylvania history. No other Pennsylvanian has served five terms in the Senate.

Specter, through a feud with Senator Harry Reid on the floor of the Senate, his position as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and his opposition to a new budget plan proposed by the Bush administration, has emerged as a nationally recognized figure from his previous, more taciturn role in the public eye.

[edit] Opinions on the Supreme Court

Soon after the 2004 election, Specter stepped into the public spotlight as a result of controversial statements about his views of the future of the Supreme Court. At a press conference, he stated that "when you talk about judges who would change the right of a woman to choose, overturn Roe vs. Wade, I think [confirmation] is unlikely. The president is well aware of what happened, when a number of his nominees were sent up, with the filibuster. ... And I would expect the president to be mindful of the considerations which I am mentioning." Activist groups interpreted his comments as warnings to President Bush about the implications of nominating Supreme Court justices who are opposed to the Roe v. Wade decision.

Sen. Specter (extreme right) participates in a media event to support the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to become an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. On the right of Alito are Senate Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) and on the left is Senate Majority Whip Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Specter was the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the nomination process.

Specter maintained his comments were a prediction, not a warning. He met with many conservative Republican senators, and based on assurances he gave them, he was recommended for the Judiciary Committee's chairmanship in late 2004. He officially assumed that position when the 109th Congress convened on January 4, 2005. The Judiciary Committee is responsible for holding hearings on federal judicial nominations made by the President, including Supreme Court nominees, for oversight of the United States Department of Justice, and for other matters.

[edit] Tax Issues

Despite Specter's mixed voting record on tax issues, he is a strong advocate of the flat tax system. On May 15, 2003, he submitted an amendment calling on the Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Economic Committee to hold hearings and consider legislation providing for a flat tax. The amendment passed 70-30, and was supported by all Republican Senators.

[edit] Criticism of Bush for wire tapping and classified intelligence leak

Specter while he was being interviewed by Margot Adler for an episode of Justice Talking on Presidential Signing statements

Specter has been very critical of President Bush's wiretapping of US persons without warrants. When the story first broke, he called the effort "inappropriate" and "clearly and categorically wrong." He said he intended to hold hearings into the matter early in 2006, and had Alberto Gonzales appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer for the program (though Specter declined to force Gonzales to testify under oath). On January 15, 2006, Specter mentioned impeachment and criminal prosecution as potential remedies if President Bush broke the law, though he downplayed the likelihood of such an outcome.

On April 9, 2006 Specter, speaking on Fox News about the Bush administration's leaking of classified intelligence, said that "The president of the United States owes a specific explanation to the American people"^[5]

[edit] Controversies

On June 9, 2006 The Washington Post reported Specter had proposed legislation that would allow Bush to seek a warrant from a special court for an electronic surveillance program "such as the one being conducted by the National Security Agency." Adding to that, Specter's bill would also grant "blanket amnesty to anyone who authorized warrantless surveillance under presidential authority."^[6] Specter denied his bill would grant blanket amnesty, calling it an "erroneous report".^[7] However, it appears that the Post's charge was accurate and the bill did include a retroactive amnesty provision.^[8]

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported December 25, 2006, that Specter met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the protest of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.^[9].

On March 9, 2006, The USA Patriot Act Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 was signed into law. Included in it is a change to the way interim appointments of U.S. Attorneys are made, written into the bill by Arlen Specter.^[10] The change allowed the Bush Administration to controversially dismiss a number of U.S. Attorneys in 2006 and early 2007. Specter claims that the changes were added by staffer Brett Tolman.^[11]

[edit] Health problems

On February 16, 2005, Specter announced that he had been diagnosed with an advanced form of Hodgkin's disease, a type of cancer. Despite the advanced form, Specter continued working during chemotherapy. He ended treatment on July 22. Senator John Sununu shaved his head to show solidarity with Specter when he was undergoing chemotherapy and was temporarily bald.

[edit] Electoral history

• 2004 Race for U.S. Senate
  • Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 53%
  • Joe Hoeffel (D), 42%
• 2004 Race for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary
  • Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 51%
  • Pat Toomey (R), 49%
• 1998 Race for U.S. Senate
  • Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 61%
  • Bill Lloyd (D), 35%
• 1998 Race for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary
  • Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 67%
  • Larry G. Murphy (R), 18%
  • Tom Lingenfelter (R), 15%
• 1992 Race for U.S. Senate
  • Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 49%
  • Lynn Yeakel (D), 47%
  • John Perry (Lib.), 5%
• 1992 Race for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary
  • Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 65%
  • Stephen Freind (R), 35%
• 1986 Race for U.S. Senate
  • Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 56%
  • Bob Edgar (D), 43%
• 1986 Race for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary
  • Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 76%
  • Richard Stokes (R), 24%
• 1980 Race for U.S. Senate
  • Arlen Specter (R), 50%
  • Pete Flaherty (D), 48%
• 1980 Race for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary
  • Arlen Specter (R), 36%
  • Harold Haabestad (R), 33%
  • Ed Howard (R), 13%

[edit] Trivia

• During football season, Arlen is a frequent guest on the 610 WIP morning radio show. He generally calls in early on Monday mornings, to talk about the Philadelphia Eagles game, or other NFL happenings.

• They Might be Giants reference the senator in their 2007 song, "Vestibule." [3]

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] See also

• List of notable brain tumor patients

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Arlen Specter

• United States Senator Arlen Specter official Senate site
• US Senate Committee on the Judiciary
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission - Arlen Specter campaign finance reports and data
• New York Times - Arlen Specter News collected news and commentary
• On the Issues - Arlen Specter issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - Arlen Specter campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Arlen Specter (PA) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Arlen Specter profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Arlen Specter voting record

Articles

• The Magic Bullet; Even More Magical Than We Knew, Gary Aguilar and Josiah Thompson, History Matters
• After Yale, Specter Still a Force, Andrew Mangino, Yale Daily News, September 23, 2005