Specter Chemo Photo In Sestak Ad Sparks Fury (VIDEO)

A new ad from Joe Sestak seeks to point out to Pennsylvania voters that Sestak has worked the Democratic primary race for Senator Arlen Specter's seat into a "dead heat," with more momentum to come.

But the Specter camp is crying foul over a portion of the video in which Specter's face appears. The reason? The photo the Sestak campaign chose is one that was taken while Specter was receiving chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Salon's Mike Madden points out that Specter's people are pushing back on this in an odd way:

"The depiction of Senator Specter during the time he was clearly exhibiting the adverse effects of chemotherapy is truly reprehensible," a Specter ally, Cyril Wecht, says in a statement Specter issued Thursday morning. "Political differences and aggressive campaigning should always be pursued with in the bounds of personal sensitivity and basic decency."

Wecht's main credential, though, is that he's the former Allegheny County coroner. Which means the Specter campaign is using a guy who used to examine dead bodies to complain about Sestak making Specter look like one.

Coroners! So hot right now!

RELATED:
Coroner vouches for Specter: He's not dead [War Room]

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Comments

[cincinnati]

01:26 AM on 05/22/2010

Bad title to article.

Why should it bring "fury" when you can barely see him ?

[Tags]

08:56 PM on 05/14/2010

Arlen just can't shake that old Republican habit of only running attack ads.

[Schmice]

11:58 PM on 05/13/2010

You don't have to stoop to the level of the Republicans, and former Republicans. Still, I support efforts to unseat this guy.

[huffer321]

11:46 PM on 05/13/2010

The problem the Specter campaign has with the photo in the ad is that the Senator is standing next to SARAH PALIN at a GOP rally in 2008. It has nothing to do with his lack of hair.

If the Specter campaign wants to complain about what photos are shown in ads, then they need to check their attack ad against Sestak - it has photos of Sestak that were modified, color, contrast ratio, exposure, etc. to seem ominous. Sestak's campaign is showing real, untouched photos. The photos are representative of the content of the ads as a whole: the Sestak campaign is airing the truth - words coming straight from Specter himself, instead of the Specter campaign having to twist and lie about Sestak.

Obviously, the Specter campaign is having a hard time with the truth and their attempt in being Democrats. I recall his campaign manager and other key staff are the same from 2004 - when they were courting the endorsements of Bush, Cheney, Rove and Santorum. Hats off to Specter campaign for their "adaptive" abilities - but they still can't get quite right.

I already sent my absentee ballot in (voted for Sestak) and can't wait for it to be counted.

[Bozwellian]

11:05 PM on 05/13/2010

Seem to remember Spector was a DEM first, then turned GOPer and now is just back in the Dem fold..GOtta' say , rather have omeone willing to CHANGE as circumstances CHANGE ..that is far more "honest" than just staying due to "loyalty" of whatever sort it becomes when one joins a particular party. If differences arise and things change, the smarter way to go IS to change. And yeah, there are those that will change JUST for "personal" benfit" to get along but there are those that change for reasons that can be categorized as done with integrity. It's tricky to decipher for sure and the whims running rampant for 2010 especially are wild but the DEMs do indeed to get on their sticks and hustle for to allow the vaguries to suher GOPS BACK into a substantial position , that is something this country does NOT need as we've yet to recover from JUST the 8yrs of Bush/Cheny/GOP rule and have so very much to repair!!!

[Black Misfit]

08:51 PM on 05/13/2010

Gotta love Specter, he will go down fighting. As for the Sestak's ad..... Well, it is good and made comparasons (sic) between them, and surprisingly it is very positive and seriously. After Specter has been a Republican for over 20 years and being the "trusted" man during the GW Bush administration, in order for him to save himself and being reelected he just changed parties to be as a Democrat. While Sestak has been a Democrat longer than Specter (sort of speak). The point is that Specter chances to be reelected with his new party are becoming very dim at best. I guess in a polarizing climate in the country, it is now becoming that Specter has become the symbol of why incumbents need to go. Not in the best interest of the voters they represent, but their own.

[skepticalbrotha]

06:50 PM on 05/13/2010

Specter refuses to bow to the inevitable and accept defeat. I can respect that but I wouldn't vote for it. I'm still insulted he believes Clarence Thomas was a suitable replacement for Thurdgood Marshall. As for the picture, he shouldn't have allowed himself to be photographed because bad pictures inevitably end up used for exactly this purpose.

[Jacksonian]

07:42 PM on 05/13/2010

Fanned for your reasoning, your eloquence, and your smiley face.

:o)

[Drew Olanoff]

05:40 PM on 05/13/2010

I don't get the big deal. Specter went through chemo. He got on with life during chemo as folks fighting cancer do. I'd be proud of that picture if I were Arlen.

[Changeizgood]

05:19 PM on 05/13/2010

Arlen's always going through chemo. He and John McCain are both cancer survivors.

Sorry to say it but it's true. I would also like to know if Arlen is physically fit to serve. The Senate right now needs a strong voice that can take the grueling of the next six years.

Arlen's got retirement benefits, he'll be okay.

If he can't take the heat....ect.

[aznurse]

04:59 PM on 05/13/2010

he looks the same to me.

[Jacksonian]

05:17 PM on 05/13/2010

Agreed.

It wouldn't surprise me if this had been in the offing all along -- an 11th-hour strategy to bolster Specter's chances by offering up some faux outrage.

In other words, they'd have said this no matter WHAT photo the Sestak campaign used.

Just MHO of course.

[jimspy]

04:38 PM on 05/13/2010

Cyril Wecht, a ubiquitous TV coroner, is perhaps most famous for being fooled by FOX's "Alien Autopsy" hoax a few years back.

[themightylex]

04:35 PM on 05/13/2010

Specter doesn't look any worse in that picture than he does on any other day of the week. He might as well complain that the ad doesn't picture him when he was at the height of vigor. Sorry, this isn't underhanded. The opposition would certainly use your least flattering image. Spectre should be happy to show an image that suggests that he's a survivor instead of being ashamed of having having been sick. Whiner.

[Jacksonian]

04:28 PM on 05/13/2010

Why is this more reprehensible than Specter's "Swift Boat" style ad attacking Sestak's military record?

Politics is a dirty business, as Specter well knows after more than three decades of feeding at the public trough.

Time for a change.

[Changeizgood]

05:24 PM on 05/13/2010

Spector is resorting to the Republican mantra of "whinning" just before the vote.

Too punk for me. I'm sorry, but Arlen was right there reeping all that rethug donor money while deregulation took place.

Can WE trust him when he was in on it?

Time for Change and NOT just the change party to win stuff that got you in.

You and Liebermann are opportunist who do whatever it takes to get elected.

I don't know how wide you spread your legs for those deregulation votes, but WE're not screwing around with you anymore.

[Jacksonian]

07:47 PM on 05/13/2010

Fanning you for your righteous indignation and for your, um, imagery.

:o)

[Democrattothecore]

04:23 PM on 05/13/2010

Yeah that's kind of a sucker punch right there Joey.

[Independent Patroit]

04:14 PM on 05/13/2010

Everyone knows that Specter was doing Chemo. I would suspect that his fellow Pa citizens also know him pretty well and that they will be making the decision as to who wins this race.