Would You Help a Progressive Challenger to Specter?

On the very day Arlen Specter became a Democrat, he lamented that not enough right-wing Bush judges got confirmed, he opposed workers' right to organize, and he compared himself to Joe Lieberman. The DSCC and Pennsylvania Democratic Party will be supporting Specter in the primary.

If there is a potential progressive challenger to Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, they are probably scratching their head right now asking, "Would I have any chance at all if I ran, or is the fix in?"

What can progressives to do create an environment where this person feels they can run?

Legally, we can't put money in a pot for a fictional candidate. But we can pledge now that if a real progressive steps up, we'll get their back.

So, here's a little experiment. I created a Facebook fan page (like a Facebook group) called "I support a real progressive against Arlen Specter."

People who join are pledging to give at least $25 to a credible progressive challenger who steps up. It'll either succeed or flop -- and that will solely be determined by whether the energy is there for people to join and pass it along to their friends. 

If enough folks join, media will probably pay attention -- but more important, a progressive challenger would be paying attention. If not many people join...same thing. The destiny of a "challenge Specter" movement is in your hands. And the window to make this idea credible is likely short.

So, what say you? Click here or on the image to the right if you want to join.

(Not on Facebook? You can sign up to support a progressive challenger here.)

Let's see what happens...

Comments

[Maxiesid]

I have been reading the comments here and I am really curious about why so many democrats want to step on the rights of every other democrat to hold a differing opinion on this? No one said they didn't welcome Specter to the party... I didn't read a comment where anyone said that he should have just stayed where he was. I would wait to jump on the "Oh yes, now out of gratitude we have to make sure he wins the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania" bandwagon. The biggest reason that people here are deserting the Republican party is SPECTER himself. Now, since people are leaving the Republican party in droves to hopefully help elect a new fresh replacement for the old guard that is led by Specter in our state, then why on earth would anyone want to demand that just because he changed parties after admitting that he had no chance of winning the Republican primary, and he wants to stay Senator, that we now all have to vote for him again and give him the democratic nomination? Arlen Specter is 79 years old, he needs to retire, and if he cared about the state or this country, he would do just that.

[Querent]

Many of these commenters are Democrats only in the sense that they voted for President Obama. They can't stand to be Republicans anymore, so they have decided they are Democrats. They want our party to be what they thought their old party should have been. We should not take their ideas too seriously. They couldn't save the Greedy Oligarchy Party, and they won't do the Democratic Party any good, either.

[RGKahn]

It seems that Senator Specter has done what he said he would. He is now a Blue Dog Democrat. His first vote as a Democratic senator was to vote republican, against the party he just rejoined and against the President who just offered to campaign for him. He is now the republicans inside man in the Democratic Caucus. He and Joe Liebermann of course. We have too many Democratic Light Senators now, we don't need another.

Senator Arlene Specter, his word is his bond...NOT­!

[MalleusMaleficarum]

What a good question -- because it has such an easy answer: Yes. There is no downside to supporting a progressive challenger to the author of the single bullet theory. If Specter defeats a progressive, then he will be certain to adjust his act accordingly and appeal to the progressive trend in the future. If he loses to the Progressive, great, we shall have one more Democratic Progressive in the Senate! A win-win situation if ever there were one. BTW -- the Republicans can forget it. They will lose against the Democrat next year -- it will be a good year for Dems.

[Querent]

Hate your name--- love your comment.

[Underwater09]

Actually you can put money towards a progressive candidate that hasn't stepped up yet. Donate to the PCCC. This is their website: http://boldprogressives.org/
I think it was started by Howard Dean... but I am not so sure about that.

[TKDMike]

kristol has NOT been correct on ANYTHING for a decade....­..

[SlithyTove]

We should employ precisely the same calculus the Toomey "Club for Growth" right-wing activists should have, but did not:

How strong, compared to Specter, would the progressive challenger be against Toomey in the general election? The decision should be a pragmatic, not emotive, one.

[uncleT]

Exactly. And though I am not from Pennsylvania, I still think the moderate Specter is the strongest candidate in either party. Why not stick with him until he retires, and show other moderate office holders, as well as voters, that the Democratic party is big enough, tolerant enough, to have multiple viewpoints? In my lifetime, it's always been the Republicans who march in lockstep, and I don't want to be like them.

[Querent]

Why not? Because the moderates don't share my values, and are more interested in getting along with everybody than in accomplishing the goals I want to see accomplished. Moderates are ok, I guess, though I can't give them much credit for conviction. But they are simply not leadership material.

[mluo2010]

Any Democrat would beat Toomey.

Any.

Well, maybe not Rod Blagojevich.

Anyways, I concur with the previous replier, let him stay until he retires. Besides, who wouldn't want to see Specter lay on the smack down against Toomey in 2010 (unless that coward decides to run for governor instead)?

[Yermammy]

We GOT to have a real Democrat in Penn State. Specter is like that little spare tire you can run on for 50 miles or less, but we need a STEEL BELTED RADIAL DEMOCRAT! NOT a retread! Yes We CAN.

[nylibgrrl]

I like the analogy, Yermammy, and your avatar too.

[Manx]

I would welcome a challenge to Specter. I could never support a man who compares himself with Lieberman.

[theone718]

The thing is ultra right wing Toomey would never beat a Dem in a primary. I fully support a challenger to Specter

[TheIndependenceParty]

As a Pennsylvanian, and an Independent I will vote for the better candidate in November of next year. I have no choice as to who is nominated from each party, whether a Republican or a recent Ex-Republican. As for a debate about ideological purity vs. common sense, ... the debate is moot, and idiotic to my way of thinking.

Specter switched parties because his own party was drumming him out, and he stood no chance as an Independent of ever being re-elected to the Senate. He switched to the Democratic Party to save his seat for himself... period! He won't vote any differently and does not care. One has to ask, ... what does a party affiliation mean if one thinks and acts the same regardless?

Specter is a typical incumbent, and in that sense is exactly like Liebermann. It is all about Arlen, ... all the time!

[jmundstuk]

This is what is known as overreaching. It is also the relentless push of a big party to get smaller -- to make the tent shrink so we only have people we completely agree with in it, in the insane belief that everybody will then agree with us and life will be beautiful. Doesn't work that way. The GOP is now approaching ideological purity and look at it. I'm totally against expending any money or effort on a "progressive" challenger to this very valuable senator. Better spend it defeating republicans and creating backing for the administrations programs.

[NWBrunette]

Oh please. Its attitudes like this that have created the current spineless Dem party, bowing down to corporatists, robbing future taxpayers, unable to stand up for anything the repubs push back on. Specter is anything but "valuable" - he's just another blue dog. Fielding a progressive candidate is exactly what's needed.

[uncleT]

Your comments sound like they're about five years too late. The Democratic Party of 2004 was the spineless party that you speak of. But we finally got our act together and started challenging the GOP. And that is why we are now the majority party. Barack Obama stood up to the attacks in a way that John Kerry never did.

[BlogAngel]

Trying to kick out a Repub who turns Dem is self-righteous, self-defeating. If we slaughter Repubs who switch parties, we won't get others to switch. We've got 60 Dems now. We won. Let's use this time wisely and be gracious. Obama understands this .

[JimR]

I agree. Whatever his reasons, the guy is helping you out. So as thanks, you're going to stab him in the back?

[TheIndependenceParty]

Helping how? Won't support EFCA, ... indicates he will not change in any way. If he votes like a moderate Republican, and talks like a moderate Republican, ... that makes him a Blue Dog, ... just what we need more of?

[Yermammy]

Just like a "conservative" trying to be clever. Drop the magic, hon. We're voting for a REAL Democrat, not a DINO.

[NWBrunette]

Specter didn't help us out. We're helping him out. He did this for his political survival and is simply using the Dems while the opportunity is there. We haven't "won" anything. There's an opportunity for us to get a more progressive candidate - let's be smart rather than gracious. That's what we need if we're going to pursue and implement our agenda. Universal health care anyone? That goes nowhere with the likes of Specter.

[Liberal2]

Moderate = "someone who found common ground with Bush and Cheney.

This liberal says you moderates may not be the armed robber, but you'll drive the getaway car.

[Querent]

So true.

[Prakosh]

If you want any more evidence of how the Republicrats in the Senate are skewing the agenda go to this page right here at HP and see what is happening to the new Bankruptsy bill as we speak here. Now, I'm not from Montana but can anyone tell me why Max Baucus would be balking at leaving the provision for judges to lower the mortgage payments on people's mortgages who only own one house when they file bankruptcy??? I find this an especially egregious lack of equality since judges already have the power to arbitrarily reduce the mortgage payments on the second and each additional house but not on the first house. And yet a Senator from Montana--the heart of the banking industry??--is adamantly against this provision. WHY??? Do we really need more of this???

[abouttime]

The Democratic Party is cruising towards good old progressive principles. Specter's flight from a dysfunctional dying Party is no reason to abandone the great strides the Democratic Party has made in recent years. Clinton destroyed the Democratic Party, which is now recovering.
Specter may be done as the old remnant of the Republican Party, but his switch to the Democratic Party is about a decade late. Proof that the People want Progressive Democrats is shown in recent elections, not in hope, or faith or false profets.

[cliffstep]

Right on. I agree that they want progressive D , they just don't know it yet. Enough of them will get there. WHat they do know they want , my opinion , is nicer politics.

[jmundstuk]

"They want progressive D, they just don't know it yet." As a friend of mine says, "Listen to yourself!"

[jmundstuk]

Comforting analysis, but wrong, in my opinion. Some people want progressive dems, more than before, but you think we now speak for -- are -- "The People?" Dangerous self-delusion.