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Old_man
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 12:16 pm: | 
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Statement By Elsie Hillman, Former Republican National Committeewoman on Senator Arlen Specter April 28, 2009
PITTSBURGH, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a statement today, Elsie Hillman said, "My relationship with Arlen Specter goes back forty years when Arlen Specter, then a young District Attorney for the City of Philadelphia, came to Pittsburgh in 1969 at my request to campaign for Republican Mayoral candidate John Taber. Arlen Specter's relationship with Pennsylvanians goes back even further when he ran for public office in Philadelphia in the mid 60's. While we were on opposite sides during many past campaigns -- in 1976 I was for John Heinz and in 1978 for Dick Thornburgh -- I always respected Arlen. In 1980 I was thrilled to support him in his successful Senate campaign and have been a strong supporter ever since.
Today's announcement is disappointing to some, but should come as a surprise to none. While I am a Republican and will most likely be one for the rest of my life, I have seen our party move further to the right, leaving little room for those of us in the middle. In so doing the Republican Party runs the risk of becoming a minority party. Yesterday we had three moderate Republicans in the U.S. Senate -- today we have only two.
During his twenty eight years in the Senate, Arlen Specter has done much to advance science and medicine through his leadership on the Labor Health and Human Services Committee. His leadership to increase funding for NIH has saved thousands of lives and continues to bring us closer to cures for Cancer, Alzheimer's, Diabetes, and many other terrible diseases. His position on the Judicial Committee and leadership in foreign affairs and crime prevention has been a real asset to our country and state. The words that best describe Arlen in my opinion are:
Intelligent
Courageous
Honest
Fair
Incorruptible
While I am saddened that Arlen has left the Republican Party, he does so as 200,000 other Pennsylvania Republicans did last year. I believe that he is the brightest member of the United States Senate and I will continue to support him and will vote for him in next year's general election."
SOURCE Elsie Hillman |
Sayitaintso
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 12:40 pm: |
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In general the Lib party is to the Repubs what the Greens are to the Dems.
They both siphon off votes b/c aspects of the party have turned away from some things that are important to their members. All it takes is a fairly charismatic candidate and either one is off and running to the detriment of the applicable "major" party.
If a third party built around the middle/swing voters ever gets a foothold (for more than one candidate or election cycle) the two party system as we know it is DEAD.
Right now I believe that many voters cast their vote by choosing "the lesser of two evils". Your comments Ft, show that clearly, you didn't like McCain but he was the lesser of the two evils...to you, and you felt that a vote for anyone else was "throwing away" your vote.
I hate the two party system. As it stands now choosing between the two is like choosing between arsenic and cyanide.
I hate what the BHO administration has done and is doing....but I cant say I hate it any more than I hate what the 4 previous presidential administrations have done. |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 01:02 pm: |
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What is being neglected is the significance of the Legislative branch.
If Libertarians ever hope to gain a foothold of any significance, the House and Senate must be the beach head.
How many Libertarians have been voted into a Representative seat? Senate seat?
If you can't win locally, you sure as hell can't win nationally.
Two parties work best in Presidential elections. Win in Congress, and we'll talk. |
Spike
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 01:10 pm: |
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quote:Right, be sure to exclude the baby. Why grant any rights to the most innocent and helpless. Better to treat them like a tumor to be excised? I don't get it. It's like people have been brainwashed to completely discount the life of an unborn baby. Insanity.
The insanity in that line of thinking demonstrates itself in the laws we enact:
If you were to brutally murder a pregnant woman, let's say by dismembering her, and it resulted in the death of her unborn child, you would be charged with two counts of murder.
However, if you were a doctor and first dismembered her unborn child while the mother was still alive, then proceeded to kill the mother, you would only be charged with one count of murder.
Do you see the difference? |
Strokizator
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 01:17 pm: |
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The last time I looked at a ballot shows we are clearly not a 2-party system. There were greens, peace & freedom, communists and who knows what else.
If we were to have more than 2 viable parties we'd end up like the gov'ts of europe where they have to establish coalitions to reach a majority and the different parties switch allegiances as best suits their interests. Seems chaotic at best to me.
The democratic party can be considered a coalition of environmentalists, labor unions, minority rights activists, peace-niks, gays & lesbians (to some extent), pro abortion, etc. They have won over a lot of single issue voters by trying to be all things to all people. Then after the election every voter expects them to make good on their promises.
The dems are so all-encompassing that they are about to become the only viable party in the US. When that happens I suspect there will be a lot of infighting and different factions will break away and we'll be back to a multi-party system.
Whatever happens, it won't change my core belief that the founding fathers were a lot smarter than the current crop of politicians and that the constitution is NOT a "living document" subject to interpretation as the opinions of the people swing back and forth. |
Sayitaintso
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 01:31 pm: |
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Whatever happens, it won't change my core belief that the founding fathers were a lot smarter than the current crop of politicians and that the constitution is NOT a "living document" subject to interpretation as the opinions of the people swing back and forth.
AMEN |
Old_man
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2009 - 03:48 pm: |
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It seems to me that the Republican party left him long before he left them. |
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