For a moment, the taboo health question comes front-and-center

Senator Arlen Specter ignited a bit of a tempest in the blogosphere Tuesday, when he teared up during Senate hearings and

Specter, Casey Urge DoJ to Consider More PA Cities’ Police Departments for Stimulus Funding

By THE OFFICES OF SENATORS ARLEN SPECTER AND BOB CASEY

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) today urged U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to consider the needs of cities throughout Pennsylvania when determining federal funding for justice programs.  Following today’s announcement regarding COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP), the Senators wrote a letter highlighting the needs of several major Pennsylvania cities omitted from the list.

The Senators wrote: “As we…

The real-life costs of a broken health care system

In his response to my health care post last week, Gregory Kauffman called our current system of medical insurance a national embarrassment.

I’d go even further and call it a national disgrace. No one should die in the wealthiest country in the world because they lack health insurance or the necessary funds to pay for needed medical care. We can hardly call ourselves the greatest country on earth when this is how we treat our…

6th District now ‘leans Democratic’

Democratic Congressional candidate Doug Pike received a bit of encouragement from Congressional Quarterly Tuesday, which listed the “6th District” as leaning Democratic.

Pike, who has outworked and outraised candidates on both sides, promises to be the one to beat in 2010 as he continues working the district, raising money and putting together a top-notch campaign team.

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Castor’s out for state Senate

“This year may be the most critical budget deliberations in the history of Montgomery County. I believe I have an obligation to see this budget process to completion and that is what I intend to do.”

With those words, Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor graciously bowed out of the state Senate race. As much as he wanted the Senate seat, working out the critical budget issues in Montgomery County is more important—and he is also…

Dems to hold straw poll for guv race

State Democrats will conduct a straw poll to raise money and gauge which gubernatorial candidate has the most party support at next month’s state committee picnic, the party said Tuesday.

The results will be non-binding, and will be open to anyone who purchases a $30 ticket to the Aug. 28 picnic in Camp Hill. The party says the straw poll “creates enthusiasm while raising money for the Party.” The catch? A $1000-”sponsor” of the event…

More proof that primary is moving Specter left

The In-Specter has pTrue, having a reliably Democratic vote in Specter pays short-term political dividends. Yet what these results also indicate is how quickly Specter can change with the political winds. Specter may be running to the left to trounce Sestak, but once he’s secured the nomination, there’s no guarantees he won’t run back to the center again. In fact, with a href="http://www.pa2010.com/2009/07/breaking-news-in-dramatic-change-new-poll-shows-specter-and-toomey-in-dead-heat/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fbreaking-news-in-dramatic-change-new-poll-shows-specter-and-toomey-in-dead-heat%2F','Pat+Toomey+gaining+ground')">Pat Toomey gaining ground in the polls against him, its almost a foregone conclusion. Specter looks like a mainline liberal for the moment, but for this ever-changing Senator, that image provides little comfort in the long run

And now for a real vacation…

I’ll be taking my own (as opposed to pa2010.com‘s) vacation this week so I won’t be blogging unless there’s  extraordinary news. I’ll be back in a week with more commentary. In the meantime, if you go away on a long trip, remember… ALWAYS TAKE A KEY!

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Specter and Toomey neck-and-neck: time for voters to get to know the opposition

The latest Quinnipiac University poll now shows Pat Toomey and Arlen Specter in virtual a tie for the 2010 Senate race. Specter’s favorability has taken a devastating blow, as 49 percent of the respondents say that Specter does not deserve reelection. Although Specter holds a strong lead over Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7), he is now neck and neck with Toomey, as 45 percent of respondents say they would vote for Specter and 44 percent say…

Analysis shows Sestak challenge is moving Specter left

Senator Arlen Specter has increasingly voted with Democrats in Washington since Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) made clear he would give the longtime incumbent a primary challenge, according to an analysis by FiveThirtyEight.com.

Specter famously said he would not be a “loyal Democrat” shortly after making his party switch a few months ago. And at first, his voting record seemed to reflect that pledge. But since then, in a relatively small sample of contentious votes, Specter…