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Mulling Specter’s DOMA reversal

CLARIFICATION APPENDED (See bottom)

Back in May, I wrote a blog post in which I laid out the political calculus for why Specter should become a forceful advocate for gay rights—specifically, the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. I wrote:

...This is an issue that needs to be forced onto the President’s plate. And who better to force this issue onto the agenda than newly-minted Democrat Arlen Specter? Consider the political logic on this one. Obama wants to overturn this policy, but he’s loathe to do so at this time unless someone can force his hand. Meanwhile, Arlen Specter has gotten a somewhat less than wholehearted welcome from Democrats into his new party. Specter has a mixed record on gay rights in the past, but overall is generally supportive of things like civil union’s and legislation making discrimination in hiring based on sexuality illegal. Here’s his opportunity to shake things up a bit. Specter would immediately co-opt many of the attacks coming from his left flank by making a very public push for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” It would fire up progressives and force them to see Specter in a different light. It also makes sense politically, because none other than Joe Sestak was recently on television forcefully calling for a repeal of this policy. Specter would make himself an instant hero to people on the left, and actually help force the president to pass a sensible new policy. It’s a win-win situation. But will Specter do it?

Fast forward five months, and Specter is locked in a tight primary race with Sestak. We’ve seen how he has been moving to the left on a whole host of issues lately, and yesterday he took another step in that direction by vocally calling for a repeal of DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, speaking out on the Senate floor and then tweeting about it this morning. He also wrote a piece on The Huffington Post calling for a repeal of the act. Specter spends most of the article discussing the reasons why DOMA should be overturned, and then in the final paragraph, calls for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, too, writing:

Finally, the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy is outdated, and should be rescinded entirely. A person’s sexual orientation has no bearing on their ability to serve their country in the armed services. Countless studies and the experiences of gays who have served in the military have borne out these findings.

Of course, with Specter’s new position comes a strikingly different voting record. Indeed, Specter voted in favor of DOMA in 1996. Joe Sestak was quick to pick up on this inconsistency, issuing this statement:

“As the longtime Republican Senator carries on his attempt to run away from his 30-year Republican record, this time on his vote to support the Defense of Marriage Act, he should be honest about his votes to oppose equal rights for L.G.B.T. Americans. He actually voted with Republican Senator Rick Santorum to deny equal benefits to legally married L.G.B.T. Americans in the first place. Without Joe Sestak’s leadership in supporting L.G.B.T. rights, the Senator would continue to deny married gay and lesbian couples their right to file joint tax returns, receive spouse benefits under social security, take an unpaid leave to take care of a sick or injured partner, or share retirement benefits like straight couples.

Senator Specter’s willingness to reposition himself just to help himself politically should give pause to Pennsylvanians who are looking for a loyal senator who will put principle over politics for the next generation.”

Is this a sign of Specter actually having a change of heart that will be long lasting? Or is it just another example of the Senator saying whatever is politically expedient to win? I’d like to think the Senator is genuine, but seeing his profound reversals on these fundamentally moral issues gives me great pause, because it makes me question if he really strongly believes in anything greater than his own success.

Clarification: This article originally stated that Specter supported a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. More precisely, Specter voted for cloture to send the bill to the Senate floor, but simultaneously voiced his opposition to the amendment itself.

October 27, 2009 at 4:35 pm

--Adam Schwartzbaum

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