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Lame-duck Specter can still make a difference

When Arlen Specter lost the Democratic primary last week, he joined the growing ranks of lame-duck senators—lawmakers in the country’s most powerful deliberative body who will be out  permanently come 2011.

Specter made a lot of Democratic turns in the last year, promising to be a leader on a whole set of issues still on the president’s agenda for 2010. Many people are wondering if Specter will still deliver. For my part, I don’t think Specter can afford any more ugly reversals at this stage of his career. Backing away from his positions, at this point, would be a final ugly stain on his legacy—so I expect him to keep his word. Specter still has a chance to leave a lasting mark in the Senate by vigorously championing legislation that will strengthen Pennsylvania and this country. Here is how.

Climate change and energy

As oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico two weeks ago, Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman were out plugging their climate change bill, the America Power Act. While many prognosticators think the chances of a climate bill this year are dead, I believe the crisis in the Gulf demonstrates again more than ever why it is so essential for our country to pass legislation that incentivizes the development of renewable, sustainable energy sources that do not cause global warming. This bill is a step in the right direction.

Specter has made many statements supporting these efforts. He understand the threat of climate change.  Just six months ago, in a letter from nine senators he sent to President Obama before the Copenhagen summit, Specter wrote:

“Climate change is a serious and growing threat to the United States and the world. The consequences of climate change are already being felt at home and will intensify in the years ahead in ways that place the U.S. economy and future generations at risk. Internationally, the adverse impacts of climate change will threaten vital U.S. national security, economic, energy security and humanitarian interests. Smart climate change policies would guard against these risks while also spurring clean energy investments that promote economic growth and create good domestic jobs.”

I could not have said it better myself. “Smart climate change policies” are sorely needed to wean us off of our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels that are dirty and dangerous to our environment, our economy, and our national security. This bill is needed, as Specter put it, to “provid[e] energy for our country to take care of us and our economy in the future, to deal with climate change and to protect the planet from global warming, and to free ourselves from dependence on OPEC and Venezuelan oil.”

In a tricky international financial market, investing in clean tech solutions to our countries energy problems is a winning idea. As Ben Freed, the Pennsylvania spokesman for Al Gore’s Repower America group, explained to me this week, federal clean energy legislation that is signed into law this year will spur the creation of 1.9 million new jobs across the country over the next several years, including more than 78,000 in Pennsylvania. The American Power Act isn’t perfect, but it’s a strong way to begin the transition to the clean energy that the U.S. needs to revitalize its economy with new industries and jobs, restore its environment by reducing dangerous carbon pollution and strengthen national security by becoming energy independent.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

Another major reform on the President’s agenda is the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy. Each year, this policy forces thousands of patriotic gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans to leave the military, and makes countless others silently continue serving our nation with the sword of an unexpected outing constantly hanging over their heads, threatening to cut their careers short at any time. Just this week, newspapers from Seattle to Boston published editorials called for its repeal. This policy is abhorrent to American values of civil rights and equality, but to eliminate it, Congress must act.

Arlen Specter has become a great supporter of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, in line with his long history of friendship with the American gay community. Back in October, I reported on Specter’s public stance supporting repeal. Specter stated “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.”

The time to repeal “Don’t Ask” has come. As The Washington Post reported, the American people are behind repeal.  Their inherent sense of fairness and equality is shining through in poll after poll. “A Post/ABC News poll showed that 75 percent of Americans support ending “don’t ask don’t tell.” One from The New York Times put support for gay men and lesbians serving openly at 70 percent. And 57 percent surveyed by Quinnipiac University favored repealing the 16-year-old law. Gallup shows that 70 percent of the American people are in line with that sentiment in a poll released on Monday.” Once the bill leaves the Senate Armed Services Committee, Specter should make the right decision, keep his promises, and take a great step forward for civil rights.

Specter Can Make a Difference

Arlen Specter is Pennsylvania’s longest-serving senator. By helping to pass the American Power Act and repealing “Don’t Ask” this year, he can leave on a high note. As he shapes his legacy in the last seven months of his remarkable career, we should all be counting on him to make a big difference for Pennsylvania and the United States by supporting these important pieces of legislation.

May 27, 2010 at 2:39 pm

--Adam Schwartzbaum

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