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Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh

by BooMan
Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:09:05 AM EST

I'm sitting in the Media Room with John Fund, Ron Reagan Jr., Arlen Specter, Shira Toeplitz of Roll Call, and a bunch of other reporters. I actually just shook hands with Specter, who's working the room. We're getting geared up for the big debate. It appears that Specter prefers Coca-Cola to Sprite. Hows that for hard reporting? Actually, we're gonna do a press conference here.

Here are some quick notes I took:

Specter: 4 town hall meeting that have been widely publicized, where a lot of the people got their information from blogs. Blogging has influence on other nations; the genie is out of the bottle in Iran for example…. It’s a powerful tool of American diplomacy.
[Calls firewalls “stonewalling”]
Doesn’t want Iran to be able to buy equipment to stop bloggers.
Respects what Howard Dean has to say but wants to wait to hear from Max Baucus before he thinks about moving ahead with a partisan health care bill.
Thinks climate legislation that emerges from Senate will be more Warner-Lieberman than Specter-Bingaman.
Specter jokingly says he expects heat to not-exceed 211 Fahrenheit in appearance with Sestak.
After he asked for an easy question, I asked him if he was enjoying being a Democrat.
Mike Stark challenged him on Clarence Thomas.

I'm going to head in and watch the Specter/Sestak thing now, and I'll make some observations in the comments.

Update [2009-8-14 12:29:22 by BooMan]: Now I am in Sestak's press conference.

Jpol, asked a great question about why Sestak opposed Kucinich's amendment on PA single-payer health care. Sestak has some strange explanation about how he opposes single-payer because it doesn't allow for more than one payer.

Sestak is for granting habeas corpus for all prisoners, no matter where they are held.

Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh | 20 comments (20 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (4.00 / 2)

Susie Madrak asks two very good questions:

on what issues might he vote with the Republicans?
on what progressive issues would you go to the mat?

Specter doesn't answer, but talks about why he should be trusted (because Biden and Rendell trust him).

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:15:13 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (4.00 / 3)

Specter says "I support climate change."

Kind of a funny gaffe.

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:20:52 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 1)

Then he explains that voting to eliminate habeas corpus was justified because other parts of the bill were good, and because he trusted the Supreme Court to kill the habeas provisions.

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:16:51 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 1)

Really? Does he not notice who he helped put on the Supreme Court lately(meaning Roberts and Alito)? Does he not have a clue about Citizens United(Roger Stone's scummy outfit) v. FEC?

by Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 05:43:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 1)

Specter gets asked about Nate Silver's Specterometer. Hilarious.

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:26:26 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 1)

Specter wants to televise the Supreme Court to make it more accountable. But they have appointments for life, so how exactly will they be accountable?

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:30:11 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

Specter: "I am not close to Glenn Beck."

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:33:58 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

Specter promises to call Grassley today to correct him about killing grannies.

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:34:58 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

Here he is:

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-

by boran2 (blogistan@yahoo.com) on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:37:32 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

I have to give Specter an A+ for his performance here. There's a limit to how much support he can get from this crowd, but he made a good case for himself and he's getting plenty of applause.

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:40:21 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

It was a fairly warm response.

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-

by boran2 (blogistan@yahoo.com) on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 12:01:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

Sorry, but based on your description of his answers it sounds like it was a pathetic performance.

by suejazz on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 12:55:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

that's true, but I only wrote about the stuff that struck me as weird or b.s.

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 01:17:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

Sestak: "I'm a member of the Autistic Caucus."

by BooMan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 11:45:24 AM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

Sestak:

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-

by boran2 (blogistan@yahoo.com) on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 12:08:06 PM EST

Live Video NN Pittsburgh (none / 0)

.
UStream presents LIVE Video.

YouTube has many videos up from yesterday's programme and speech by Clinton et al.

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

by Oui on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 04:16:17 PM EST

Video Links (none / 0)

.
Seems Live broadcast has stopped. New links for videos: UStreams and Netroots Nation.

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

by Oui on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 04:24:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 1)

Blogger after party. This is very nice club.

Special Invited Guests:
Davey D - www.Daveyd.com
Malia Lazu (The Gathering For Justice)
Rev. Lennox Yearwood (The Hip-hop Caucus)
Biko Baker (The League Of Young Voters)
Heather Smith (Rock The Vote)
Jamal Simmons
James Rucker (www.ColorOfChange.org)
Shaunna Thomas (Congressional Progressive Caucus Foundation)
Mayor John Fetterman (Braddock, Pa)
State Rep. Jefferson Smith (Oregon)

Sponsored By:
One HOOD
The Gathering For Justice
The League Of Young Voters
www.TheSoulPitt.com
www.RealTalkXPress.com
www.PghHiphop.com

Location:
The Shadow Lounge
5972 Baum Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15206-3815
(412) 363-8277
Get directions: http://tinyurl.com/oemcj2

by Cee on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 04:30:02 PM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 1)

that 211 fahrenhiet line is his one joke. he used it to describe the town halls too.

senile, doddering, old, cadaverous.

John Mccain Called his wife WHAT??

by brendan on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 at 04:34:01 PM EST

Re: Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh (none / 0)

Perhaps you could ask the new Democratic Senator if he has a picture of President Obama in his Senate office in Washington .. as of July he didn't have one...but he did have every other President he has served with.

by Amazing Grace (upperbucksfordemocracy@yahoo.com) on Sat Aug 15th, 2009 at 09:21:12 AM EST

Sestak and Specter in Pittsburgh | 20 comments (20 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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