Dean, Carville Warn Specter: Shape Up or Face Primary Oppo! [View All]

[Phx_Dem]

Excellent. I'm not quite sure who Arlen thinks he is. I have no problem with him being an "independent thinker," but I think he's taken it to a new level by saying he won't support health care before a bill has even been presented nd then saying he won't be a loyal Democrat.

Fuck you, Arlen. You vote against health care and you're toast.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/04/dean-carville-warn-specte_n_196033.html

Less than a week into his tenure as a Democrat and Sen. Arlen Specter is already stepping sharply on the toes of party elders. Key Democratic figures warned on Monday that their newly minted colleague, despite having the backing of the White House, could face a tough primary challenge should he continue to oppose key tenets of the party's agenda.

"I'm pleased that he saw the light and decided he would be a better fit for the Democratic Party and I think you have to allow for his political views to evolve," said former DNC chairman Howard Dean in an interview with the Huffington Post. "But he won't win the Democratic primary by taking the position that you should not have or a public option for health insurance... If he takes these kinds of views, of course there is going to be a Democratic primary."

"I'm not sure this is going to have a great ending," added Carville, who has worked extensively in Pennsylvania politics. "He could get primaried, you know... If Sestak runs, will have to fight."

The remarks come a day after Specter, appearing on Meet the Press, insisted that he had not pledged to be a "loyal Democrat" as a pre-requisite for switching party affiliations. He also restated his opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, which he came out against while still a Republican, and said he would not support a public option for health care insurance as part of a reform package.

Specter's position on the former issue is shaping up to be the linchpin to whether the labor community would support him in a Democratic primary. And on Monday, a major official with the AFL-CIO warned that if the Senator didn't change his view on the legislation (perhaps, in the form of a compromise bill) he wouldn't get the union's support.

<SNIP>

And one more thing. If Specter is so opposed to a public health care option, because he's afraid it would hurt the private insurance companies, who offer such affordable plans and always have our best health interests at heart (:puke:), then he should give up his public health care and buy into a private plan. What a dick.