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Arlen Specter (born February 12, 1930) is the senior United States Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Elected in 1980, he is currently the 12th-most senior member of the U.S. Senate as well as 5th most senior Republican in this body.
Specter has been Pennsylvania's senior senator since April 4, 1991. He is known as a moderate Republican, with liberal leaning views for abortion, same-sex marriage and immigration.
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Quotations
Resolutions are flying like snowflakes around here.
In a hearing on Congress's War Powers (January 30, 2007)
I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider. The decider is a shared and joint responsibility.
In a hearing on Congress's War Powers (January 30, 2007)
Encyclopedia
Arlen Specter (born February 12, 1930) is the senior United States Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Elected in 1980, he is currently the 12th-most senior member of the U.S. Senate as well as 5th most senior Republican in this body.
Specter has been Pennsylvania's senior senator since April 4, 1991. He is known as a moderate Republican, with liberal leaning views for abortion, same-sex marriage and immigration. In April 2006, he was selected by Time as one of "America's 10 Best Senators".
Biography
Specter was born in Wichita, Kansas, to Jewish parents Lillie Shanin and Harry Specter. He was raised in Russell, Kansas (also the hometown of 1996 Republican Presidential nominee Bob Dole). His father's occupations were peddler, tailor and junkyard owner; both his parents had immigrated to the United States from Russia. Specter studied at various universities before and after serving in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1953, during the Korean War. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in International Relations, in 1951 and from Yale Law School in 1956. He passed the Pennsylvania Bar examination in 1956. While at Penn, Specter was a member of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. He married his wife Joan, and together they reside in Philadelphia. They have two sons, Shanin and Steve, and four grandchildren, Silvi, Perri, Lilli, and Hatti.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and Yale Law School, Specter became a prominent lawyer in Philadelphia and active in politics, beginning his political life as a Democrat. At the recommendation of Rep. Gerald R. Ford, he worked for the Warren Commission, investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. As an assistant counsel for the commission, he authored or co-authored the controversial "single bullet theory," which suggested the wounds to President Kennedy and non-fatal wounds to Texas Governor John Connally were caused by the same bullet. This was a crucial assertion for the Warren Commission, since if the two had been wounded by separate bullets, that would have demonstrated the presence of a second assassin and therefore a conspiracy.
He eventually became a Republican and scored an upset by winning a 1965 race for District Attorney in Philadelphia, running on an anti-corruption platform against the Democrats. His slogan was, "We need these guys to watch those guys." Although a death penalty supporter, as prosecutor he questioned the fairness of the Pennsylvania death penalty statute in 1972.
In 1967, he mounted an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Philadelphia against incumbent James H. J. Tate. After serving two terms as district attorney, he was defeated in the 1976 Republican primary for U.S. Senate by John Heinz and in the 1978 primary for Governor of Pennsylvania by Dick Thornburgh.
Hodgkin's Disease
On February 16 2005, Specter announced that he had been diagnosed with an advanced form of Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer. Despite the advanced form, Specter continued working during chemotherapy. He ended treatment on July 22. Senator John Sununu (R-New Hampshire) shaved his head to show solidarity with Specter when he was undergoing chemotherapy and was temporarily bald. On April 15 2008, he announced his cancer had returned, though at a stage "significantly less advanced than his Hodgkin's disease when it was originally diagnosed in 2005." He underwent a second round of chemotherapy, which ended on July 14, 2008.
Senate career
Specter was first elected to the Senate in 1980. He is the longest-serving Senator in Pennsylvania's history; no one else from the state has been elected to five terms in that body. According to polls by Quinnipiac University, Specter has a higher approval rating among Democrats in Pennsylvania than Republicans, 62-55 respectively.
His opposition to Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork is seen as an important factor in the nomination's failure; indeed, many conservative Republicans have never forgiven him for opposing Bork. However, he raised the ire of many Democrats who had supported him for years with his aggressive questioning of Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearings, claiming Professor Hill had committed "flat-out perjury" in her testimony.
In 1998 and 1999, Specter criticized his own party for its impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Believing that Clinton had not received a fair trial, Specter famously cited Scots law to render a verdict of "not proven" on President Clinton's impeachment. However, his verdict was recorded as "not guilty" in the Senate records.
Soon after the 2004 election, Specter stepped into the public spotlight as a result of controversial statements about his views of the future of the Supreme Court. At a press conference, he stated that "when you talk about judges who would change the right of a woman to choose, overturn Roe vs. Wade, I think [confirmation] is unlikely. The president is well aware of what happened, when a number of his nominees were sent up, with the filibuster. ... And I would expect the president to be mindful of the considerations which I am mentioning." Activist groups interpreted his comments as warnings to President Bush about the implications of nominating Supreme Court justices who are opposed to the Roe v. Wade decision.
Specter maintained his comments were a prediction, not a warning. He met with many conservative Republican senators, and based on assurances he gave them, he was recommended for the Judiciary Committee's chairmanship in late 2004. He officially assumed that position when the 109th Congress convened on January 4, 2005. The Judiciary Committee is responsible for holding hearings on federal judicial nominations made by the President, including Supreme Court nominees, for oversight of the United States Department of Justice, and for other matters.
On 9 March 2006, the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 was signed into law. It amended the process for interim appointments of U.S. Attorneys, written into the bill by Arlen Specter during his chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The change allowed the Bush Administration to appoint interim U.S. attorneys without term limits, and without confirmation by the Senate. The Bush administration used the law to place at least eight interim attorneys into office in 2006. Specter claims that the changes were added by staff member Brett Tolman. For more information, see dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy.
Specter has been very critical of President Bush's wiretapping of US persons without warrants. When the story first broke, he called the effort "inappropriate" and "clearly and categorically wrong." He said he intended to hold hearings into the matter early in 2006, and had Alberto Gonzales appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer for the program (though Specter declined to force Gonzales to testify under oath). On January 15, 2006, Specter mentioned impeachment and criminal prosecution as potential remedies if President Bush broke the law, though he downplayed the likelihood of such an outcome.
On 9 April 2006, Specter, speaking on Fox News about the Bush administration's leaking of classified intelligence, said that "The president of the United States owes a specific explanation to the American people"
However, he voted for the 2008 amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which placed federal electronic searches almost entirely within the executive branch.
During the 2007-2008 NFL Season, Senator Specter wrote to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell concerning the destruction of New England Patriots Spygate tapes, wondering if there was a link between the tapes and their Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. On February 1, 2008, Roger Goodell stated that the tapes were destroyed because "they confirmed what I already knew about the issue." Specter would release a follow up statement: "My strong preference is for the NFL to activate a Mitchell-type investigation, I have been careful not to call for a Congressional hearing because I believe the NFL should step forward and embrace an independent inquiry and Congress is extraordinarily busy on other matters If the NFL continues to leave a vacuum, Congress may be tempted to fill it."
Specter voted in favor of the Senate's version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 10, 2009; he was one of only three Republicans to break ranks with the party and support the bill, which was favored by President Barack Obama and was unanimously supported by the Democratic senators. As a result of his support, many in the Republican mainstream have begun to set up attack ads calling for his removal from office. Specter was instrumental in ensuring that the act allocated an additional $10 billion to the National Institutes of Health over the next 2 years.
Committee Assignments
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Defense
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Committee on the Judiciary (Ranking Member)
- Special Committee on Aging
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Specter was chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1995, when the Republicans gained control of the Senate, until 1997, when he became chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs. He chaired that committee until 2001 and again from 2003 to 2005, during the times the Republicans controlled the Senate. He also chaired the Judiciary Committee from 2005 to 2007.
Campaigns
In 1980, Specter became the Republican nominee for Senate when Republican incumbent Richard Schweiker announced his retirement. He faced the former Mayor of Pittsburgh Peter F. Flaherty. Specter won the election by a 2.5% margin. He was later reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998 and 2004, despite 1992 and 1998 being bad years for Republicans. Specter will run for reelection in 2010.
1996 Bid for the Presidency
On March 31, 1995 Arlen Specter announced his candidacy for President of the United States, to challenge the incumbent Bill Clinton. He entered the race claiming his party needed a candidate who did not have the stereotypical religious conservative image. He was critical of Patrick J. Buchanan, Pat Robertson and Ralph E. Reed, Jr., saying all three were far too conservative, while America needed a moderate, "Neither this nation nor this party can afford a Republican candidate so captive to the demands of the intolerant right that we end up re-electing a President of the incompetent left." His campaign focused on balancing the federal budget, strict crime laws, and restoring relations with Israel and North Korea. "My commitment to America," Mr. Specter said, "is to replace a President who has been inattentive, inactive and indecisive when it comes to America's vital foreign policy interests." His candidacy was not expected to succeed in winning the Republican nomination due to the overwhelmingly large number of social conservatives in the Republican Party. He was however able to gain support: Although fellow Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (noted for his social conservatism) was never overly enthusiastic, he was supportive. Other supportive Republicans were hopeful Specter could trim the party's "far-right fringe." Although his campaign was ultimately unsuccessful at wooing conservatives, it was widely believed he could have had a strong showing among independents. On November 23, 1995, before the start of the primaries, Specter suspended his campaign to endorse Bob Dole.
2004 re-election campaign
In 2004, Specter faced a challenge in the Republican primary election from conservative Congressman Pat Toomey. Toomey's campaign theme was that Specter, a moderate, was not fiscally conservative enough. The match-up was closely watched nationally, being seen as a symbolic clash between the conservative and moderate wings of the Republican Party. However, most of the state and national Republican establishment, including the state's other senator at the time, Rick Santorum, (who was widely seen as only slightly less conservative than Toomey), closed ranks behind Specter. Specter was strongly supported by President George W. Bush. Specter narrowly avoided a major upset with 51 percent of the primary vote. Once Specter defeated the challenge from the right, he was able to enjoy great support from independents and some Democrats in his race against Hoeffel. Hoeffel also trailed Specer in name recognition, campaign funds and poll results. Although the two minor candidates were seen as more conservative than Specter, they were only able to take 4% of the vote and Specter was easily reelected.
Political views
Abortion
Specter is generally considered pro-choice on abortion. Despite this he has voiced his personal opposition to abortion and received a 20% from the NARAL indicating a pro-life record. Although he maintains he is pro-choice, he wants abortion to be a safe and rare occurrence. Bobby Casey's election in 2006 gives Pennsylvania the distinction of being represented in the Senate by a pro-life Democrat and a pro-choice Republican; each holds the position opposite to what is common for their respective national parties.
Marriage
Specter supports LGBT rights with mixed positions. He is opposed to same-sex marriage, but is also opposed to a federal ban and supports civil unions. He personally believes marriage should be between one man and one woman.
Immigration
On the immigration issue, Specter supports a "pathway to citizenship" and a "guest worker program" which opponents call amnesty. He introduced Senate bill S. 2611 (the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006) on 6 April 2006, which was passed by the Senate on 25 May 2006 before reaching a stalemate in the House.
Domestic Issues
Specter strongly supports the death penalty and opposes most gun control, voting against the Brady Bill, background checks at gun shows, the ban on assault weapons, and trigger locks for handguns. His work has included numerous articles on the deterring effect the death penalty has on future crimes.
He supports affirmative action and voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1990. He was one of only four Republicans to vote against the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act and in recent years has been less enthusiastic about weakening consumer protection laws than many members of his party. In 1995 he was the only Republican to vote to limit tax cuts to individuals with incomes of less than one million dollars. He voted against CAFTA. Specter also supports an increase in the federal minimum wage. He is a leading supporter of the U.S. Public Service Academy.
Electoral history
2004 Race for U.S. Senate — Republican Primary
1998 Race for U.S. Senate
- Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 61%
- Bill Lloyd (D), 35%
1998 Race for U.S. Senate — Republican Primary
1992 Race for U.S. Senate
- Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 49%
- Lynn Yeakel (D), 47%
1992 Race for U.S. Senate — Republican Primary
- Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 65%
- Stephen Friend (R), 35%
1986 Race for U.S. Senate
- Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 56%
- Bob Edgar (D), 43%
1986 Race for U.S. Senate — Republican Primary
- Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 76%
- Richard Stokes (R), 24%
1980 Race for U.S. Senate
1980 Race for U.S. Senate — Republican Primary
- Arlen Specter (R), 36%
- Harold Haabestad (R), 33%
- Ed Howard (R), 13%
See also
External links
Articles
- collected news and commentary*, Gary Aguilar and Josiah Thompson, History Matters
- , Andrew Mangino, Yale Daily News, September 23, 2005
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