One of Specter's first phone calls re EFCA was to Grover Norquist.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/24/specter-no-efca/

Today on the Senate floor, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) announced his intention to vote against cloture on the Employee Free Choice Act. Specter was the only Republican to vote for cloture when the measure was last considered in 2007. During his announcement, Specter noted his previous support for EFCA, but suggested that the current condition of the economy makes “this a particularly bad time to enact employee’s choice legislation”:

SPECTER: The problem of the recession make this a particularly bad time to enact employees choice legislation. … I am announcing my decision now because I have consulted with a very large number of interested parties on both sides and I have made up my mind. Knowing that I will not support cloture on this bill, Senators may choose to move on and amend the , as I have suggested, or otherwise.

(snip)

As evidence of the right-wing pressure he was facing, one of Specter’s first calls was to Grover Norquist, the head of Americans for Tax Reform, to inform him of his decision. Further, as Sam Stein notes, Specter is “likely to face a major primary challenge from Club For Growth president Pat Toomey in the 2010 election, which may have factored into this apparent decision.”

(snip)

Responding to Specter's announcement, Norquist told the Washington Times, "This is huge. This ends card check for the year. Now we have to make sure the Democrats don't pick up two or three Senate seats."

(end snip)

This is HUGH!!!11!? In your own bathtub, maybe, Grover.

Was another of his phone calls to Rushbo?

Still has to win the vote against a Democrat.

The guy is a snake.

Moving right to head off a Repug challenger, then mishmushing leftward for the General.

the Democratic challenger if he doesn't have to fight a war of attrition in a primary.

Fascinating.

(Nothing against you, it just seems to me the GOP have made everything a threat.)

:hi:

... and Dubyanificent.

They threaten them with a primary, making them spend more money than they would unopposed, and also makes the candidate weaker in the general after getting beat up by one of his own.

They'll do it to Bunning in Kentucky as he is seen as a liability now. He'll get primaried.

Not much carrot for the useful idiots of the Predator Class like Specter.

Not hard to visualize this slimy mf'er groveling to the lunatic fringe of the party in an effort to keep his seat. It'd be ironic and easy to predict that they'd run somebody against him anyhow.

Dear Pennsylvania Constituent,



After giving exhaustive consideration to the Employee Free Choice legislation, I have decided to oppose the bill for reasons specified in my Senate floor statement which is contained below or you may read here and watch here.

http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=39dce122-fce9-5df9-bc36-a3d7dc60fa54

I remain open to working to correct the imbalance which exists with so many jobs being exported and substantial labor losses in areas like pensions and health care.



In my floor statement, I have also laid out some suggested revisions to the National Labor Relations Act which could provide the basis for correcting the current imbalance.



Sincerely,



Arlen Specter




So workers, Arlen feels your pain, but chooses to screw you anyway.

Why do republicans get to pass bills when they have 50 votes, but Democrats need 60?

The unions will be gunning for him and he's never had that problem in PA.