Specter on health care "If we waged a war against cancer with the same intensity of other wars

Jack Kemp would be alive today."

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/05/specter_talks_health_care_at_h.html

Specter talks health care at Hershey Medical Center

by MONICA VON DOBENECK, Of The Patriot-News

Monday May 04, 2009, 2:39 PM

Sen. Arlen Specter told staff and students at Penn State's Hershey Medical Center today that sure, he wants to keep his job, but he also thought switching to the Democratic party would help him fight for health care reform. "Tomorrow, the number one item on the congressional agenda is health care reform," he said. "It's the president's number one item."

Specter was critical of the funding given to medical research under Republicans. "If we waged a war against cancer with the same intensity of other wars, Jack Kemp would be alive today," he said, referring to the former GOP Congressman and vice presidential nominee who died over the weekend of cancer. "It's scandalous we haven't done more to cure cancer or delay Alzheimer's or heart disease."

Harold Paz, CEO of the medical center, said Specter was influential in directing $10 billion in stimulus money to the National Institutes of Health. Hershey researchers have already submitted more than 150 applications for grants from that stimulus program, "with many, many more to come," he said.

It's a priority.

Seen it a thousand times. Usually goes along with a lot of whining and moaning about how unfair it was that it happened to them and a demand for rights and privileges that they'd never have aforded to anyone else.

THAT'S the problem here. and it makes me mad that the healthcare industry gets a damn say in healthcare policy... and that the people that are supposed to be representing us sure seem to be working for the very people they are supposed to be protecting US from!

you and others remain at the mercy of the insurance industry... which if they do manage to get coverage, they mat stiull end up losing their homes and going bankrupt.

Nope- that guy doesn't give a shit about your healthcare- or whether you're foreclosed on.

a lot of them are in the healthcare industry's pockets. and it makes a person sad. i mean, there is a group in ny trying to oust ALL ny legislature members. sometimes i wish we could do that with the vast majority of the US congress too!!!

... then perfectly healthy people would be dying left and right.

Say, what was Kemp's position on the War on Drugs?

and who believes in and funds medical research

Here's part of that faustian deal...call it a "rent-an-Arlen". His vote on some key issues, like healthcare, can break the backs of any GOOP attempts at fillibustering and a hedge against a Ben Nelson going off the reservation. Sadly, I expect this issue to get even greater pubilicity as Senator Kennedy's health continues to fail. In many ways, it's a rush against the clock to get this long dreamt visio of his a reality, but also there's clock on how long President Obama can push through his agenda.

There's about a 12-18 month window now where things can get done...either this year or in the start of next year. After that, the '10 campaign starts to kick in and getting bills passed becomes tougher. The gambit here is to use Arlen's vote where they can on some special issues...including the SCOTUS nomination and see where things are in the Fall.

Surely Arlen's looking at the same polls this week he did before he jumped the fence. His poll numbers appear to be high, but if he becomes a one man obstructionist, he's gonna pay a price. If Arlen has any hopes of winning a nomination in '10, he's going to have to "get with the team" and to move toward the left. This will especially be the case of a Joe Sustak goes forward with a primary challenge. The glow of this move will wear off soon and Arlen's record will start to get a closer look.

This isn't a "Liebermann"...Specter's trying to avoid that. He didn't go Independent for a reason. It's been said many times that Arlen talks one way and votes the other. Now that he claims to be a Democrat, he knows he's gonna have to get "with the team" or he will become a "Liebermann".