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Specter Revision Under Scrutiny
By Bradley Vasoli, The Bulletin
For Americans who want “change,” U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., continues to give them plenty of it, first with his party switch last month and now with a revision to his fundraising Web site.
Mr. Specter changed the text of SpecterfortheCure.com last weekend to clarify that donations to the site fund his re-election campaign rather than cancer research or independent advocacy, as one might’ve thought from the unrevised statement.
On Friday, the message on the home page described Specter for the Cure as merely “a bold new initiative to reform our government’s medical research efforts, cut red tape and unstrangle the hope for accelerated cures.”
Afterward, the Specter campaign explained what was so “bold” and “new” about his idea: It involved enriching his campaign coffers.
“In 2010, Arlen Specter will seek re-election to the United States Senate,” says some of the updated text. “With his unsurpassed record of support for medical research, helping to return Senator Specter to the Senate is a powerful statement on behalf of those suffering with disease. The purpose of this Web site is to encourage support for Senator Specter’s mission to improve America’s health by helping assure Senator Specter’s re-election.”
Mr. Specter’s critics, particularly those on the left, have begun attacking Mr. Specter’s earlier description of the site. They say the words he used on his site could easily delude many contributors into thinking their donations help to win the war on cancer when in fact they would help to win Mr. Specter’s war on former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey and any other Republicans who would have challenged his re-election bid.
The senator’s own description of the site to CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, May 3 downplayed the fact that it is a campaign operation.
“I’ve even established a Web site, Specterforthecure.com, to try to get people to put more pressure on Congress to join me in getting more funding,” Mr. Specter said.
Adam Green, a blogger at the leftist dailykos.com, was not happy with the senator’s plug.
“This is a scandal involving someone at the center of national news,” Mr. Green said, calling the scandal “cancergate.” “Arlen Specter went on one of the Sunday shows that mold political conventional wisdom and lied to Americans. Any cancer survivor or concerned citizen who went to that site to ‘put more pressure on Congress’ to fund cancer research got defrauded by Specter.”
Republican challengers to Mr. Specter include announced candidates Mr. Toomey and former gubernatorial candidate Peg Luksik. U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, 6th, of Berks, Chester, Montgomery and Lehigh counties is also considering a run. Mr. Specter’s own Democratic primary opponents include former National Constitution Center President Joe Torsella and potentially U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, 7th, of Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
Bradley Vasoli can be reached at bvasoli@thebulletin.us
Mr. Specter changed the text of SpecterfortheCure.com last weekend to clarify that donations to the site fund his re-election campaign rather than cancer research or independent advocacy, as one might’ve thought from the unrevised statement.
On Friday, the message on the home page described Specter for the Cure as merely “a bold new initiative to reform our government’s medical research efforts, cut red tape and unstrangle the hope for accelerated cures.”
Afterward, the Specter campaign explained what was so “bold” and “new” about his idea: It involved enriching his campaign coffers.
“In 2010, Arlen Specter will seek re-election to the United States Senate,” says some of the updated text. “With his unsurpassed record of support for medical research, helping to return Senator Specter to the Senate is a powerful statement on behalf of those suffering with disease. The purpose of this Web site is to encourage support for Senator Specter’s mission to improve America’s health by helping assure Senator Specter’s re-election.”
Mr. Specter’s critics, particularly those on the left, have begun attacking Mr. Specter’s earlier description of the site. They say the words he used on his site could easily delude many contributors into thinking their donations help to win the war on cancer when in fact they would help to win Mr. Specter’s war on former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey and any other Republicans who would have challenged his re-election bid.
The senator’s own description of the site to CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, May 3 downplayed the fact that it is a campaign operation.
“I’ve even established a Web site, Specterforthecure.com, to try to get people to put more pressure on Congress to join me in getting more funding,” Mr. Specter said.
Adam Green, a blogger at the leftist dailykos.com, was not happy with the senator’s plug.
“This is a scandal involving someone at the center of national news,” Mr. Green said, calling the scandal “cancergate.” “Arlen Specter went on one of the Sunday shows that mold political conventional wisdom and lied to Americans. Any cancer survivor or concerned citizen who went to that site to ‘put more pressure on Congress’ to fund cancer research got defrauded by Specter.”
Republican challengers to Mr. Specter include announced candidates Mr. Toomey and former gubernatorial candidate Peg Luksik. U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, 6th, of Berks, Chester, Montgomery and Lehigh counties is also considering a run. Mr. Specter’s own Democratic primary opponents include former National Constitution Center President Joe Torsella and potentially U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, 7th, of Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
Bradley Vasoli can be reached at bvasoli@thebulletin.us
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bobguzzardi wrote on May 11, 2009 12:04 PM: