Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specterwas an American lawyer and politician who served as United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter was a Democrat from 1951 to 1965, then a Republican from 1965 until 2009, when he switched back to the Democratic Party. First elected in 1980, he represented his state in the Senate for 30 years...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth12 February 1930
CountryUnited States of America
abortion apply chief committee confirm fight issue judiciary justice kennedy led president record senate supported test voted
As the record shows, I have supported every one of President Bush's nominees in the Judiciary Committee and on the Senate floor. I have never and would never apply any litmus test on the abortion issue and, as the record shows, I have voted to confirm Chief Justice (William) Rehnquist, Justice (Sandra Day) O'Connor, and Justice (Anthony) Kennedy and led the fight to confirm Justice (Clarence) Thomas.
acceptable broad favor later notice oppose opposition position president senators somebody spectrum vote voting
Voting in favor would put senators in a better position to oppose later or a vote in opposition would put the president on notice that he better put somebody up who was acceptable to a broad spectrum of senators.
believe bring face floor leader september suspect thursday vote week
I believe the vote will come during the week of September 26. That's when the floor leader will bring up ... the matter. I would suspect that we'd vote by Thursday the 29th, ... Face the Nation.
analysis people present thinking votes
My analysis is that we have 62 votes at the present time, and we've got about 15 more people who are thinking it over,
bill easy votes
It's not easy to get 60 votes on a controversial bill like this, but we're working on it.
vote frequency unwelcome
It is with unwelcome frequency that I find myself the deciding vote.
people vote agree
I don't expect people to agree with all my votes.
vote
We're going to have a vote on this one day soon.
cannot dinner predict require votes
If this will require a rollcall vote, I cannot predict how many rollcall votes we will have this evening, but I would not make dinner plans.
ask choose consider firmly free likely matter nominee personally respond rule senators similarly specific vote whatever
There is no firmly established rule as to how much a nominee must say to be confirmed, ... While I personally consider it inappropriate to ask a nominee how he would vote on a specific matter likely to come before the court, senators may ask whatever they choose and the nominee is similarly free to respond as he chooses.
help leadership priority rick senate vote
My No. 1 priority is to get Rick Santorum re-elected in 2006. I would vote for him to any Senate leadership job, I would help him become president.
bet call gave nominee telephone tolerable vote
If there was a telephone call where someone gave assurances about how she's going to vote in a case, you bet that's something we'd look into, ... Absolutely. It is not tolerable to have any commitments about how a nominee would vote on a case. Not tolerable.
house overcome votes
You don't have the votes in the House of Representatives to overcome a presidential veto.
basis president vice
I've not said that the vice president has done anything wrong, ... What I have said is there is a basis for (an) independent counsel.