Category: Politics

The Senate, last night, voted to strip Arlen Specter of his senority in the Senate:

In announcing his move across the aisle last week, Specter asserted that Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) had assured him he would retain his seniority in the Senate and on the five committees on which he serves. Specter’s tenure ranked him ahead of all but seven Democrats.

I guess Harry Reid’s word is about as good as Obama’s.

Instead, though, on a voice vote last night, the Senate approved a resolution that made Specter the most junior Democrat on four committees for the remainder of this Congress. (He will rank second from last on the fifth, the Special Committee on Aging.)

Ouch, that’s gotta hurt.  Apparently Specter had designs on heading the Appropriations Committee, and this reduction in seniority is going to make it very difficult to pork up the budget.  I hear a very tiny violin playing softly in the background.

Looks like there are two bills going forward in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, House Bill 1411 and Senate Bill 843.  Both have identical language.  NRA is asking folks to contact the committee heads here for the Senate, and here for the House, in opposition.

The good news is that the bills are pretty narrowly defined, such that they ought not to affect legitimate hunting and dog training activity.  The bad news is, it’ll make it harder to defeat.  I have no love of pigeon shooting, but I do not wish to see it banned, and embolden HSUS, who is behind the ban.  If they win, they will be back with more money (which they have plenty of) to push for more restrictions on hunting.

Consider how they used this issue in Michigan, and you’ll see what I mean.  Dove Hunting, which is legitimate hunting, with hunters eating their catch (I know a few dove hunters myself) was banned by referendum there, because HSUS was able to smear it as a not legitimate hunting activity.  Also remember that HSUS supports a comprehensive ban on lead ammunition.

Every legislative victory will bring them more money and more power.  This will be an awful pandoras box we’ll be opening, if we allow HSUS to achieve an easy victory in Pennsylvania,.  Let’s not make this easy for them.

From Capitol Ideas:

Speaking from Summerdale, Cumberland County, yesterday, Rendell urged the young’uns to mount a Children’s Crusade by signing an online petition supporting the legalization of tens of thousands of video poker terminals to raise roughly $500 million for higher education grants.

Read the whole thing.  I’m wholly in agreement with Rendell on the liberalization of the state’s gambling laws, but I think it’s odd to employ children in the promotion of it.  Lame duck Ed is a lot more interesting than needs to win an election Ed.  I will say that.  Perhaps next Rendell can tell kids to convince their parents to drink more in order to bring in even more money the state can use for education.

Capitol Ideas is reporting that Specter beats Pat Toomey 53-33 percent in the general, but Tom Ridge matches up with Specter at 46 percent and Ridge at 43 percent.  Like I’ve said before, incumbents have a sky high reelection rate, which is why it makes sense for NRA to endorse Specter if he holds his position on the Second Amendment and keeps voting that way.

As much as I would like to see Pat Toomey off Sarlen Arlen in the 2010 election, it’s not likely to happen.  I think Toomey could improve his polling numbers if he plays his politics right for Pennsylvania, but if Ridge throws his hat into the primary, he’s going to have to run to the right of Ridge (how’s that for alliteration?).  I think Toomey’s fortunes depend on him avoiding a rough primary, and even if he manages that, he has an uphill fight.

Of course, it’s not out of the question that Specter will face a stiff primary challenge from the left as well, so I’d be hard pressed to suggest this race is over before it starts.  Time will tell.