home

Arlen Specter, R.I.P

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Other Politics
Posted on Sun Oct 14, 2012 at 12:45:12 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Arlen Specter has passed away. He was 82. A pretty important figure, from the "magic bullet" theory, to blocking Bork, to making sure Clarence Thomas was confirmed, to switching to the Democratic Party at the end of his career, Specter was always in the middle of contention.

When he was running for the Democratic nomination n 2010 against Joe Sestak, I got a chance to speak to him extensively. I'll write in more depth about him later, but for now, here are some links - On Kagan and Supporting the Public Option through the reconciliation process.

< Sunday Morning Open Thread | Diminished Media Presence at Gitmo for Tomorrow's Hearings >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Arlen Specter, R.I.P | 10 comments (10 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    Speak no ill of the dead (5.00 / 3) (#3)
    by scribe on Sun Oct 14, 2012 at 04:23:50 PM EST
    therefore, I say nothing.

    Arlen Specter did his best ... (5.00 / 4) (#4)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Oct 14, 2012 at 05:30:01 PM EST
    ... to hold the line within the GOP against its takeover by the heirs to his generation's John Birch Society, and when it became apparent that he had lost that fight, he left. He was one of the last of his kind in the Republican ranks, and the GOP will eventually rue the day they decided to purge the party of its minority faction of liberals and moderates.

    My condolences to Sen Specter's family and friends for their loss.

    Sen. Specter's legislative legacy is complex (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Peter G on Mon Oct 15, 2012 at 12:40:58 PM EST
    but one thing on the negative side of the balance sheet is surely his authorship of the Armed Career Criminal Act if 1984 (18 USC 924(e)). Not only did it put prohibited persons who possessed guns, after 3 prior qualifying convictions, into federal prison for a non-parolable mandatory minimum term of 15 years, an extraordinarily long time, but its definitions of the covered prior "violent" and "serious drug" offenses were also so vague and overbroad (and lacking in any age-out provision) that the statute has had to be interpreted by the Supreme Court more than any other federal criminal law, to the point where Justice Scalia has questioned whether it is simply unconstitutionally vague.  It also provides state prosecutors with a "hammer" that gets defendants to plead guilty to local offenses they might otherwise not be convicted of, to accept sentences longer than would otherwise be warranted, and to waive valid claims of illegal searches and seizures, under threat of "taking the case federal."  A significant contributor to overincarceration and "the new Jim Crow," the ACCA law is simply a nightmare -- and virtually impossible, politically, to ameliorate or repeal.

    Specter was like a national metaphor (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Sun Oct 14, 2012 at 01:40:37 PM EST
    All over the place politically, and never quite comfortable in whatever skin he was wearing at the time.  Much as the country itself.

    R.I.P.

    The Magic Bullet theory (none / 0) (#2)
    by MKS on Sun Oct 14, 2012 at 04:23:29 PM EST
    has held up.

    The trajectory in Oliver Stone's film JFK got the locaation of the jump seat occupied by Connally wrong.  It was lower and to the side of a regular seat.

    So, it appears that Arlen Specter was right about that.

    Senator Specter (none / 0) (#5)
    by KeysDan on Sun Oct 14, 2012 at 07:42:08 PM EST
    seemed to be a politician whose reputation for moderation was often a politics of being  so-- "on the average."  For example,he voted against the nomination of Robert Bork for Supreme Court Associate Justice in 1987 and, not only voted for Clarence Thomas as Associate Justice in 199l,  but also, was one of the harshest critics and public doubters of the testimony of Anita Hill, seemingly not grasping sexual harassment.   And, in the senate trial of the impeached Bill Clinton, Senator Specter voted "not proven" rather than guilty or not guilty.   However, his nimble  politics worked for him and, apparently, for the citizens of  PA.  He fought a difficult medical course, and may he now rest in peace.

    Hey Armando (none / 0) (#6)
    by bmaz on Mon Oct 15, 2012 at 01:19:32 AM EST
    Thanks for the, what I anticipate are going to be somewhat nuanced and conflicting, thoughts here and, more importantly coming, on Arlen Specter. I had some of the same over at my and Marcy's joint.

    Specter was a terminally frustrating; yet somehow, at root, admirable man in so many different ways. I am not sure where final judgment on him lies, and that is most certainly not for me ultimately to judge; however, on the day of his passing, he gets my respect. And a measure for other days here and there too. Thanks for your words BTD.

    Looking forward to your Arlen Specter (none / 0) (#8)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Oct 15, 2012 at 01:49:59 PM EST
    Writings!!!

    And to Jeralyn's (none / 0) (#9)
    by Peter G on Mon Oct 15, 2012 at 02:28:37 PM EST
    on the crime policy issues.

    Parent
    Wish I could vote on Amendment 64 (none / 0) (#10)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Oct 15, 2012 at 02:33:26 PM EST
    One of my friends in CO says that there are pot shops all over our old neighborhood now similar to what was depicted on Weeds.  Can't imagine it.  If so, CO hasn't blown up yet.

    Parent
    Arlen Specter, R.I.P | 10 comments (10 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment