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Is the White House Girding for a Specter Loss?

By Alex Altman | @aaltman82 | May 17, 2010 | +

Bob Schieffer of CBS says that’s what sources are telling him privately about tomorrow’s Pennsylvania Senate primary. (Via Greg Sargent.)

“In all candor, I have been told on background and so forth that the White House is preparing for a Specter loss here, and that the president doesn’t want to be associated with that,” the network’s chief Washington correspondent told a local affiliate.

While former President Bill Clinton trekked to the Keystone State to stump for Democrat Mark Critz in the hotly contested special election for John Murtha’s 12th Congressional district seat, according to Sargent Vice President Joe Biden is no longer planning to appear on Specter’s behalf. The grizzled veteran has notched a slew of key endorsements, but as Jay notes in a story for Time.com today, in this virulently anti-incumbent cycle, earning the favor of the establishment may not provide much of a boost this year:

Polls show both Democratic contenders losing to Toomey, the presumed GOP candidate, Sestak by a smaller margin. The state’s 200,000 committed swing voters hold the key, and the nasty primary fight between Sestak and Specter could strengthen Toomey.

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  • groenhagen2

    If Specter goes down, I sure hope Obama campaigns like hell for Sleastak. That would guarantee a Toomey victory.

  • hellslittlestangel

    I don’t think Obama had much choice but to support The Spectre, nor do I hold it against him. That’s just politics. I’d like to think he and Sestak will make nice, and Obama will appreciate having another genuine Democrat in the Senate.

  • nflfoghorn

    Here’s a wrench: What if Specter wins?? Sestak’s USC then (unless he can win back his old seat).

  • Ike Jakson

    What?

    He is over his eyeballs into this!

  • newfreedomblog

    Toomey will win despite which one of the Democrat clowns they put up against him.

  • square1

    How old is Specter, anyway? 95? 105? Why he and McCain can’t just hang it up already is beyond me.

    McCain is an idiot. But doesn’t the prospect of being an elder statesman appeal at all to Specter?

  • nflfoghorn

    How can you be so sure, Nostradammit?

  • acameronw

    What baffles me about this race is that Specter has any chance of winning it at all. The (in)famous clip of Specter explaining his party switch solely in terms of his reelection prospects is breathtaking in its cynicism (and only partly redeemed by its candor). Why would any Democrat vote for him, especially when offered a viable alternative like Sestak? I’ll admit that Specter is more skilled at driving a pork delivery wagon through the state, but there has to be more to it than that.

  • http://jcapan.wordpress.com jcapan

    Mikhail Gorbachev: “What is the difference between a statesman and a politician?… A statesman does what he believes is best for his country, a politician does what best gets him reelected”

  • http://jcapan.wordpress.com jcapan

    BTW, Alex, you’d have earned a lot more cred w/this commenter if your title had been:

    “Is the White House Girding [their loins] for a Specter Loss?”

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