Union Urges Democrats to Switch Parties To Vote For Arlen Specter

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=683&ncid=703&e=7&u=/ap/20040324/ap_on_el_se/pennsylvania_primary

WASHINGTON - An international labor union is urging its Democratic members in Pennsylvania to switch their voter registration to Republican to vote for Sen. Arlen Specter in his tough primary fight against conservative Rep. Pat Toomey.



The registration push comes as national groups scramble to sign up voters for November's presidential race in Pennsylvania, a battleground state and the nation's fifth-largest electoral prize. Voters who don't switch back risk falling through the cracks during Democratic get-out-the-vote drives and other outreach efforts.


Specter, a political moderate who generally supports labor issues, is the only sitting senator in the nation to face a primary. He "needs as much support in the April 27 primary as possible," wrote Robert A. Scardelletti, president of the Transportation Communications International Union in a March 15 letter to Pennsylvania members.


"Enclosed is a voter registration card that you can use to register to vote in the Republican primary if you so choose," Scardelletti wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. "I realize that this is a somewhat unusual request, but I can assure you that it is vitally important.

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[trumad]

1. You could put a loaded gun to my head

and I would never switch parties, not even for a minute.. The stain on me would be permenant...

[NNN0LHI]

2. This is damn important I think. I would make an exception n/t

[The Zanti Regent]

5. Goodbye, Mr Magic Bullet Man!

Toomey is closing in on Specter. I hope this primary mortally wounds that old Fart so Joe Hoeffel can move in for the kill

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Who is the Dem running against Specter?

I'm a bit confused here. Don't you want your Dem candidate to go up against a newbie, right-winger in November? So wouldn't it be a good idea to eliminate Specter as a candidate in the primaries?

[Penndems]

9. Joe Hoeffel

and I don't understand why the union isn't backing him, or making its members aware that Representative Hoeffel is the Democratic alternative.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. This is sounding very fishy.

Are you SURE that this union is working in the best interest of the workers? Or is this one of those unions that are, er, organized?

[Penndems]

15. I'm not familiar with this union, unless

they're some offshoot of the Teamsters, which is entirely possible. The Teamsters are more conservative than other unions like, say, AFSME.

It's pretty clear in the article that the Specter people intend to use these union members, though. They'll stick 'em at polling sites to hand out Bush/Cheney literature:

<snip>

"But Specter campaign manager Christopher Nicholas said Specter would work with any group to try to boost the number of Republican voters in the state to help President Bush (news - web sites) in November.

"And we are working with any group that wants to work with us," Nicholas said.

<snip>

[Sinistrous]

10. Against Specter, Hoeffel can campaign on issues.

Against Toomey, it will be a raw ideological bar fight, and Toomey will bring out the same voters who gave us Santorum. Don't forget, this is Pennsylvania, where politicians can never underestimate the power of the "T" (i.e., everything outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia).

[Gman]

4. This needs to be done by as many as possible

Especially in areas where there are no real challenges to other Democratic candidates.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. They are incorrect

Blanche Lincoln, DINO from Arkansas, has opposition. I haven't heard much about the opponant, just that she's a NOW president from Ft. Smith and her name is Burk (I think). Any Arkansans who can give me more information?

[kentuck]

6. Wouldn't it be easier for Arlen Specter to switch Parties?

Rather than asking tens of thousands of union people to switch Parties? After all, if he wants the votes, he should switch. This type of thinking confuses the hell out of me.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Arlen Specter is an idiot

and we got him to thank for the "magic bullet" theory of the JFK assassination.

[Penndems]

16. Here's another idiot that needs to be stopped

http://www.paterno2004.com/

Just because your old man is Penn State's football coach doesn't make you qualified for a Congressional representative. :)

[Bombtrack]

12. This is idiotic, democrats should switch to vote for Toomey

we can beat Toomey, we CAN'T beat Specter, period.

[jsw_81]

13. I want to see Toomey win the nomination

We'll crush him in November.

[mrgorth]

14. I don't know how many of you people live in my state but let's be clear on

this. Hoeffel is NOT a sure thing to defeat Toomey in November. Toomey is another Sanitarium, fucking nutbag. We can't take another one. If I wasn't going to be working the polls I'd switch myself. As much as I'd like Hoeffel to beat Toomey in November we can't risk Toomey and Sanitarium.

[Thrill]

17. Santorum is backing Specter

We can beat Tommey