SpecterSen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Democrat, said part of the reason he left the Republican Party last week was disillusionment with its healthcare priorities, and suggested that had the Republicans taken a more moderate track, Jack Kemp may have won his battle with cancer.
Mr. Specter, responding to a question from CBS’s Bob Schieffer over whether he had let down Pennsylvanians who wanted a Republican to represent them, said he felt his priorities were more in line with those of the Democrats.
“Well, I was sorry to disappoint many people. Frankly, I was disappointed that the Republican Party didn’t want me as their candidate,” Mr. Specter said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “But as a matter of principle, I’m becoming much more comfortable with the Democrats’ approach. And one of the items that I’m working on, Bob, is funding for medical research.”
Mr. Specter continued: “If we had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine.”
Mr. Kemp passed away Saturday, after fighting with cancer. Mr. Kemp ran for the White House in 1996 with Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole.
Tom LoBianco has covered energy and environmental policy, including the climate change bill making its way through Congress. From 2007 to 2008, he covered Maryland politics from the Times’s Annapolis bureau. Tom hold’s a master’s degree in political science from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. He spent two and a ...
By Seth McLaughlin - The Washington Times
By David Eldridge and Cheryl Wetzstein - The Washington Times
By Dave Boyer - The Washington Times
By Dr. Milton R. Wolf
Victory requires Mitt to complete his conversion
By Jeffrey Anderson - The Washington Times
Within weeks of an inspector general’s report that criticized a bid by the D.C. Lottery ...
By David Hood - The Washington Times
Their ranks have thinned over the past three years, but a renewed sense of optimism ...
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody - Associated Press
Adele, who captured the world’s heart with an album about a broken romance, emerged as ...
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
A mother of three and a passionate conservative, Shirley Husar changes the game with commentary on the political game ala California, U.S.A.
A slice of suburban family life from the diverse perspectives of a politically minded mom.
A wife, mother of three and world waterskiing champion looks at the world through the eyes of her faith.
From family to children, to life on our street and in our world, Lori shares her view of the world
CPAC 2012
26 Photos
CPAC opens in Washington
29 Photos
State of the District
8 Photos
Police raid Occupy D.C. camp
13 Photos
Potomac Phil makes stuffy debut
11 Photos
Romney wins Florida primary
8 Photos
Police stop Occupy D.C. sleepovers
13 Photos
Exiles want Republicans to free Cuba
21 Photos
