CNN "State Of The Union with Candy Crowley" - Transcript

Interview

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CROWLEY: Joining me now from his home state of Pennsylvania, Democratic Senator Arlen Specter. Senator, thank you for joining me this morning. I know you are a busy guy, so I appreciate it.

SPECTER: Glad to be here. Thank you.

CROWLEY: I have to ask you. I have seen your opponent use the endorsements from both President Bush and President Obama to great effect. In his interview, which I'm sure you just heard, he didn't talk so much about Senator Specter as about Bush Specter, Bush Specter. Looking back on your decision to leave the Republican Party, do you wish you had worded it differently?

SPECTER: Well, listen, Candy. For years, I've tried to moderate the Republican Party. And when the stimulus came up and President Obama asked me for his support -- for my support, and it looked like we were sliding into a 1929 depression, I sided with President Obama.

It wasn't my job to be saved. It was the jobs of thousands of Pennsylvanians and Americans.

Look here, I had a clear shot at reelection. If I had stayed with the obstructionist Republican caucus, I would have been reelected easily, especially in an out-year when the party out of power is favored. But I--

CROWLEY: But you were facing a stiff challenge within your party from the right.

SPECTER: Well, I wasn't facing the challenge until I voted for the stimulus, Candy. Toomey, the other guy, had announced he was going to run for governor. I really had a clear shot all the way.

Look here, you mentioned the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial. But also, the Philadelphia Inquirer Daily News. The newspapers, as you know, look carefully at the voting records. They go behind the scenes. They interview the candidates. And the Harrisburg paper in endorsing me was very emphatic, that my vote was a vote of principle, and that I was really at odd with the Republican Party. There were irreconcilable differences, but they were caused by my stimulus vote. And my stimulus vote was not only about my job. In fact, it wasn't about my job. I had a clear shot at reelection. It was to save -- to stave off depression in this country.

CROWLEY: Well, your race does seem complicated by the shift in parties, because you have, on the one hand, there was a headline today in the Philly paper that says, quote, "Specter haunted by Republican past." So you had on the one hand Republicans who were angry with you. Obviously, they are not voting in the primary, but who are angry with you for switching, and then you have Democrats who don't quite trust you.

But layered over that, is there an element of incumbency here that works against you, having been in the Senate for so long? Do you think that that is also in play as it is across much of the country?

SPECTER: Well, Candy, that's the national attitude. But I have fought the bickering and the partisanship in Washington. I have been one guy who has been willing to cross party lines.

Look here, in my tenure in the Senate, I have voted in an independent way. I have sided with the Democrats more often on the big issues than Republicans. I support a woman's right to choose, Roe versus Wade. I am opposed to warrantless wiretapping. I have voted to raise the minimum wage.

And take the Bork confirmation proceeding. It would have been a different Supreme Court had Bork been confirmed, and I led that fight to defeat him. He didn't even believe that equal protection applied to women.

So that in the context of being an independent, it is true. I am not ideologically bound.

SPECTER: When President Obama made the commercial, he emphasized that. He said that I saved the country from going off the brink. That was the depression.

CROWLEY: Let me just show you because it's on this subject matter and the Quinnipiac poll. This was on your job approval, it was taken in early May. Your job approval in Pennsylvania, 38 percent. Now, 2008, in November, your job approval was 62 percent. The only thing that changed between November, 2008 and now, to bring that approval down more than 20 points, has been your switch in party and your vote for the economic stimulus plan.

SPECTER: Well, Candy, people everywhere have had their polls go down, including the president. But that Quinnipiac poll gave me a lead, still a slight lead. And I think the lead that I have had is because people recognize that I am the only guy who can beat Toomey. Go back to that nationally televised town meeting in Lebanon County. The Tea Party group was asked, the guy charged me with his fist clinched, you are ruining the country. Security wanted to throw him out. I stopped that. I didn't want the headline to read "citizen evicted." I wanted it to read, "senator keeps his cool."

But I argued with him, I fought him verbally and faced him down. Where was Sestak? Back in his office where it was safe. So when you take a look at the real, what's really at stake, it's keeping this seat in Democratic hands to support the Obama agenda. Sestak can't do it. You just saw him. Wouldn't answer any of your questions, ducks and dodges and weaves. You've got to face up to the issue sand you've got to be strong and you've got to be tough. And I'm the guy to do it.

CROWLEY: I want to ask you something that I asked him. This has been a very, seems a very personal race. Your side has felt that he has tried to make you seem too for the job. His side feels that you have tried to smear his military record, et cetera, et cetera. In the end, senator, if Joe Sestak wins this race, will you support him?

SPECTER: Sure. I am going to support anybody against Pat Toomey. It is not going to happen, but I will answer your question, Candy. He wouldn't answer your question as to what he has to hide. He wouldn't answer your questions all over the lot, ducks and bobs and weaves.

One thing I have always been is candid, maybe a little too candid. Sure, I said my prospects were bleak, because I'm being honest with the voters. I'm being honest with my votes. But my prospects turned bleak because I laid my job on the line. Rendell put it the best yesterday when he talked about my endorsement for the black clergy. Got a lot of support in getting out to vote. Rendell said, Arlen Specter put his job at risk. I had a clear shot at being re-elected but I wasn't going to let this country slide into a 1929 depression. My job didn't mean that much if it was at risk. In joining the Obama team, I cast the critical 60th vote for health care. Listen, of all the legislation passed during my tenure in the Senate, 30 years, that's the most important legislation. Thousands of people die every year because of lack of medical care because they don't have insurance. Insurance companies.

CROWLEY: I want to interrupt you because I wanted to turn the corner here. We don't have much time left.

SPECTER: I'm glad to be interrupted.

CROWLEY: I wanted to talk to you about Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. And this was another thing, you voted against her as solicitor general. Certainly, I think there is no other way to interpret your remarks after you met her as you being kind of pro the idea of putting her on the Supreme Court. Again, as you know, Joe Sestak has used this as a way of saying this is an expedient politician. He votes one, he's going to vote against her. Now, he is going to go vote for her. Why don't you tell the people of Pennsylvania how you are going to vote?

SPECTER: Well, I want to go to the hearings, I want to listen to her. I want to confer with my clients. Sestak wants me to announce my vote now. Well I don't rush to judgment. I make my decisions after very careful thought. But let me tell you why I voted against her for solicitor general.

CROWLEY: If you can make it quick just because I am running out of time. But I would like to hear.

SPECTER: Well, it is your question, Candy. Give me a chance to answer it. She wouldn't answer questions as to what she would recommend to the Supreme Court where the solicitor general has a big say in what cases they take.

I wanted to know if she would take the case involving the Holocaust victims who were suing insurance companies. She wouldn't answer. Supreme Court nominees shouldn't answer questions but when I met with her, she was very forthcoming.

She told me that she didn't agree with the decision allowing corporations to agree in political campaigns. She told me that she would have deference to congressional thought.

CROWLEY: So we can sort of leave that as you have learned a little more.

SPECTER: Well, wait a minute. Just 20 seconds more. I think that senators ought to insist on answers. Otherwise, the executives -- listen, we haven't had the decision on warrantless wiretapping from the Supreme Court. So I think my pressing her on solicitor general got more answers. She says that she believes the Supreme Court nominees don't answer enough questions. Well, those confirmation hearings are to find out, to tell the senators and the American people where they stand as a matter of philosophy and ideology. And I think I'm making some progress on that, Candy, by being a little tough about it. CROWLEY: Senator Specter, thank you so much for joining us. You have got a busy couple of days ahead. We will see you Tuesday in Pennsylvania.

SPECTER: Great pleasure. Thank you, Candy.

CROWLEY: Thank you.

And when we come back, an early casualty of the animosity towards Washington, Utah senator, Bob Bennett.

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