PA-Sen: Arlen Specter's Ties To Steve Pigeon, Roger Stone

by: robert.harding

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 10:12:51 AM EDT

The Pigeon connection alone isn't good for Specter. Pigeon, while a former Erie County Democratic Party chair who has been photographed with Democratic Party leaders like former President Bill Clinton, has done more to hurt the Democratic Party than help it. He has ties with Republicans, including Sen. George Maziarz, which were key in coming up with the coup plan to begin with.

Pigeon's destruction has been seen in Erie County, where he recently canceled a fundraiser benefiting Buffalo mayor Byron Brown, who has been a Pigeon ally, and where he is still wreaking havoc. It was announced earlier this week that Pigeon teamed up with Republican Chris Collins to force a Democratic primary with Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz.

For Pigeon, it's about furthering his own political agenda, not supporting the Democratic Party. That is why his support of Specter (and Specter's presumed acceptance of that support) is questionable.

But Pigeon also had some help in the coup. He admitted last week that Roger Stone was in on the action too. Stone, of course, is a shady Republican political operative who has done a lot of his own damage in New York and also has ties to Specter.

So Arlen Specter, who switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in late April, is siding with two characters who have been key players in the dysfunction going in the New York State Senate. Pigeon and Stone both had a hand in taking apart the Democratic majority (something both men surely got a lot of pleasure out of) and now Specter, who is trying to show just how much of a Democrat he is, is welcoming their support. Pigeon is playing a role in raising money for him and Stone has held a fundraiser in the past for Specter.

If I were the DSCC and Pennsylvania Democrats, I would be asking questions about who Specter is aligning himself with. These aren't Democrats. Roger Stone is definitely not a Democrat. Steve Pigeon might claim that he is a Democrat, but he is not. He has helped lead many fights against Democrats over the years. Specter shouldn't be aligning himself with these two individuals if he wants to be supported by Democrats, not only in Pennsylvania, but outside of Pennsylvania as well.

PA-Sen: DSCC Teams Up With Pigeon On Behalf Of Specter

by: robert.harding

Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 08:32:33 AM EDT

With the New York State Senate coup fresh on our minds, it is hard to forget the name "Steve Pigeon." Pigeon, of course, is one of the big players in the coup and why the Democrats sit here today without the majority.

Now, it seems that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (not ours here in New York, but the national one) is teaming up with Pigeon to raise money for former Republican Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race.

Here is the invite:

When I was writing about different Senate races last year, I built up sources who would give me the inside scoop on those races. A few of the sources I had hailed from Western New York and discussed Pigeon's role in the 61st Senate District race when Pigeon backed Joe Mesi. Those sources told me a little bit about Pigeon's history. It wasn't pretty.

Pigeon was once the chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party. The party suffered under Pigeon's leadership. One story I was told was that he threw every appointed member off the Executive Committee because they would not support his primary challenger for county clerk. Pigeon, as chair, also lost control of the Erie County Legislature on two different occasions. Now, the Legislature is firmly in Democratic hands. But under Pigeon, that was not the case.

Then there is the present. Pigeon has aligned himself with several Republicans. Sen. George Maziarz is one of the main members of that group and has had ties with Pigeon for some time now. Pigeon is a close friend of Pedro Espada's, which made the recent coup an easy sell for Pigeon. All he had to do was turn to a close friend who wanted power and tell him that it could be done.

Pigeon isn't a defender of the Democratic Party and he sure hasn't helped advance our party. When our party was failing to win, Pigeon was one of the reasons why. It is those tactics that we saw last week that are the main reason why Pigeon's approach isn't a successful one. As a Democrat, he is the worst thing for us. The evidence of that was his helping the Senate Republicans take back the New York State Senate.

Now, the DSCC wants his help raising money for Republican-turned Democrat Arlen Specter.

There is plenty wrong with that. I find it discouraging that the DSCC's chairman, Sen. Bob Menendez, is willing to team up with Pigeon (among others) to raise money on behalf of Specter. If Pigeon is supposed to be a poster boy for the Democratic Party, then our party must be headed in the wrong direction.

Steve Pigeon isn't a Democrat. He might be one on paper, but he doesn't act like it. He has done more to destroy our party than to help it. And now, the Senate Democrats want his help in raising money. The same guy that just helped the Republicans take back the New York State Senate (before it turned into gridlock at 31 to 31) and the same guy who has helped throw this state into chaos when important legislation was on the table. That's not a Democrat. That's not someone I would want to align myself with.

I would hope Sen. Menendez and the DSCC feels the same way.

60 Seats: Arlen Specter Switches Parties

by: phillip anderson

Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 12:20:10 PM EDT

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and announced today that he will run in 2010 as a Democrat, according to a statement he released this morning.

Specter's decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster proof majority in the Senate assuming Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next Senator from Minnesota. (Former Sen. Norm Coleman is appealing Franken's victory in the state Supreme Court.)

"I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary," said Specter in a statement. "I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election."

He added: "Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

What's huge here is that Specter didn't pull a Jeffords or Lieberman and become an independent, he went whole hog and became a Democrat. I'm hearing he has not changed his position on cloture for the Employee Free Choice Act, but I have a feeling that may change. Regardless, the GOP in the US SEnate now has all the more motivation to drag the Minnesota race out to even more ridiculous lengths to prevent Al Franken becoming that 60th vote.

I had a feeling that something like this may happen as it is probably the only chance Specter has to hold on to that seat, but it's still somewhat of a shock to read it in black and white.

I'm also not terribly thrilled at the fact that Specter is now the odds on favorite for the Dem nomination for this seat next year. If I had to choose between a party switching Specter and an actual Democrat, I'm pretty sure I'd prefer the genuine article.

Regardless, this is huge news. Expect a week of non stop Specter coverage.