Sen. Arlen Specter emailed his constituent letter this morning, addressing Judge Sonya Sotomayor's confirmation hearing and his stance on health care reform. The full letter is below the fold.
Dear Friends,
Judge Sotomayor comes to today's Senate confirmation hearing with an outstanding record: academically at Princeton and Yale; professionally as an Assistant District Attorney, and then serving on the District Court and the Circuit Court.
Not withstanding that fine record, it is the constitutional duty of the Senate to make inquiries and have a hearing. It is also a good opportunity for the public to gain a better understanding of how the Supreme Court works. For example, I intend to take up the question of the caseload of the Court which has been very light [read my letter to Judge Sotomayor]. My suggestion is that the Supreme Court could contribute more to the clarity and uniformity of the law by taking more cases.
Similarly, I'd like Judge Sotomayor's opinion on televising the Supreme Court [read my letter to Judge Sotomayor]. I have long been an advocate of doing that, and I introduced legislation which has twice been reported out of the Judiciary Committee to televise the Court because they make the cutting edge decisions of our time. Judge Sotomayor has special insights because, on the District Court a few years back, she was part of a pilot program where her trial was televised.
Affordable, High-Quality Healthcare for All Americans
There is a great deal of work being done now in the United States Senate on formulating legislation to provide comprehensive health care reform. There is no doubt that we need to cover the 47 million Americans who are not now insured, and we also need to find ways to hold down the cost. Some ideas which have been proposed involve lifestyle changes: exercise, not smoking and advanced directives. Some ideas that I have advanced are tough criminal law enforcement on Medicare and Medicaid fraud which would be a deterrent to white collar crime.
Then there is the aspect of cost. We have had very heavy federal expenditures with the bailouts last fall from then-President Bush and now with the stimulus package, so we have to be very careful not to burden the deficit, the national debt, and there is concern about the obligations of future generations - but we do want to move ahead.
Another issue of concern is having a public option. I think Senator Schumer has a good idea to have a public option so long as there is a level playing field competing with private companies. We ought to maintain the availability of a person's current insurance if the person likes it, but we ought to have a variety of choices: both private insurers and a public option.
As always, I want to hear from you. Please take a moment to visit my website and tell me what's on your mind.
Sincerely,
Arlen Specter
Sen. Specter's web site
I have supported Sen. Specter in the past due to his reputation as a moderate Republican. This letter would seem to indicate he's now a moderate Democrat, whatever that means. I do not trust him since his recent conversion, and this letter smells of double-speak. I want to believe that he will support Judge Sotomayor and strong public option in health care reform, but I also wish my ten-year-old daughter will stop being snarky and will clean her room.
Cheers.