Arlen Specter Quotes & Sayings

The best way to reduce the cost of medical care is to reduce the illness. — Arlen Specter

Was the Vietnam conflict a war which should have, as a matter of constitutional law, required a declaration of war by Congress? — Arlen Specter

We will submit legislation to the United States Senate which will ... authorize the Congress to undertake judicial review of those signing statements with the view to having the president's acts declared unconstitutional. — Arlen Specter

If you are going to have to play defense all the time, you cannot have the kind of ingenuity, assertiveness, independence, and intelligence which is what has made our country strong. — Arlen Specter

I am very much opposed to abortion personally. But I don't think it is the government's rule. — Arlen Specter

There's nothing in the First Amendment that even remotely talks about spending money for political contests, and to say that an individual can spend as much of his or her own money as he or she wants constitutionally without any limitation, I think is just absurd. — Arlen Specter

As I think through the issue of funding the rebuilding of Iraq, I think about the analogy of a bankruptcy proceeding. There is no doubt that Iraq as a country is bankrupt. — Arlen Specter

African-Americans are underrepresented. — Arlen Specter

I am opposed to anybody making a decision for you or me or anybody else about what health care plan we should have. — Arlen Specter

People in government and public life are being kicked around at a high rate of speed. — Arlen Specter

My mother, Lillie Specter, was an angel and totally uninterested in politics. — Arlen Specter

When the president acts in absence of a congressional grant of authority, he can rely only upon his own independent powers. When the president takes measures incompatible with the express or implied will of Congress, his power is at its lowest ebb. — Arlen Specter

Beating the tea party gang is more important than who does the beating. — Arlen Specter

You know, a statesman is a dead politician. — Arlen Specter

Americans' addiction to sports, with the NFL at the top, is based on the excitement generated by the potential for the unexpected great play which can only happen with honest competition from great athletes. — Arlen Specter

I knew people were going to see me see deteriorate before their eyes. — Arlen Specter

I do come from a strong family. — Arlen Specter

The extremists took over the primary process. — Arlen Specter

Heart disease continues to be the number one killer; cancer, the number 2 killer, not far behind. The tragic aspect of these deadly diseases is that they could all be cured, I do believe, if we had sufficient funding. — Arlen Specter

In our social contract, we have provisions that see to it that you take care of people who need some help. — Arlen Specter

I've been in a lot of elections. — Arlen Specter

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. — Arlen Specter

We're all looking for a plan that will work. The current plan is not working, and 21,500 additional troops
it's a snowball in July. It's not going to work. — Arlen Specter

I do not represent the Republican Party. — Arlen Specter

I think it's scandalous that we haven't done more to cure cancer. — Arlen Specter

The Republican Party has moved so far to the right, you can't recognize Mitt Romney. What Mitt Romney will appear in October? Mitt Romney has changed positions more often than a pornographic movie queen, — Arlen Specter

American credibility in the war on terrorism depends on a strong stand against all terrorist acts, whether committed by foe or friend. — Arlen Specter

There is no doubt that our nation's security and defeating terrorism trump all other priorities. — Arlen Specter

It's a rarity when someone takes a political risk in Washington today in the public interest. — Arlen Specter

We are not utilizing the Iraqi oil for U.S. purposes. We are not asking that the Iraqi oil be used to pay our military expenses. We are asking only that the Iraqi oil be used to rebuild Iraq - that is, to rebuild Iraq for the Iraqi people. — Arlen Specter

But one way or another, judges perform a very vital function in our society. They have a risky job and they are entitled to security. — Arlen Specter

Stability means respecting precedents. — Arlen Specter

No senator's vote, except for the declaration of war or the authorization for the use of force, is more important than the confirmation of a nominee for the Supreme Court for a lifetime appointment. — Arlen Specter

If Romney wants to make me responsible for ObamaCare, I've said I would be proud to be responsible for it. — Arlen Specter

There is just no sensible, logical reason why we would not make use of stem cell research. — Arlen Specter

It costs about $27 million to win a seat in the United States Senate, so when you win one, you like to sit down. — Arlen Specter

Neither this nation nor this party can afford a candidate so captive to the demands of the intolerant right that we end up re-electing a president of the incompetent left. — Arlen Specter

Whatever my party affiliation, I will continue to be guided by President Kennedy's statement that sometimes party asks too much. — Arlen Specter

The passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, recognizing the potential danger that the aircraft they were aboard posed to large numbers of innocent Americans, American institutions, and the symbols of American democracy, took heroic and noble action to ensure that the aircraft they were aboard could not be used as a weapon. — Arlen Specter

The Supreme Court has a very light backlog. They leave a lot of splits among the circuits, a lot of uncertainty. And I think they ought to work a lot harder. — Arlen Specter

The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision rejected Congress' findings and its method of reasoning, .. Is there any real justification for the court's denigrating Congress' 'method of reasoning'?. — Arlen Specter

Pennsylvania is a very tough state; people don't last long in Pennsylvania politics. — Arlen Specter

Look, the president can discharge all 93 U.S. attorneys for no reason at all, but not for a bad reason. — Arlen Specter

Do you believe today that the right to privacy does exist in the Constitution? — Arlen Specter

Lawyers advocate more so than state their own positions. — Arlen Specter

As the Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right, I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party. — Arlen Specter

I have been a Republican since 1966. — Arlen Specter

I just was not going to subject my record to the bleak prospects of a primary election. — Arlen Specter

My father was an immigrant who literally walked across Europe to get out of Russia. He fought in World War I. He was wounded in action. My father was a great success even though he never had money. He was a very determined man, a great role model. — Arlen Specter

I've been playing squash almost daily for 38 years. — Arlen Specter

I really do not make deals. — Arlen Specter

The American people do not care which Party solves the problems confronting our nation. — Arlen Specter

Big money is ruining the political system. — Arlen Specter

I've made a career of being precise. — Arlen Specter

'Never give in' was my mindset. — Arlen Specter

I'm a loyal Democrat. — Arlen Specter

There are conspiracies all over the Senate floor on any day! — Arlen Specter

It's been a great privilege to serve the people of Pennsylvania. — Arlen Specter

There's nothing more important than our good health - that's our principal capital asset. — Arlen Specter

Effective security measures do not come cheap. — Arlen Specter

We don't need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity. — Arlen Specter

I don't expect people to agree with all my votes. — Arlen Specter

I think if you can get people to laugh, you can get people to listen. — Arlen Specter

I'm ordinarily pretty correct in what I say. — Arlen Specter

It has been my experience that the hearings are really, in effect, a subtle minuet, with the nominee answering as many questions as he thinks necessary in order to be confirmed. — Arlen Specter

Voting is fundamental in our democracy. It has yielded enormous returns. — Arlen Specter

When the 14th Amendment, equal protection clause was enacted, the galleries in the Senate were segregated. Now we have integration. — Arlen Specter

When I'm asked about legacy, I say it's too early to talk about legacy. — Arlen Specter

The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens. — Arlen Specter

The solicitor general is sometimes referred to as the 10th Supreme Court justice - a pretty important position. — Arlen Specter

I think my independence was a big help to getting Judges Roberts and Alito confirmed, and I think that's recognized. — Arlen Specter

Today the Internal Revenue Code constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. A flat tax would be an enormous step forward. — Arlen Specter

There is no higher value in our society than integrity. — Arlen Specter

The essence of a democracy is a free electorate. — Arlen Specter

If enough people would come out the right wing, the extremists couldn't dominate. — Arlen Specter

I'm battling cancer. It's another battle I intend to win. — Arlen Specter

It is with unwelcome frequency that I find myself the deciding vote. — Arlen Specter

As a matter of traditional and sound constitutional doctrine, an amendment to the Constitution should be the last resort when all other measures have proved inadequate. — Arlen Specter

Cannibals are devouring senators. — Arlen Specter

When Pat Robertson says there is no constitutional doctrine of separation of church and state, I say he is wrong. — Arlen Specter

Strong advocacy for education, health care and worker safety will be indispensable if they are to get their fair share of President Bush's austere budget for the next fiscal year. — Arlen Specter

Resolutions are flying like snowflakes around here. — Arlen Specter

If we had pursued the war on cancer which President Nixon declared in 1970, Jack Kemp might be alive today. — Arlen Specter

My change in party will enable me to be re-elected. — Arlen Specter

When I supported the stimulus package, I knew that it would not be popular with the Republican Party. — Arlen Specter

Fundraising is very, very time-consuming. — Arlen Specter

I've never walked out of a room and had a disagreement as to what was said. — Arlen Specter

My definition of winning at squash is playing and surviving, and I've never lost a match. — Arlen Specter

I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans, — Arlen Specter

It so happens that I'm pro choice. — Arlen Specter

The First Amendment freedom of religion is as important today as when the Bill of Rights was first written. — Arlen Specter

I don't like labels. I think they conceal more than they reveal, sort of like a bikini. — Arlen Specter

I must say I am not pleased to have to arrange the Senate schedule around the availability of Senators who are running for President. — Arlen Specter

I ran for president in 1996. — Arlen Specter

My tenure in the Senate was really as an independent and whichever, regardless of party label. — Arlen Specter

Well, I believe that when you are confirming a United States Supreme Court Justice, that it really isn't Democratic or Republican; it's American. — Arlen Specter

I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider. The decider is a shared and joint responsibility. — Arlen Specter

Separation of power says the judiciary committee is supposed to confirm qualified judges and then what the Supreme Court does, that is their function, not my function. — Arlen Specter

When the students are occupied, they're not juvenile delinquents. I believe that education is a capital investment. — Arlen Specter

It's inspirational to see someone who is dying smile. — Arlen Specter