Republicans Running Anti- And Pro-Specter Robocalls In PA

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Here’s a weird gambit from the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

As my colleague Eric Kleefeld reported earlier this week, the NRSC is running an anti-Arlen Specter robocall in Pennsylvania meant to create a chasm between the new Democrat and the voters who will select the party’s nominee in the 2010 Senate race. You can listen to that call here.

But that’s not the full extent of their shenanigans. They’re also running a vaguely pro-Specter (but anti-Sestak) robocall at the exact same time. Take a look.

So what’s the play here? That, should Sestak run, the first robocall will result (or help result) in a Sestak nomination, and that the second robocall will drive independent voters away from Sestak over to Toomey? That’s the only thing I can think of, but it seems like a stretch. Then again, this is the NRSC….

Transcript follows:

Hello, this is Jack. Yesterday, our Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Sestak voted for President Obama’s budget, which contains spending increases for Democratic priorities like housing and environmental protection. But don’t Pennsylvanians deserve an independent voice in Congress? Our new democratic Senator Arlen Specter has been that voice. Last night, Senator Specter stood with conservative Senate Republicans in opposing the Obama budget. So call Joe Sestak at 610-892-8623. Tell Joe Sestak that Pennsylvanians want an independent voice, not another vote for the Obama agenda. This call was paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee at www.nrsc.org and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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