Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) was just interviewed by Neil Cavuto on Fox News, and he predicted that Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) will easily have full Democratic support in his 2010 primary.
“Well, I think that Arlen will probably wind up running unopposed, or without a serious challenger,” said Rendell. “Look, the President of the United States has already endorsed Arlen, the Vice President of the United States has. Everyone knows Arlen and I are personal friends, go back to when he hired me as an assistant district attorney without asking me what party I belonged to. I think every major Democrat is gonna be for Arlen. And I think he’s got a lot of inherent support with Democrats and independents all across the state.”
So despite any rumblings about Joe Sestak or some other Dem possibly running, Rendell is predicting a clear field.
Rendell also castigated the right-wing activists who forced Specter out of his old party for the high crime of acting responsibly in government.
“Arlen voted for the stimulus, which every conservative economist in the country, including Ronald Reagan’s chief economic adviser, said was absolutely necessary,” said Rendell. “And in return he got such hate and vituperation out on the circuit, when he went around Pennsylvania, from the far right wing in Pennsylvania. You would have thought that he had voted to turn the U.S. communist.”
Memo to Rendell: In case you didn’t watch the Tea Parties, it’s pretty clear that the right-wing activists do think Specter voted to turn the U.S. communist.
