Arlen Specter

Politician

1930-02-12 – 2012-10-14

American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. senator from Pennsylvania for three decades. He was known for independent positions on legal, judicial, and national-security issues across party lines. Before the Senate, he served as district attorney of Philadelphia and on the Warren Commission staff.

Books by Arlen Specter

Passion for truth
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Never give in
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Life among the cannibals
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Quotes by Arlen Specter

In our social contract, we have provisions that see to it that you take care of people who need some help.
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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.
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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.
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My definition of winning at squash is playing and surviving, and I've never lost a match.
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I've been playing squash almost daily for 38 years.
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You know, a statesman is a dead politician.
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The solicitor general is sometimes referred to as the 10th Supreme Court justice - a pretty important position.
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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.
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My tenure in the Senate was really as an independent and whichever, regardless of party label.
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Fundraising is very, very time-consuming.
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We don't need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity.
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I beat a brain tumor.
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My mother, Lillie Specter, was an angel and totally uninterested in politics.
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It costs about $27 million to win a seat in the United States Senate, so when you win one, you like to sit down.
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It is with unwelcome frequency that I find myself the deciding vote.
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I don't expect people to agree with all my votes.
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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.
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