Arlen Specter quotes

Arlen Specter was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from 1981 to 2011. Specter began his career as a Democrat, but later switched to the Republican Party. His bipartisan approach and moderate stance made him a prominent figure in American politics. Specter was known for his dedication to public service and his advocacy for issues like healthcare reform and civil rights. With a legal background and extensive experience, he played a crucial role in several high-profile events, including the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Supreme Court nominations. Remembered as a highly skilled negotiator, Specter's contributions to American governance continue to be celebrated.

The essence of a democracy is a free electorate.

- 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

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

- 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

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

The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.

- Arlen Specter