Weird

Arlen Specter sitting in front of a Netroots Nation banner.

...Ari Melber to Specter: "Who are you, why are you here?" Answer: "I'm a fella who has a good job I'd like to keep." At least he's honest. Specter is very selectively tiptoeing through his record. When you've been in the Senate for 30 years, you could pretty much present yourself as Dennis Kucinich or Jim DeMint, depending on the coloring.

...Specter talking about carrying the President's message in town hall meetings on health care. As he keeps going, Melber says "This isn't the Senate and you're not going to filibuster."

...Susie Madrak talks about the Specter move of condemning a Bush Administration initiative, and then voting for it. Specter: "You can pick an isolated example or two." Or 102. Now touting the Military Commissions Act to the Netroots Nation audience. That's going to go over well.

...To recap, Specter said about the Military Commissions Act, "It was unconstitutional to exclude habeas corpus, it would set America back 900 years." Then went ahead and voted for this.

Shorter Specter: Without my vote gutting state funding in the stimulus, PA wouldn't have received all that money in the stimulus!

Specter is bobbing and weaving, essentially.

...Specter says he can be helpful on health care with Chuck Grassley. Sen. Grassley, who legitimized the "death panel" smear so much that he got the Senate Finance Committee to deep-six it. Specter does say Grassley is wrong to say that. "I will call him up today and tell him he's wrong." We say call him now. Specter says "join me backstage and watch me dial." I'm going.

..."I don't know Glenn Beck, and I don't care to know Glenn Beck!" A bold stand.

...Specter thinks there are 61 votes for cloture (all Dems + Snowe).

...Susie or Ari need to go after Specter on Clarence Thomas.

...On the crowd here: "This is easy compared to yesterday." Gives his elevator pitch: "I have a lot of experience, I can speak for Obama on tough issues effectively."

...he did indeed call Grassley. Left a msg and requested a meeting.