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I was wondering exactly HOW powerful Comcast was in it's hometown in squashing the Philadelphia Inquirer from taking on Specter and mentioning his "Comcastic Connection" in an official editorial.
Answer: About 6 days.
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http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080209_Editorial__Sen__Specter_and_the_Patriot_Tapes.html
........Surely, Specter's outrage has nothing to do with his backing of the cable industry, and his big donors at Comcast, who are in a fight with the football league concerning the NFL Network.
Or perhaps the NFL didn't get Specter's chief of staff good enough seats to the Super Bowl. Specter says he wasn't aware of the request and that the staffer would pay for the seats, which cost $700 each.
That's fine. But what does it say about arrogance and influence-peddling that a Senate staffer would even pick up the phone and request a couple of Super Bowl tickets? Perhaps, Specter should start a hotline so constituents can call him next time they need tickets to a big game or concert.
Specter is a smart, distinguished senator. If he wants to play games, he should stick to his beloved squash courts.
Thanks for drawing our attention to the Editorial. For what it's worth, I sent the following e-mail to the editor of the Opinion Page of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
"To Whom It May Concern:
"The $700 Super Bowl ticket for Senator Specter’s staff member was interesting, but I was surprised that you didn’t also point out that the esteemed Senator’s two largest contributors since 1989 are Comcast at $153,600 and Blank Rome LLP at $358,483 for a comfy total just north of half a million dollars. To verify, please use link: http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/allcontrib.asp?CID=N00001604
"Why are the Blank Rome contributions of interest? According to the US Senate, the firm has represented Comcast in Washington since 2004. To verify, please use link: http://sopr.senate.gov/cgi-win/m_opr_viewer.exe?DoFn=3&CLI=COMCAST CORP&CLIQUAL==
"Since 2004, Comcast has paid Blank Rome $720,000 in lobbying fees (see Opensecrets.org).
"Follow the Money!
"Respectfully,"