Arlen Specter
When he was laid to rest Tuesday afternoon in a cemetery in Lower Moreland just across the border with Somerton, Arlen Specter left a legacy that likely will remain unmatched by 99.9 percent of American politicians.
While most politicians are quite adept at talking the talk and saying and doing a whole lot of nothing in a whole lot of words and time, Mr. Specter — Pennsylvania’s longest-serving U.S. senator who passed away Sunday morning — actually walked the walk with common sense, decency and true public service.
The accolades that poured in following word that Mr. Specter had succumbed to cancer were more than just the obligatory lip service that mourners typically give to the recently departed. The good things that politicians and regular people alike said about the former prosecutor, defense attorney and senator were genuine.
Sen. Specter’s fierce independent streak, often misinterpreted by skeptics as political opportunism, benefited folks in Pennsylvania and the entire nation more than they probably realize.
If most politicians had emulated Sen. Specter by thinking for themselves instead of thinking for the bosses and extremists in their political parties, America would not be in the political and fiscal sinkhole that it currently finds itself in.
In the end, Sen. Specter relied on stand-up comedy to help him through his illness, and that should inspire all of us to take our cue from him, especially in trying times. The moral of the Arlen Specter coping story: A hearty dose of laughter is life’s best medicine. ••
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