Arlen Specter admonishes Michele Bachmann to act like a lady

As a rule, Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter doesn't warrant my angst or attention at all.  But his misogynist attack on Representative Michele Bachmann on a Philadelphia radio show today demands a rebuke.  From GlennThrush at Politico:

The deeply odd couple of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) appeared together on a Philly radio station yesterday -- and things got ugly in short order.


Audio link. courtesy RCP.


The exchange, broadcast on 1210 AM's Dom Giordano Show [but not archived on the station's site], began when Specter challenged Bachmann to articulate what, exactly, she stands for, according to a readout on the clash published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's lively Early Returns blog.


Bachmann first laid out her agenda -- cutting taxes and killing President Obama's health reform bill -- at considerable length.


When Specter tried to counter, Bachmann, darling of the Tea Party movement, kept on talking, which didn't sit well with the one-time Philadelphia DA, who is a stickler for politeness and protocol.


"I'm going to treat you like a lady," Mr. Specter shot back. "Now act like one."


Ms. Bachmann replied, "I am a lady."


Things went on along this line for a while -- with Specter later asking Bachmann to "act like a lady," according to the PPG's Daniel Malloy.


Bachmann is hardly a beloved figure in Democratic circles. But how many liberal women, whom Specter badly needs to defeat front-running Pat Toomey, would appreciate being told to "act like a lady" by a male debate partner?

Arlen Specter is a spineless, turncoat, blow-with-the-wind opportunist.  Any insults that he launches at Michele Bachmann should be worn as a badge of honor.  Donate to Pat Toomey here.