Specter confirms card check opposition, may reconsider in future

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) confirmed he will oppose the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA, a.k.a. “card check”) during a speech Tuesday afternoon on the Senate floor.

“My vote on this bill was very difficult for many reasons,” Specter said, calling the right to a secret ballot “the cornerstone for how contests are decided in a Democratic society.”

Acknowledging the decisive nature of his vote for the bill’s prospects, Specter said he would reconsider his vote when the economy improves.

“Knowing that I will not support cloture on this bill, Senators may choose to move on” to change the controversial provisions in the bill, Specter said.

Specter also said he had not taken his political future into consideration when determining his vote.

“I have not traded my vote in the past and I will not do so now,” he said.