Former Sen. Arlen Specter Does Stand-Up at Philly Comedy Club

Former U.S. senator kills it on open-mic night at Helium Comedy Club Tuesday. What?

Knock, knock. Who's there? Former Sen. Arlen Specter and he's now a comedian.

The longtime Pennsylvania senator performed stand-up at an open-mic night at the Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia on Tuesday, continuing a post-politics foray into standup.

"I've been in comedy now for 30 years," the former senator told the crowd, reports the Inquirer.

Specter took shots at former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and others in his act. Former President Bill Clinton and current Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich were also targets of Specter quips.

"When I see Bill Clinton, I'm going to tell him that Newt Gingrich got applause and he didn't," Specter joked, reports the Inquirer.

But don't ask about the joke involving the paraplegic who wanted to date the battered woman. The Inquirer reports "some of his jokes are unprintable in a family newspaper."

The crowd roared with approval at Specter's jokes, according to the Inquirer. Specter himself tells the newspaper that "humor is elevating" and he wanted to try it out.

Specter told the newspaper, "I might be invited back.”

Specter ended his career as a Democrat, but he was a Republican from 1965 until switching parties in 2009. He was then defeated in May 2010 in his sixth bid for U.S. Senate. Specter also served as Philadelphia District Attorney from 1965 through 1973.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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