Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch to Democratic Party

[crazyfingers]

WOW.

CNN has it as a breaking story. No link yet.

[crazyfingers]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/28/specter.party.switch/index.html

[BioBeing]

Wow. He is one of the more moderate ones, but still. Wonder if this is because he has become a dem, or just to hold onto his seat?

Or am I just too cynical?

[miss djax]

holy shit. is he going to be a super secret spy for the republicans or is he really a dem now?

*sigh* my cynicism is showing

[Goodchild]

I'd say a little from column A and a little from column B :) But mostly to stay in Congress because it was looking like there was no way he could defeat Toomey in a primary.

He was definitely one of the better "R's" though. He's been moving more and more left over time, this gives him the opportunity to move a little bit more and vote his conscience rather than his party's plank.

[Lisa0315]

Same thing happened with ole Ronnie, if y'all remember. Dems became Pubs because that was the way to get elected. My whole family changed from Dems to Pubs at that point.

[Zebulon]

Wow. He is one of the more moderate ones, but still. Wonder if this is because he has become a dem, or just to hold onto his seat?

Or am I just too cynical?

Not cynical at all. This isn't about following his conscience, it's about preserving his hold on his Senate seat in a state that is trending Democrat. He was facing a tough primary battle against Toomey. Now he'll waltz to re-election.

[Goodchild]

Yes, it's primarily about staying in the Senate when the wingnuts on the right are set to punish anyone not holding to the far right. But it does also afford him the opportunity to vote how he really feels on any issue, since the Democratic Party is more welcoming of moderates who don't necessarily toe the party line.

That's assuming he actually holds any principles beyond staying in the Senate, of course :)

[BioBeing]

That's assuming he actually holds any principles beyond staying in the Senate, of course :)

^^^This :D

Actually, he has been one of the better ones. He has been solidly behind funding for science, which is good by me.

[Notta]

Holy fucking shit!!

Have you ANY idea what this means to democrats in PA?? Old Arlen is nearly unstoppable as a senatorial candidate in the upcoming primaries. He was going to face a very right-wing Republican. (This is the same state that once elected Rick Santorum, who famously declared that if gay marriage were to become law, there would be nothing stopping people from marrying dogs. He was so unpopular with everyone but the extreme right-wing that a particular sex act has been named after him. Google "Santorum" and turn off the filter. Caution: NSFW)

Once Al Franken shows up in DC, the dems will have a 61 member supermajority! Woot!!

What a brilliant political move.

[Notta]

Yes, it's primarily about staying in the Senate when the wingnuts on the right are set to punish anyone not holding to the far right. But it does also afford him the opportunity to vote how he really feels on any issue, since the Democratic Party is more welcoming of moderates who don't necessarily toe the party line.

That's assuming he actually holds any principles beyond staying in the Senate, of course :)He's been more and more of an independent in the last few years. He chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which grills Supreme Court nominees. He's become more centrist as the years go by, and he holds little in common with the far right.

I voted for him even though I'm a dem -- and I'll vote for him again.

Toomey is a right-wing nutjob -- with a lot of backing in PA.

[Pope John Pol Pot II]

Huge news!

But the legal attacks on Al Franken are now going to become even more desperate and insane. The Republicans are going to try to draw this one out for another six months, because once he is seated, they become mute and irrelevent. Look for a team of laywers of hundreds...

[Jehanne]

Good commentary here:

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Franklin is a virtual shoe-in at this point. He won the election, clearly.

[Notta]

Good commentary here:

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Franklin is a virtual shoe-in at this point. He won the election, clearly.I LOVE that site! Lots of good commentary and political data.

[BigEvil]

I am shocked. Just shows that I have not been paying attention to east Pa politics lately. They love Specter there especially in Philly. I guess everyone loved him but his own party.

[crazyfingers]

They were saying on NPR on my way home that among PA Republicans only 30% approve of him but among PA Democrats 60% approve of him. Roughly best I can recall.

One big problem is that a shitload of moderate Republicans switched to Democrat in the last election.

Look at it that way, it's a no-brainer for Specter to switch.

[BioBeing]

Question is, is he just the first rat off the sinking ship?

[LoneWolf]

Good commentary here:

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Franklin is a virtual shoe-in at this point. He won the election, clearly.

From that article:

Specter will not be a knee-jerk Democrat, just as he was never a knee-jerk Republican, but no doubt the deal he made with Reid included his voting for cloture most of the time even if he ultimately opposes the bill in question.

THAT is why this is such a huge thing. I don’t expect him to vote much differently than he did before, which isn’t a bad thing because he is fairly moderate. But when it comes to filibusters he will undoubtedly vote along with Dems for cloture, even if he is planning on voting against the particular bill. As long as he does that, I don’t really care what his motivations were for switching to be honest.

[LoneWolf]

Question is, is he just the first rat off the sinking ship?

Can you think of anyone else who might? I’m not politically savvy enough to know who the folks might be who are on the fence. It seems the two main criteria need to be:

1. The person must be fairly moderate to begin with
2. Switching must result in more votes come election time

[Norrin Radd]

Ehh, good riddance, RINO.

[BWE]

Huge news!

But the legal attacks on Al Franken are now going to become even more desperate and insane. The Republicans are going to try to draw this one out for another six months, because once he is seated, they become mute and irrelevent. Look for a team of laywers of hundreds...

you mean... all of them?

[Goodchild]

Ehh, good riddance, RINO.

That's exactly why your party has become a regional party swirling the drain. Ideological purity is driving republicans farther away from the middle which is where most Americans fall on the political spectrum.

I'm pretty much a Socialist Democrat more than a 'Democrat' (Kucinich was my guy in the primary) but i'm glad to have the Blue Dogs in the Democrat party to keep things balanced. Not everyone wants to see as much socialism as I do and we have to respect those more middle-ground folk and work for good compromises. Republicans seem bent on a "my way or the highway" approach that's going to do them no good.

Seriously, if voting for a republican didn't mean tax cuts for the wealthy and rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth religious social policy (anti-gay/abortion/immigrant etc...) then there might be some republicans I could vote for come election time. Doubtful since I'm way left, but at least I could respect them and be glad of their voice in shaping useful policy rather than religiously-driven dogmatic ideology.

[DMB]

Limbaugh's take on Specter defection:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/28/limbaugh-to-specter-take_n_192382.html

"A lot of people said, well Specter, take McCain with you, and his daughter. Take McCain and his daughter with you," talk show host Rush Limbaugh declared during the early hour of his Tuesday program.

[tjakey]

Well, Rush is the voice of the Republican party now...How about it John?

(Think that would make a news cycle or two?)

[BioBeing]

Question is, is he just the first rat off the sinking ship?

Can you think of anyone else who might? I’m not politically savvy enough to know who the folks might be who are on the fence. It seems the two main criteria need to be:

1. The person must be fairly moderate to begin with
2. Switching must result in more votes come election time

John McCain... Nah, but Cindy maybe.

And maybe more voters too. If the republicans are really having a purge, they are going to be even less relevant than they are now.

[Stout Drinker]

If you are looking at it from the perspective of the long term benefit of the Demorcratic party, I think its bad. However in the short term ito pass more of Obama's agenda it helps.

Specter would have lost the republican primary to a wingnut and the senate seat would likely have gone democratic anyway in 2010.

It wouldn't shock me to see Specter win re election as a democrat and then in 2011 become a Joe Lieberman style independent.

Specter could be in trouble in a democratic primary if there is a strong candidate. He opposed to the Card Check union bill and labor has a lot of influence in the democratic primary.

[Eudaimonist]

holy shit. is he going to be a super secret spy for the republicans or is he really a dem now?

*sigh* my cynicism is showing

From my perspective, the Democratic Party and the GOP are pretty much the same party anyway. Sure, there are some differences in rhetoric, but they are all Establishment politicians and feed at the same trough.


eudaimonia,

Mark