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Senator Arlen Specter’s abrupt move to switch allegiance to President Barack Obama’s Democratic Party was a sharp blow to Republicans and will likely generate more soul-searching for the minority party…
* If he had remained a Republican, he faced a tough challenge for the party’s nomination in Pennsylvania’s 2010 Senate race from conservative Pat Toomey. The moderate Specter beat Toomey in a tight primary in 2004 but faced an even tougher battle this time.
* As far as the Republican base was concerned, his biggest Achilles’ heel was his support for Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus bill. That bill passed the U.S. Congress in February with support from only three Republicans — Specter and Maine senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe.
* Specter’s announcement sharply criticized Republicans, who lost control of the U.S. Congress in 2006, and lost the White House and more seats in Congress in 2008. “I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” his statement said…
* Republican strategist John Feehery said Republican leaders in the Senate did all they could to hang on to Specter. More broadly, however, he said: “What it says about the party is they have to make a determination on whether they want to be in the majority or whether they want to be intellectually pure…”
* Republican strategist Scott Reed said: “I always thought Specter would consider switching to become an independent to get re-elected, and it’s too bad that Michael Steele pushed him into the Democrat Party.”
Overdue. And crafty.
Man, the wingnuts are not going to like this. Que the wailing and moaning.
Phil’s got brass ones, and writes yet another chapter in the downfall of the GOP.
How long before the “he was a sheep in wolf’s clothing anyway” comments start from the R’s…Three, two,
He must be confused since both parties are virtually indistinguishable in their actions – Or he was offered a “book deal”
Now this is my kind of politicians. Screw loyalty, fidelety of values, and other such impractical arguments. This man wants to get reelected. Kinda reminds me of a MAD magazine poster of Nixon – it read, Would you buy a used car from this man? NOOOOO. But what the hell he’s obviously a skilled politician, let him go about his business.
“Arlen Spector says Republicans moving too far to the Right. Switches parties.”
Must have been that massive deficit spending! That was too fiscally conservative for his taste. ROFL!
Source of Swine Flu found.
See story titled:
Specter says he’s switching from GOP to Dems
This is actually great news. Spector has been one of the, if not the largest RINO in recent memory. The party is actually not mad at all to see him go. The only wish is that he would have done it 4 years ago.
What’s really sad is that the only viable option in this country to no being a Republican is that he has to be a Democrat.
As happy as I am that the numbers in the Senate are improved by 1 my memories go back to when I lived in Colorado and we elected Ben Nighthorse Campbell as a Democrat to the Senate. He switched parties a few years later I felt this was not fair to those of us who elected him. He turned out to be a good Senator, a moderate Republican conservative on the economy and progressive on social issues (this is your best future GOP).
To the Republicans who voted for him I’m sorry for your loss and I mean that.
I wish we could just have more independents in office, guess they must be one or the other to get on the good Committees
So, where does the senate stand with the R vs D count these days?
Alfred, just keep on celebrating.
A good sign that after the Neo-Cons that the Repulican Party will need to re-earn the label of conservative. They no longer have a lock on that.
Now if we can only get rid of Susan Collins and John McCain and his daughter!
Of Course Limbaugh’s celebrating. This will feed his BullshitMaker5000 for the next month! People get tired about hearing about how bad *one* thing is, after all, gotta vary it up a little.
I don’t think this is such a good thing for the Democrats. The guy’s voting record is still pretty much Republican. What does it benefit the Democrats to support this guy when he votes against them, and he will — he made that clear in his statement:
My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats that I have been for the Republicans. Unlike Senator Jeffords’ switch which changed party control, I will not be an automatic 60th vote for cloture. For example, my position on Employees Free Choice (Card Check) will not change.
He knew he’d lose the Republican primary. So he changed parties and the Democratic establisment has promised to support him in the Democratic primary. And for what? To get a Republican in Democrat’s clothing elected?
The only winner here is Spector… he saved his job, stiffed the Republicans, and conned the Democrats into supporting his re-election bid. And since he’d be the 60th vote for cloture, he can pretty much get anything he wants from the Democrats.
Very clever move, you have to admire his political skills. But as a liberal, I’m not at all impressed that this guy has joined the Democratic party.
Forgot to add, the Democrats have another Joe Lieberman on their hands… someone who wants the party’s support, but doesn’t toe the party line.
Phydeau…I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Don’t want him.
He is tainted and only wanting to join the winning and party of the people for his own selfish interests.
Send him back to the GOP on his horse with his head cut off.
God willing, we will prevail in peace and freedom from fear and in true health through the purity and essence of our natural fluids…
#21 Agree completely.
Sounds less crafty and less interesting…the guy is just looking out for himself and his job…he’d have lost without this move…
Integrity we can believe in…well, at least be aware of.
#20 OBoB, what part of that do you like? I don’t see much good in any of it.
The Republicans enforce party discipline with an iron hand. As a result, they get a lot done. For example, they couldn’t maintain this ongoing filibuster unless every single Republican senator was on board with it. A single defector would ruin that whole strategy. To have the same political effectiveness, the Democrats need similar political discipline.
Seem to remember that after the Reagan landslide of 1980 there was a whole raft of congressmen and maybe some senators who changed from D to R. Electability, that’s the name of the game.
And before you D’s start celebrating your 60th, filibuster breaking, vote, remember that Specter is now an official ‘loose wheel’ who can vote however he wants (at least after the next election, anyway).
#12, conservative on the economy and progressive on social issues
These are mutually exclusive.
hopefully he’ll screw over the dems, giving them
a false sense of security on the filibuster nonesense..
no matter…it’s all going to pop like a festering boil on the backside of humanity near the end of the summer..
Arlen Spector is a crappy politician. Knows he can’t win his seat again in 2010 so he switches sides.
As a Far Left Liberal I don’t give a rats ass if he joins the Democrats — he’ll still make idiotic voting choices.
However, the GOP is done. Too many ridiculous right wing morons with no substance, brains, and mindless obedience to idiots like Rush. How could people be so stupid?
#26 “And before you D’s start celebrating your 60th, filibuster breaking, vote, remember that Specter is now an official ‘loose wheel’ who can vote however he wants (at least after the next election, anyway).”
The Democrats are still a big tent party… we still have our share of moderate and even conservatives Demo. So one more “loose wheel” is no big deal.
The Republicans however are slowly becoming just a bunch of angry white guys pandering to the religious right.
if he loses in the democratic primary, he’ll switch sides again and run as an independent.
#30, The Republicans however are slowly becoming just a bunch of angry white guys pandering to the religious right.
Not True! They a black guy!
Okay, now it’s official: The Democrats run the White House and Congress. Everything that happens from now on is entirely their fault. (and they get full credit if anything goes right.)
And anything they didn’t like about Bush (like torture, gitmo, afghanistan, etc) that they don’t fix – that’s their fault too.
This will strengthen Lieberman’s hand as they will both be Independent Democrats.
Spector has been given a rough ride even though he was loyal through all the Bush years. After the 2004 election, there were a lot of calls from the wing nut crowd that Spector’s views on abortion were too soft. He practically had to swear on his mother’s grave to follow the party line to keep his chairmanship of the Justice Committee.
Whatever, I think Spector will sleep better tonight.