by Damozel | Sen. Specter, one Republican who stood firm against corruption of the Department of Justice, is switching from Republican to Democrat. Obviously this is good news for the Democratic Party, though progressives like me aren't going to be dancing in the streets or anything over the party's acquisition of yet another conservative Democrat if not an actual DINO.
And, as Ben Smith says, it might be good news for Norm Coleman, since the GOP may now decide that it really cannot afford to lose a race that will give Dems the magic number, even if it looks to the rational person as if that race were already lost. (Steve M. says that the first thing he thought when he was gobsmacked by the headline was "Poor Al Franken.")
Citing the hatred that his support of the stimulus package earned him (in so many words), Specter says:
I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard
for the Party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party
whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been
comfortable being a Republican, my Party has not defined who I am. I have taken
each issue one at a time and have exercised independent judgment to do what I
thought was best for
Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party
has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in
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.
Whatever my party affiliation, I will continue to be guided by President
Kennedy’s statement that sometimes Party asks too much. When it does, I will
continue my independent voting and follow my conscience on what I think is best.... (Statement)
Yes, there is a political issue lurking at the bottom of the philosophical leaf pile; the upcoming Senate race.
On this state of the record, I am unwilling to have my
twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary
electorate....
I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary.
I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for
re-election determined in a general election...(Statement).
Or, to quote The Editors at The Toot: "Convenient timing, that, as Republicans were planning on using their primary to end his career."
And Kevin Drum remarks:
[T]hat's surprisingly forthright wording, isn't it? It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Specter finds his views more in line with Democrats these days solely because there are 200,000 more of them in Pennsylvania than there used to be. Points for honesty, I guess.
Senate Guru has more on the political underbelly of the Big Switcheroo.
Specter makes one good point which the GOP has forgotten, and is apparently determined to continue to forget.
The American people do not care which Party solves the problems confronting our nation. And no Senator, no matter how loyal he is to his Party, should or would put party loyalty above his duty to the state and nation. (Statement).
So...what's the word from elsewhere in the blogosphere?
Former Republican John Cole -- who has been there and done that, as he points out -- observes, "Once you get over the patchouli smell and get used to all the barefoot hippies, it isn’t so bad....I’m still waiting on my Soros check and forty virgins, so don’t get too excited, Arlen."
And don't get too excited, Democrats. Nate Silver points out:
The real question is -- how often will Specter's vote change as a result of this? Specter was already voting with the Democrats on some issues, like the stimulus, and he said in his statement today that he will continue to vote against the Democrats on at least one other high-profile issue, the Employee Free Choice Act. If he goes from voting with the Democrats 40 percent of the time to 60 percent of the time, that is not so terrific....
And Nate Silver makes what is really the key point for progressives: "The Republican nominee is probably going to be Toomey, who will be an underdog against any sentient Democrat. Why should the Democrats settle for a Liberdem when they can probably get Pennsylvanians to elect a mainline Democrat along the lines of Bob Casey?"
Which is why, from progressives, the response is basically "um.....'ray?"
The Toot: "Translation: I’m changing my hat, but I’m still a huge fucking dick. Meh."
Greg Levine at FDL considers the motivation. "Senator Specter declares he's a Democrat because..Because he’s committed to the Democratic agenda?...Or because he just read some internal poll numbers?" And the answer is right there in the statement. Read it again.
Dday says:
The Anonymous Liberal also hopes that he'll face enough political pressure to move left to, er, move left. We shall see.
Nate Silver further writes:
This defection, coming at a time when historically low numbers of Americans are identifying themselves as Republican, would seem to be a manifestation of said Death Spiral. These problems, indeed, were particularly acute in Pennsylvania, where many of the state's more moderate Republicans had re-registered as Democrats to vote in the state's extremely contentious primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Thus, given an extremely conservative Republican electorate, Specter appeared to be an underdog against his extremely conservative primary challenger, Pat Toomey, and switched parties in order to increase his odds of survival.
At TMV, former GOPper Jazz Shaw muses:
The GOP base and some of their vocal spokespeople have treated Specter worse than they do the Maine Sisters for some time now. As a reward, they apparently will get what they have desired. Arlen will now officially give the Democrats their fillibuster-proof 60 vote margin in the Senate as soon as Al Franken is seated.
Good job, GOP. Way to keep driving us RINOs out of the party.
From those Dems less cynically inured to the eternal defeat of the politics driven by intelligence and compassion rather than fear and anger, the response is more enthusiastic.
Lowell at Blue Virginia is sweetly excited to see 60 votes in sight (if Coleman ever admits defeat) and hopeful about what it might mean for Specter (and the Republican Party).
One more nail in the coffin for the Republican Party, now almost completely dead in the Northeast, the Pacific coast, and increasingly the Desert Southwest and Midwest. Oh yeah, and here in Virginia, we've got both US Senate seats, 6 of 11 House of Representatives, the governor's mansion, the state Senate, and closing in on the House of Delegates. Rock and roll!
Meanwhile, the chief bloviators and blowhards of the Know Nothing Party affects to celebrate his departure like the self-destructive morons they are.
More as more develops.
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As a progressive I am not at all impressed w/ Specter's self-serving switch from R to D.
It would have been a more noble (and principled) move had he done it in the middle of the Bush Administration's raping & pillaging of our economy, environment, civil liberties, national security and gutting of the U.S. Constitution.
What I do enjoy, though, is watching the right wing fringe get their collective panties in a twist over this.
Posted by: Woman of Mass Discussion | April 29, 2009 at 07:48 PM