MunkySpunk

Specter to switch to Democratic party - Martin Kady II and John Bresnahan - POLITICO.com

Put people before politics.

Keep religion out of politics and politics out of science.

SpringheelJack

Specter was going to get his ass kicked in his next primary. This is political manuevering at its most blatant. That certainly doesn't deserve a round of applause.

slimpanzee

The farther right the Republicans go, the more they're gonna alienate not just party members, but voters as well. This should come as no surprise. For the Dems, it's a good move so that they have one more to achieve the 60 seats they desire. However, do you really want a 79 year old moderate conservative come the next election filling that seat, or a true dem, younger in age with new ideas?? Just a thought.

SpringheelJack

He's been just as moderate since the mid-60s, the last time he changed political affiliations to get himself elected. You're kidding yourself if you think that this was a crisis of conscience that just happily happened to strike right before he got booted out of office.

SpringheelJack

That's all I'm looking for. It's smart politics (especially for Specter), but it's not something he should be winning humanitarian of the year award for.

ScBlack

Kind of OT, but now they're talking about Newt Gingrich running for president in 2012..now that's one scray thought....what's next? Rush Limbaugh for VP?

SpringheelJack

Newt Gringrich is permanently done after his comment about refusing to accept Clinton's budget because he made him sit in the back of the plane. I don't think anyone's political career has crashed and burned in so dramatic a fashion as his.

ScBlack

haha, I think most of us remember that...

MunkySpunk

Which is in response to the blatant political maneuvering of the Repub PAC's to get him unseated as a result of his support for the stimulus bill. They made it clear they were going to pour money into getting Specter defeated in 2010 for no other reason. Those idiots are living in a dream world of ideals while Arlen is at least looking out for his constituents. It's pure idiocy to use political wrangling to keep a man (which the majority of Pennsylvanians want in office) out of the running on the sole basis of not winning the primary election for your irrelevant party because the idiot zombie masses will vote however Rush tells them.

That certainly doesn't deserve a round of applause.

Arlen knows the popular majority of his state wants him even if the minority of the pea-brained right doesn't. He's looking out for his people because he knows his Rush-installed replacement wouldn't. He's putting his people before party - THAT deserves a round of applause.

SpringheelJack

Again, it's very sound politics, but that's all it is: political gamesmanship. He's always been a democrat-leaning-republican, which is why A) He's never been that popular within his party, and B) He's had such long tenure in a primarily democratic state. The republicans decided they were better off without him, and decided to see if they could get someone new elected. Specter knew that switching to the democratic party would make him a temporary golden boy to the democrats, and help his chances in Penn. It's a win-win-win for Arlen, the Democrats, and the Republicans, at least until someone loses the general election, when it will become win-win-lose or lose-lose-win. (You can be sure the republican outrage is feigned, most of them probably saw this coming 20 years ago)

It's a simple act of political self-preservation, neither an abominable outrage as the republicans would like you to see it, or a heroic stand against injustice and the forces of Skeletor, as the democrats would like you to see it. Don't buy either company line.