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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Specter opts to survive

 

 

Stop the presses. Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter announced today that he's switching parties. That gives the Democrats 59 senators, which means that Al Franken's eventual ascent would give them a (theoretically) filibuster-proof tally of 60 seats. Once again, the GOP is wearing its "kick me" sign.

Specter (D-Survivor), recognizing that it's virtually impossible anymore for a moderate to live and breathe freely within the rightward GOP, stated: "I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary...Since my (first) 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 Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

Why the switch? Back on March 9, I laid out all the reasons why he should (though not that he would).

And tomorrow morning, from 8 a.m. to 8:30 EST, I'm slated to elaborate on C-Span. 

 
Posted by Dick Polman @ 12:16 PM  Permalink | 159 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:18 PM, 04/28/2009
    I wonder how Bill Belichick feels about this?
    — Freerojo
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:26 PM, 04/28/2009
    Coleman will probably go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court now.
    — anonymous
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:26 PM, 04/28/2009
    a good and prudent move by Specter although I wish he had done this BEFORE he played lapdog to confirming Alito and Roberts. And he'd better protect Pennsylvania's strong interests in a competitive student loan industry.
    — ds
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:28 PM, 04/28/2009
    That's fine one less RINO to worry about. 2010 will be a repudiation of all of Obama's tired leftist policies circa 1920. American's don't want to become socialist, and Spector's fall will be but one pebble falling on the paper house that Obama has to expertly crafted.
    — Skemo
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:32 PM, 04/28/2009
    Skemo - LOLOL. If that's how you're reading this, then keep voting for the increasingly irrelevant Repubs! Personally, I don't think the Dems should have the filibuster-proof majority. They need to present their policies in a way that can garner genuine support. But, it'll be nice for a few needed programs. Now, let's see how much lower Coleman can go. Don't think Minnesotans can take much more embarrassing antics from their sore loser.
    — GetEmGood
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:42 PM, 04/28/2009
    I had originally thought he meant he was changing immediately. I wouldn't have cared for that. He got elected as a Republican, he should serve out his term as a Republican. Spector made the same criticism of Jim Jeffords when he went Indy.
    — SteveMG
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:42 PM, 04/28/2009
    Well put GetEmGood: "I don't think the Dems should have the filibuster-proof majority. They need to present their policies in a way that can garner genuine support." Polman writes at least once a week how it is so important that his Democrats get 60 seats. So much for bipartisanship. It's proof that the Democrats aren't the bastion of free and independent thinking he would like the commoners to believe.
    — jwad56
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:43 PM, 04/28/2009
    Well, if the Republicans are waiting for 2010 for their big comeback, they have their work cut out for them since as of today only 21% of voters identify themselves as Republicans. Not only are the Republicans being voted out of office the ons that are left are voting with their feet.
    — Freerojo
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:43 PM, 04/28/2009
    Pat Toomey has a whopping 21 point lead over Specter. I guess Specter saw the writing on the wall. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/pennsylvania/election_2010_pennsylvania_republican_senate_primary
    — SailAway
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:44 PM, 04/28/2009
    It's the smart thing to do. But I always thought it would be Clemenza.
    — mkevinf
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:46 PM, 04/28/2009
    Coleman should go to the Supreme Court since the Democrats stole that election.
    — SailAway
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:46 PM, 04/28/2009
    "it's virtually impossible anymore for a moderate to live and breathe freely within the rightward GOP" Yes, because Democrats have always been tolerant of moderates who will occasionally break party lines, isn't that right Senator Lieberman? At least Joe Lieberman stood firm and faced the voters in his party. Specter is a coward, who's only alliegance is to his survival.
    — jmc
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:50 PM, 04/28/2009
    I am in agreement with you. Specter really had no choice. Now the GOP really has a reason to reevaluate who they are and who they want to be. After losing big time in the last election, they chose to self destruct and forego any chance of influencing the direction this country will go in the next four or more years. They truly are the party of fools and whackos. There are a few other of them who should read the writing on the wall and follow Specter before they lose their jobs too.
    — tiredoftheBS
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:50 PM, 04/28/2009
    Don't start counting 60 yet, Dick. Haven't we seen Snarlen's act often enough, he'll refuse to provide a 60th vote on some key issue(s) when the mood suits him. He's no Democrat - he belongs in the Lieberman party. That makes the correct math (with Franken) 58-40-2.
    — justabit outside


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About Dick Polman

Cited by the Columbia Journalism Review as one of the nation's top political reporters, and lauded by the ABC News political website as "one of the finest political journalists of his generation," Dick Polman is a national political columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is on the full-time faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, as "writer in residence." Dick has been a frequent guest on C-Span, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the BBC. He covered the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential campaigns.

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All commentaries posted before April 18, 2008, can be accessed at www.dickpolman.blogspot.com.

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