Specter opts to survive
Switching parties and boosting the Democrats
Specter opts to survive
Dick Polman, Inquirer National Political Columnist
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.
Comments (156)
All the Spector bashing is kind of funny. After doubling the national debt & trashing the dollar what Republican member of Congress or pundit besides Ron Paul can credibly claim to be a Conservative? Limbaugh and Gingrich were part of W's Amen corner when he was exploding the debt & vastly increasing the size & scope of the government. That's not conservatism. Either the GOP needs to get new leaders or American needs a new conservative party!— Rob Baker- H2O: Yeah, instead you'll vote for a deranged zealot like Pat Santorum, I mean Toomey.— p-diddy
- Counting on Arlen ethically doing anything at this point is pointless. I just want to get to 2010 and vote his sorry arse out. And so should you all. Highjinks like this so that he can save his self and not better represent a danged thing better - put him in the category of lost senatorial souls. He's deluded himself into justifying this somehow - and yet how hurtful to the people who supported him - really and truly supported him - wow. I mean I cannot quantify how HURTFUL Arlen chose to be - in deliberately choosing to do this. And those pictures with frothing at the mouth dems today? Yuck.— h20zone
- It doesn't take a genius to figure out the GOP is out of favour in America. Republicans are like misbehaved children that are not yours, there is not much you can do except wait until they realize how foolish they look. Sometimes this never happens, so the denizens must vote them out. Sometimes, like in 2004, the low IQ denizens vote the rightious misbehaving brats back in office and we have to suffer their ranting until next elections. I hope this is it for the GOP and we all recognize how detrimental these zealots ideas were to the USA.— GraceBmine
- Ok Tom, you're right. The post-Clinton economy was much worse than the post-Bush economy. Clearly. On a serious note, this economy most definitely IS worse than the one that existed in the late 70's. The reason for this is that our economy has become dependent on a select few Wall Street behemoths like no other time in recent history. Unimpeded deregulation and the pro-corporate lobby has made it so corporate interests and our government are virtually indistinguishable. The Democrats share some of the blame, but the most of the blame lies with the Republicans. The blind trust in the "invisible hand" of the free-market was really just an abdication of governmental responsibility, with a healthy dose of greed thrown in.— p-diddy
- Unemployed Tom from Wilmington, here's Palin saying she'd sign a constitutional amendment banning ALL abortions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEN-c0zRH1c— jreese
- Unemployed Tom from Wilmington, here's Palin saying she'd sign a constitutional amendment banning ALL abortions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEN-c0zRH1c— jreese
- It's getting so bad for the Republicans, Richard Shelby of AL is considering shifting back to the Democrats.— Claudio Vernight
- Is Specter in poor health?— waynoNE
- why is it that when a politician actually decides issues on an individual basis, thinks independently, and can actually give valid (even if you disagree with them) reasons why he votes a certain way, he's "going whichever way the wind is blowing". You may have disagreed with his vote on the stimulus package, but it certainly wasn't calculated to help him; it hurt him. He even knew it and stated it at the time. His pro-choice views have certainly not helped him w/ the Republican party. There are many issues on which he's bucked his own party - few of them helped him politically.— still_independent
- Thank You— XmarksTheSpot
- Wrong again, dick (sorry, I mean Dick). The Republican Party hasn't really changed much philosophically over the last 30 years. And neither have the Democrats except for that brief period in the 90's when everybody was for a balanced budget (which got Clinton elected). Specter has always been about himself and going whichever way the wind is blowing. This move makes it perfectly clear that the man has no principles other than staying in office and enjoying the power and perks of being a senator. He's the worst kind of politician there is. If he saw he were going to lose a primary to a woman, he'd get a sex change and announce that he just couldn't relate to being a man anymore.— nellar
- He did not OPT to survive. He unethically turned a cold back on those that had supported him. I apologize for nothing to you, Mr. Specter. I still believe in everything my party stands for. I KNOW for a fact that the GOP will go on and thrive - not all of us extremists like you and President Obama try to derogatorily portray - as you both - Obama and Specter - jocky for and curry favors - while holding our figurative "hands" self servingly. What a sorry end to your legacy as a public servant Mr. Specter. But then I never forgave you for unethically mistreating and abusing by your words of choice, Ms. Anita Hill. Scurry along Specter. Something now disgusts me just speaking your name....— h20zone
- jim, I agree that the govt. running the system is going to be a monster! That was my point above about the President being personally popular, but his liberal govt. programs are less so! Being driven by profit (which has made America into a great economic power) is not a terrible thing if you can achieve a balance between serving the public and making money:) I wonder what percentage of the uninsured have pre-existing conditions? My point is our health system is arguably the best in the world (here we go again) and we shouldn't dismantle it, just tweaking it here and there should do the trick, IMHO!— NEPhilly
- NEP, I sure don't want the medical monsster that the government ownership of healthcare would create, but there's people loing their access to care as they seperate from jobs and $500 or $50 a month is a dream if you don't have a job. The private sector now controls access and they are driven only by profit. We wait now to get into THEIR system. Liberal is on target - there's too much gaming in the system that dilutes the resources.— JimR
- CD - the N Koreans are just doing it again. They already rubbed one president's nose in it.— JimR
Comment removed.- All the whining about "one party having all the power" is funny coming out of the repubs.considering it was fine when it was them w/total control. and theres no way he's losing to a guy that makes santorum look liberal in the general election.— FedupDem
- CD75: North Korea make it seem like 2006 all over again, doesn't it?— still_independent
- still, all preventative care is free on the plan, so the $2500 only comes into effect in co-pays and 20% increments for other procedures, but I understand your point! I have given my answer above to the question of poor people having insurance, but I do think everyone should have to pay in and not have it as an 'entitlement'! Medicare can act as a catch all for everyone else. Also, have private companies do the insuring not the federal govt. answer of creating another huge bureaucracy that will never go away!— NEPhilly
- Pa Dutch: I would rather have a true dem win via the electoral process than a fake one who is a turncoat.— CD75
- The economy tanked 6.1% in the 1Q. Meanwhile, North Korea states that it will now conduct "a nuclear test and intercontinental ballistic missile tests." Good job Obama. I see that Obamnomics and the "let's be pals"- European style diplomacy is working.— CD75
- NEPhilly: so at $500/month and a $2500 cap on out-of-pocket expenses, thats about $8500/year for a healthy, younger family of four w/ no pre-existing conditions. Someone makeing minimum wage ($7.25/hr starting this July), which, btw, you have argued shouldn't have been raised, needs to work 29 40-hour weeks just to pay for health insurance. Yes, that person would be on Medicaid (and SCHIIP, and other programs), but that's the point. If someone had a preexisting condition (even something minor like elevated blood pressure), then the rates would at least double.— still_independent
- CD, the biggest chance Spector has of losing is in the Democratic primary....and I hope he does. After that it'll be easy.— PA_Dutch
- tom: I said from the get go that a filibuster-proof majority is a BAD thing. I don't care if it's bad for the Dems or not (I'm not one), I do care in that I don't think it's particularly good for the country. ... I heard a couple of good point bandied about talk radio this morning. The first is that "conservative" and "republican" should not be considered synonyms. Conservatism is a philosophy; Republican is a political party. the second (and more salient) point was that political parties exist for one reason only - to win elections. As the Republican party becomes completely beholden to litmus tests (like abortion), they will lose more and more elections. In the words of Ronald Reagan, "...As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement"— still_independent
- hi janann, where have you been? Good to have you back :) ***The dot-com bubble was a stock market bubble which popped to near-devastating effect in 2001. It was powered by the rise of Internet sites and the tech industry in general, and many of these companies went under or learned some valuable lessons when the bubble finally burst. Many investors lost substantial sums of money on the dot-com bubble, helping to trigger a mild economic recession in the early 2000s. *** http://www.wisegeek.com/what-was-the-dot-com-bubble.htm As for the health insurance, I have been thinking of going off my company plan and flying solo (like I do with life and disability insurance), so I have researched the rates and $500 per month for a family of 4 w/no pre-existing conditions is close to the middle (there are cheaper and some much more expensive)! I have gone to Blue Cross' website and looked it up:) We agree on citizens being able to pay into something to get healthcare, I just think it should be a well run private insurance program (i disagree they are poorly run) like the federal govt. has and you think it should be medicare! I'm sure there is some middle ground there!— NEPhilly
- lib, I have said before let any citizen in the country buy into the federal govt. employees system! With the high volume you could negotiate terms (including accepting pre-existing conditions, maybe at a little premium) from a stronger position and it is a free market solution! CD, crack me up you do :)— NEPhilly
- Comment removed.
- liberal you are in fantasy land if you think young intelligent people are going to become doctors and go work for the government.— jwad56
- NE--the problem with your $500 plan is that only healthy people can get it. As people age, the probability of having a preexisting condition increases greatly. We need a system of universal coverage so that everybody pays in starting at age 18 and continues to pay up to age 65--so they are never out of the system and providers can't game the system to exclude the sick. It doesn't matter to me whether the government sponsors the system or the private sector--but universal coverage is required for the system to work. Tom--there would be plenty of primary care physicians if there was universal coverage and adequate payment for primary care. A universal system would pay well for primary care since it would save money overall, with no opportunity for gaming in favor of specialists as in the current system.— liberal
- I was disappointed in the big announcement, I thought Specter was retiring! He should retire, Bring back Santorum,— carol ruggiero
- Yoda: wise, you are not; fool you are, blinded by your zealotry, you are (like my yoda talk?). Do you really thing Benedict Arlen is going to win in 2010? Toomey will not be running in 2010, as Benedict Arlen leaving has cleared the way for true party bigwigs to run and not now they will not be stabbing the party in the back by running against Arlen when he was a Repub. Say hello to Pat Meehan, Tom Ridge, Scranton. Benedict Arlen does not have any support in the GOP now, and he has fractured support in the dem party. You forget that outside of Philly, Pa. Dems are very conservative. Joke, is on you and the dems.— CD75
- Still Independet- Yes I know. Obama has no control over what his executive branch does. Very clear
- It'll all come out in the wash.— scrooge1
- still, it is an 80/20 PPO w/a cap on out of pocket expenses, that is correct! You could go lower on other plans, but the Blue Cross at $500 seemed reasonable to me and would protect against any catastrophic illness! p, we were in a recession when Bush took office(look it up) and we didn't need a $787 Bil stimulus package to get us out of it, just some good old fashioned tax cuts:) You are probably right and I do need my head examined, I'm glad I have health insurance:)— NEPhilly
- Actually, $500/month can get you a pretty good health plan. Before we go to a universal health care, we should see how it has failed in Massachusettes. Right now they have not been able to control costs and have begun to ration care. Also, as pointed out in the NYT a few days ago, we have a shortage of general practitioners (even Obama admitted it) and not enough doctors to treat people if everyone was suddenly guaranteed insurance. This will lead to rationing of care and treatment. Now proceed to tell me where I am wrong.— tom - wilmington, de
- Mexico has socialized medicine. They said it on MSNBC, so if it came from a liberal network it must be true.— tom - wilmington, de
- still_independent....don't you think the 60 votes can be a double edged sword? Right now the Dems have it made if nothing got passed the Reps were "the party of no". Now, everything that gets passed they own. Ergo, if things do not improve or get worse, they cannot blame the Reps for saying "no". It is all Democrat now.— tom - wilmington, de
- diddy...on a scale of 1 to 10 of all recessions I have lived through, I would rate this about a 6. The recession and inflation of the Carter years is a 9. The inflation of the early 1970's when Nixon put on wage and price controls is 7.5. While right now is bad for unemployment, at least we do not yet have inflation, but if Obama keeps having money printed we will get hyperinflation. The time after 9/11 was also a 9, but that was more caused by the terrorist attack than anything else.— tom - wilmington, de
- And Palin NEVER said ALL abortions should be illegal. If someone is going to attribute an exact quote to a politician, they should at least provide the link to back it up...otherwise it is just spin.— tom - wilmington, de
- Marge...McCain to answer your question. And where are people getting the 21% figure as people who identify themselves as Republican. What poll are they quoting?— tom - wilmington, de
- I switched to the Democratic Party in the mid-90's when Tom Delay made it clear that the Republican Party had been captured by the Right Wing and there was no longer room for a moderate. And I welcome Senator Specter as he does the same. My guess is that on important issues his philosophy and voting patterns won't change, although in other things, as a canny pragmatist he'll take due notice of his new colleagues. There will be those who will blame Senator Spector as a turncoat - not the right wing, I gather from the blogosphere, who welcome his departure because he isn't pure enough - and certainly not I. When you consider that when Senator Spector voted for the stimulus package, the first thing his Republican colleagues did was to ship money off to Pat Toomey to run against him in the 2010 primary, you can hardly blame him for saying enough is enough. After all, with friends like that... well, it makes a man think.— Dodge
- NEPhilly, you're hopeless. You're saying that Bush started in a "recession" (be honest, it was more of a brief slowdown, not a recession), while what we are going through right now is "not so serious". Either you just won't own up to the reality of the two situations or you need your head examined. Just admit it man.— p-diddy
- Hey! Maybe Specter can get his pal, Ira Einhorn to campaign for him now that he's a Democrat. Certainly, he can get Einhorn out on a weekend furlough to help in his campaign. Specter saw that he was losing very badly to Toomey in the Republicrat primaries and he knew his days were numbered as a senator, so he's trying to grasp at any pathetic straw he can, which is why he is trying to hold on as Demograft. It probably won't work for him any better than it did for Jumpin' Jim Jeffords.— RedRyder
- Oh yes, join the appointed-by-a-criminal Burris and the angry clown Franken. Gawd, what a circus.— smarg
- Comment removed.
- NEPhilly : what sort of plan does a family of four get for $500/month? I'm assuming that it's more of a tradition 80/20 - type plan, with a cap on out-of-pocket expenses of around $2500-$3500 or so?— still_independent
- swedesboromike: just so I know the ground rules, is it your contention that ANYTHING ANYONE employed by the executive branch does is the President's fault, whether he is briefed ahead of time or not? And as an aside, if you want to make the case that Obama isn't intelligent, please learn the correct usage of "your" versus "you're".— still_independent
- You're Clown of a President on the NYC fly-over in lower Manhattan... " Duh, we didn't know they were going do that".... pick you feet up liberals this stuff is getting deep!
- lib, i have been looking for health insurance on the open market for the last month or 2 and approx. $500 per month for family of 4 is a middle of the road rate for Ind. Blue Cross (you would advise against getting it on the open market?)! Also, Mexico's health care system is most certainly socialized medicine for the average worker and waits are the norm! p, go back and check it out, Bush did inherited a recession from Pres. Clinton as the tech bubble burst and remember 9/11 was just 8 months into his presidency! still, I'm glad the GOP doesn't have to kowtow to an opportunist like Arlen Spector anymore! I'm also glad that the President will get pretty much everything he wants, so now the Dems will definitley overreach! And when this experiment of our govt. spending a Trillion dollars more than they take in each year and running everything from healthcare to energy to car companies to insurance companies to banks and any other company that they deem necessary fails and it most certainly will fail as the govt. can't run anything correctly! The country will realize how left of center the President really is, no matter his rhetoric! The polls Mr. Polman likes to site show the President's personal popularity, but his programs do not fare so well in the same polls!— NEPhilly
- Hannity is a pansy. He pees sitting down.— chasing history
- NEP, my understanding of Mexican healthcare is that it's largely like ours with employer backed payments and supply, at least for the big areas that have industry (most coming from the U.S.) Collective bargaining is the rule in most big areas and that's a big part of the bargaining. Your $500 policy is like the snow blower you buy to insure it won't snow. If it does snow, you will get buried. I don't want the government running the health care system, but we're not doing a good job of getting care to everyone and the wave of unemployement in the U.S. is going to leave way too many people unprotected.— JimR
- And speaking of talk radio, let's see if that loudmouth midget Hannity has any ba**s to back up his bravado. After stating (in jest?) that he'd be willing to be waterboarded for charity - it's not torture after all - Keith Olbermann took him up on the offer. He offered $1,000 to the families of U.S. troops for every second Hannity underwent waterboarding. Neither Fox News Channel nor Hannity have responded to requests for comment. Boy, only two minutes of non-torture could raise $120,000 for veterean's families. Seems like a no-brainer to me.— still_independent
- CDzero, I don't usually address your clueless effluences, but I can't resist a helpless pinata once in a while. You say Toomey won't run as a Republican? Who are you kidding? He thinks he chased Specter out of the race and the party - he thinks he's the 800 pound Republican gorilla in PA! Of course he will run, and none of the other Reps will run because they know that no Democrat will stand in Specter's way - why would they? Several have already dropped out. It's Specter against the Republican troglodyte, and the conclusion is foregone. However, if we could invent a machine that could convert stupidity into energy, we could hook you up to it and power the entire world. I think that is a noble goal you could aspire to achieve.— yoda
- CD75/jwad/NEPhilly/SWMike: we've had this argument several times. You hold your "principles" as sacrosanct, inconsistent and convenient as they may be, at the expense of pragmatism. Well, you have your wish. There will be a filibuster proof majority in the senate (which is a BAD thing), but at least the RINO is gone. Any shred of power the Republican party had is now gone. Arlen doesn't even need to vote with the D's - he just needs to vote for cloture. There are no more "socially conservative Pa. Democrats" anymore. Arlen will get reelected, Coleman will run out of legal options, and the D's will have their 60 seats. Conrats - you no longer need to compromise. Congrats - being bipartisan will no longer mean "giving in on your principles". Congrats - you just managed to maneuver your party into complete irrelevancy at a national level in just three years. Well, there's still talk radio.— still_independent
- The sour grapes from the wingnut pavilion are hilarious here...If they had enforced party discipline as they used to be able to do, and allowed Specter to run as a Republican, he would have won, as he did in 2004. But no, ideology is more important than governance, and they ran him out of the party by making it clear that they would be supporting Toomey in the primary. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! Why would Specter want to embark on a hopeless quest as a Republican (which he really isn't any more, like 80% of the rest of America), when he can win in a walk as a Democrat, and keep all his seniority? It's a win for him, and a win for Pennsylvania, and really a win for America. It's one more example (like the NY congressional race) of the slimy paws of the radical wingnut hate machine sliding further and further off of the steering wheel of America...may they slip back into the primordial ooze from whence they sprang by the end of next year!— yoda
- "They will crush Spector who will not get a single repub vote" The problem is that there aren't that many Repub votes to get anymore. Case in point: Lynn Swann against Ed Rendell. I wonder how many Repubs realize that this is a direct result of the Clinton/Obama primary? Without that hard fought campaign, a lot of R's wouldn't have bothered to change parties. I bet most of them just didn't bother changing back!— SteveMG
- RE: Arlen Spector's showing his true colors. The most important agenda in a politician's life is not to serve the "people", but to perpetuate him or herself in office. These are increasingly dangerous times for this has-been RINO. Spector has taken this to a whole new level. He knows he cannot win as a Republican, with the current possible challenger's commanding lead in early polling. Therefor, jump ship, and board the soon to be sinking one, as the producer class is now, hopefully, seeing the light of what is to destroy their way of life. Let us hope, no one throws him a life jacket!— fnugent
- I am waiting for a wise democrat (an oxymoron) to see that Benedict Spector switching sides is in reality a disaster for 2010. Why? Spector has now quashed true dems like Shapiro, Sestak, etc. from the seat. Toomey will not be running. Repub bigwigs who play very well with socially conservative Pa. Democrats like Pat Meehan, Scranton, Ton Ridge and others will run. They will crush Spector who will not get a single repub vote and many socially conservative democrats (which Pa is full of) who do not like Spector anyway will vote repub.— CD75
- Arlen didn't leave the R party - it left him a long time ago. Can the wingnuts name any moderate republicans from the Northeast still in Congress? Of course not - but hey, they weren't "real" republicans anyway - they're RINOs. Way to put your precious ideological purity above having any relevance! As a Democrat, I love it. Welcome aboard, Arlen, and welcome back to having some political relevance.— johngilb
- Bush: The Torture President.— p-diddy
- NEphilly: Yes people in both parties voted for a pre-emptive strike against Iraq, but mostly Republicans. In any case, it was Bush's decision. I honestly don't think we'd be in Iraq if Gore won. Bush didn't even include the two wars in his budget! You're using the health care system of Mexico for comparison. Think about that. Do you really think Bush inherited a bad economy from Clinton? If you really think this is a "run of the mill" recession, you're nuts.— p-diddy
- LOL...Boy, this didn't take long: "Benedict Arlen" - http://www.tabloidtshirts.com/arlen-spector— JoeCarr
- QUOTE: "Now the GOP really has a reason to reevaluate who they are and who they want to be." What an incredibly asinine statement. Specter merely changed to avoid getting destroyed in the primary. He will now be able to lose the general election instead.— LeavingPhilly
- One less RINO, hope he call Snow and Collins from Maine and makes it complete.— wmvbud
- NE--bless you for defending Bush on all counts. Loyalty can be touching. However, Mexico does not have socialized medicine. It really has no system at all, but it's basically free enterprise. And your $500 premium for family coverage is mostly imaginary. If just one family member was sick, that number would go through the roof. There's no way that you can make the case that health insurance is affordable on the open market for everybody; that's just not true. It's not even true for two-earner families with as you put it "decent jobs," much less for people who don't make that cut.— liberal
- jmc, "Democrats have always been tolerant?" You've got to be kidding. to prove my point tiredoftheBS "party of fools and whackos?" Gee, that sounds really tolerant.— riles
- swedesboromike - if Arlen was already a Democrat, then why is the GOP crying that his switch is “devastating”? Please - play this all you want (and believe me, I am no fan of Arlen or filibuster-proof majorities, so as a Dem, this doesn’t please me). The GOP knows that this could be their death knell if they don't stop playing to their shrinking, out-of-touch with the rest of America, base (big tent indeed). In my opinion, It will more than likely end up with Arlen voting mostly with the R’s (unless the Dem’s find a way to control him). And it wouldn’t shock me if he switched back after the election, if he wins.— GetEmGood
- p, people in both parties voted to go to war in Iraq! To get anything passed GWB had to spend money to pay off the Dems in congress for their support of the wars! He upped Medicare, he passed No Child Left Behind and provided billions to fight Aids in Africa, certainly worthy causes, but not exactly conservative! In doing that and running 2 wars his deficits per year never ran above $500 Bil per year even when you add in the off-budgeted wars! Now this President proposes a budget that has $1 Tril deficits yearly for the next 5 years and we can't disagree with that just because GWB spent too(and spent on things dems should love)! As for health care, I have been shopping around and a family of four can get decent health insurance for about $500 per month(and it would be portable). If you have a decent job (and the wife too) you can afford that and I would rather have the govt. pay the premiums for the uninsured rather than have the govt. run the whole dang thing inefficiently:) It seems the socialized medicine in Mexico has failed them as their people are dying and no one has received any medicine, God Bless them! Bush had 9/11 to deal with and a recession when he took office. His tax cuts brought 6 years of economic growth and it was democratic policy involving mortgages (which the gop tried to regulate) and the honorable goal of having poor people buy homes that brought on this economic mess, started by Carter and enabled by Clinton thru the CRA and Fannie/Freddie, etc. :) I agree that we should put more regulations on financial companies, but not own them or even bail them out:) We are in a run of the mill recession and will be out of it by the end of the year, no need for stimulus or bailouts that have cost us billions, just a little capitalistic pain to endure!— NEPhilly
- "Specter opts to survive" - Specter is the perfect Democrat. Do anything to get elected. No principles. No morals. No ethics. I hope you people don't reelect him. That would be like something New Jersey would do.— jwad56
- Yes, here is how the GOP will come back in 2010 - priceless!: CNN'S RICK SANCHEZ: [Specter] seems to be saying that Republicans are making it very difficult for other Republicans to win because, and he said this on several times, you tell me what you think of it: You're shrinking the electorate to an extreme to a point where a regular Republican can't win. What do you make of that argument? SENATOR JIM DEMINT (R-SC): That's quite the opposite. We're seeing across the country right now that the biggest tent of all is the tent of freedom. And what we need to do as Republicans is convince Americans that freedom can work in all areas of their life for every American, whether it's education or health care, or creating jobs... SANCHEZ: What, what the hell does that mean, freedom? The biggest tent is freedom? Freedom?! I mean you gotta do better than that.— LorettaL
- Specter is no democrat. Clearly, he’s read the writing on the wall and he is desperate. He is 79 yrs old, his Senate career is his life and he needs to find a way to stay there (retire already!). While the switch is a devastating punch in the gut to the withering GOP (NOW will they get the message of how out of touch they are?), he’ll be of no real help to any hopeful yet hapless Democrats, as demonstrated repeatedly, that he’ll hold the football and then yank it away. Arlen does what will get Arlen what he wants. I do hope that the PA Dem Party finds a fresh and competitive face to put up against him in the Primary. PA will be better served by someone with new, modern ideals. Toomey is not at all electable state-wide in PA, so it’s the Dem’s seat to take. Let’s hope they get it right.— WendyWendy
- Arlen isn't in yet. He's gotten old and slow and there's no sure thing in politics. A lot of younger voters seem to want some new blood - someone they identify with - and it isn't Spector. A few posts reffed the great point that he won't be any more of a lock as a D than he was an an R. BTW, where did all these strange interlopers come from today? Who invited them?— JimR
- McCain was a moderate years ago. He had to abandon that and move far to the right to have a chance to win the nomination. He must lay in the bed he has made. Nominating Palin (which I don't believe was his chioce) was the final nail in his coffin. I'm sure he'll wonder the rest of his life how he lost touch with his own values.— James TL
- But Arlen was already a Democrat.
- "it's virtually impossible anymore for a moderate to live and breathe freely within the rightward GOP...". Mr. Polman you neglect to mention the real reason he switched. He was going to be rejected by that party, legitimately, by vote. Instead of facing it like a man, he decided to switch. It was for his own selfish interest which, you again fail to mention is Specter's political M.O. from the beginning.— Bob1
- NEPhilly: Funny you should bring up 9/11 as the reason for our two wars...even though Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. And being fiscally conservative in the context of engaging in two wars would mean either cutting spending in other areas or increasing taxes, or a combination. Bush simply cut taxes and spent (or borrowed) as usual. That's profligate, not fiscally conservative. Our healthcare crisis is "not so severe"? Man, if you really believe that, you're out of touch. Look at how much the cost of health insurance has risen in the past several years. Health insurance is becoming a luxury item. As for your comment about running deficits, I'd say it comes a little late. Bush came into office with a budget surplus, and he ran the country into the ground for eight years. Now you're complaining that Obama is trying to spend his way out of the mess he inherited? I don't like it either, but the fact is that we're risking another Depression if we simply allow these huge companies to go under. My main complaint would be that tighter regulation of banks must be put into place going forward - but aren't the Republicans against that?— p-diddy
- Yet again a politician that believes that getting re-elected is far more important than any promise that you made to the voters. At least Phil Grahm had the decency to resign and run in a special election when he switched parties. But, decency and Spector are oxymorons.— Maria101
- tom_in_wilmington, McCain ran as Rove's Far-Right puppet, not as the "maverick" moderate he was in the Senate, and it's why he lost. Only 21% of Americans identify as Republican, which means conservative these days. The base of the Republican party is far-right and it's why they will not win national elections until they moderate to the views of the majority. Conversely, the Dems had to move to the left of moderate to win nationally, where the voters are. Remebember all the Dem's crying that they had to go Repub-lite to win - didn't work because the electorate was, is center-left.— B_Pastor
- This is new? He's been a Dem for a very long time. I'm glad he came out. It may be tough to get Dems to vote for him though. They aren't completely dumb, they know he only did it to preserve his job. They may be not trust him. I hope that happens.— lljpence
- How has the republican party moved "far to the right"? They spend much more money than they ever used to. Specter has no spine or he would admit it is he who has changed his principles.— mrboast
- Righties are constantly stating the the Democratic Party has moved far to the left as an explanation of their various positions. But this is absolutely wrong; the opposite is the case. For example, just compare Harry Truman's 1948 party platform with Obama's. Harry was much more of a leftist. It's the Republican Party that's moved far--to the right. Again, just compare Republican platforms in the 40s and 50s with current Republican positions.— liberal
- Tom - Which moderate did the GOP nominate who lost ????— ModerateMarge
- Specter is a spineless worm, plain and simple. No morals, no scruples. He will fit right in with the Democrats.— RightStuff
- Well, well, well, what a surprise. The headline of your article says it all - he switched to survive. Spector hasn't been a Republican since Clinton's first term. How disappointing that even at his age he's still willing to sell his soul to get elected. As far as his comment goes on the Republican's moving to the right, it only looks that way since the Democrats have moved so far to the left that they resemble more and more the European Socialists they try to ape. Hope the Dem's like him! They can have him!— Former PA resident
- "Funny, how the Republicans nominated a true moderate, and they lose..." Tom, perhaps it was because he stopped being a moderate. He was looking pretty good in the polls before the Palin choice. You can't be a moderate when your VP goes on national TV and says ALL abortions should be illegal.— pagoda
- Interesting, Specter was collecting money at a fundraiser less then 2 weeks ago in Pittsburgh. No mention of his intention to switch parties while he was collecting $500 a plate. Must have slipped his mind...— jSchmo
- Why does anything "Republican" have to be right wing? It's not that the tent isn't as big - it's all about the 10% in between the 45% hard D and 45% hard R. He want's to get re-elected (@ 79 and 4 terms apparently he hasn't had enough) and his principle/character isn't strong enough to keep him where he was for 29 years. Surfing the wave without a rudder— Diaperman50
- Funny, how the Republicans nominated a true moderate, and they lose, then people say the Republicans need to become more moderate. Problem is that when you have two candidates that are alike, that is not really giving people a choice. How many pro-lifers have prominent roles in the Democrat party? How may anti global warming people have prominent roles in the Democrat party? How about illegal immigration....anybody in the Democrat party speaking out about that dilemma? I have not heard any Democrats come out against releasing the so called "torture memo's"....are they all 100% in favor of their release? You all talk about the Republicans needing to move more moderate. What you really mean is the Republicans need to be more like yourselves.....then you will all vote Democrat anyway. Here is one for you...Specter said he will not be a guaranteed 60th vote. Case in point, he is still against EFCA (Card check). Let's see how much you love him when he crosses party lines (if he gets re-elected) to vote with the Republicans. I wonder how much you all will love him then.— tom - wilmington, de
- Typifies everything wrong with politics, whatever it takes to get re-elected.— rnnj
- Typifies everything wrong with politics, whatever it take to get re-elected.— rnnj
- The GOP is changing to be the party of the right wing extremists only. How soon all you on this board forgets the Santorum election. That brand of Republicanism does not play well here or for that matter many parts of the USA. If we get to a general election between Arlen Spector and Pat Toomey - Senator Spector will decimate Toomey with him winning the vast majority of Democrat Votes and Indpeendent Votes as well as a good percentage of Moderate Republicans as well. It looks like it will take some more cycles for the GOP to regain their traction.— ModerateMarge
- "He thinks a moderate can't live and breathe freely in the Republican party?" maybe he thinks that because the Republican party has put their weight behind right winger Toomey, you know, instead of the five term incumbent who would have probably won the general election???— pagoda
- Polman is a DNC flack and has been for a long time. He thinks a moderate can't live and breathe freely in the Republican party? He's parroting the Democrat media party line and standard narrative and he's wrong. Look around: the Republican party is filled with moderates and even liberals, and they even nominated one of them to run for President! And who lost, despite the love that Democrats professed to have had for McCain for years. Polman and his handlers will keep repeating their Big Lies in order to manage public opinion of the Republicans and advance the Democrat cause.— slcbob
- p, I'm glad to have the discussion:) Before 9/11 is the answer to your question. Most of the people that voted for Bush did support a realistic conservative tax policy. I believe GWB would have governed that way as well, if not for 9/11. Remember GWB ran in 2000 as someone who wouldn't try to invade other country's or 'nation build', but 9/11 changed him and our country as well! I doubt GWB would have been involved in 2 wars if not for 9/11! Our healthcare crisis is not so severe and the same goes for our global warming problem as well. As for Gore, I think Clinton drug him kicking and screaming to be a fiscal conservative, but point taken! Now for irresponsible, how about running up $1 Trillion yearly deficits for as far as the eye can see and then cutting them to $500 Bil and calling that 'deficit reduction'! What's that all about?— NEPhilly
- Specter is either a liar or an idiot, or more likely both. How can he say the Republican Party has moved far to the right when the reality is the Republicans have moved way too far to the left?
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- whitehouse....you forgot to mention Obama, he also supported and voted for the bailout bill. So it as Bush, McCain and Obama who gave us TARP and all the bailouts. Now, GM wants to let the government have a 55% ownership, wtih the UAW owning 35%, and Chrysler is going to give the UAW a 55% stake in their company with the government owning a percentage as well. Is this the beginning of nationalization and the "spread the wealth" remaking of America?— tom - wilmington, de
- By the way, Gore was more fiscally conservative than Bush/Cheney was. Clinton/Gore balanced the budget.— p-diddy
- NEPhilly: Not to belabor the point, but when did Bush or anyone who voted for him ever support realistic tax policy? We're occupying two foreign countries, we have a severe healthcare crisis, our infrastructure is falling apart, and what's the solution? Tax cuts all around, especially for the top 1% of income. That's simply irresponsible.— p-diddy
- p, I voted for Bush twice (and McCain) because the choice of Gore/Kerry/Obama scared me even more on the issue of fiscal responsibility (and this Pres. has so far validated those fears)! You may be correct that GWB doesn't have any credibility on the issue, Sen. Specter certainly doesn't & most GOP elected officials don't, but I believe I do:)— NEPhilly
term limits— thelupe24- Ha Ha Ha. I almost fell out of my chair laughing.— Tony_From_PA
- NEPhilly: You mean Specter was sunk with fiscal conservatives like you who voted for Bush twice? No credibility!— p-diddy
- Specter isn't a turncoat. A turncoat is somebody who loses the primary then runs AGAINST his old party as an Independent in the general election. Know anybody like that?— p-diddy
- mkevinf - classic, I haven't had such a good laugh in months!
- Wasn't Specter one of the leaders of the bloow joob witch hunt?— p-diddy
- He can do the math— robinlupe
- To all the right wing commenters, you can keep screaming but it is simply amazing that you still follow, like sheep, your masters Limbaugh and Hannity. As much as you and you masters don't like it, we live in an educated society, and the imps that followed Bush and Cheyney have closed their eyes to the truth. What you fail to realize is that there are many people who agree with many conservative ideals, but the Right Wing Republican Party no longer adheres to those values. You have bought into the idea that what is good for rich people (oil companies and HMO's) is good for you. Remember, it was Bush and Cheyney (and McCain) who fully supported creating this huge bailout. Then after Bush left they said, oh, maybe this isn't a good idea. Well guess what, maybe being a right wing nut isn't a good idea anymore.— whitehouse
- ***In a statement, Specter said, "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans." "It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable," he added.*** Your darn right Arlen! Voting for that abomination of a law sunk you with fiscal conservatives and that is all the support you had left in the GOP, again good riddance!— NEPhilly
- I'm a Democrat. I don't agree with Specter on some important issues, but I do admire him for speaking out against U.S. policy toward Israel and its treatment of Palestinians, as well as our Middle East policies in general. I am surprised he chose to leave the Republican Party. I think the Republican leadership better think about how narrow their party is becoming. Whatever became of socially moderate, fiscally conservative Republicans? I think it has become impossible to be fiscally conservative in the way that many Republicans demand, because Republicans (and to a lesser degree Democrats) have become too closely aligned with big business. If you support fiscal conservatism, you ought to support strict campaign finance regulations.— p-diddy
- Political expediency at its best. Arlen was already a Dem at heart anyway, but he betrayed his better ideals by carrying the REpublicans' water as a member and Chairman of the Judicial Committee. Maybe he'll show some remorse about that some day.— billym
- mkevinf - excellent, very nice— whitehouse
- Boy, these Republicans really are upset. 60 Democrats in the Senate doesn't mean that every Democrat will vote for a Democrat-supported bill. But it does make it likely that they will vote to end debate, letting the remaining Democrats vote those bills through. And that's where the Republicans have really lost power. Joe Lieberman, Max Baucus, Kurt Conrad, and now Arlen Specter, don't need to vote Yea on any bill they find too liberal. They just need to vote to bring it to a vote. Bye bye last shreds of Republican power.— rms
- This is not about idealogy, it is about Spector using the democrats for his own personal agenda.— CD75
- He is a turncoat and will do the dems what he did to the RepublicaNS.— seven
- They are all out of touch. Who cares.— emilia b
- "Americans don't want to become Socialist" Do you even knowwhat that means, or are you just repoeating last nights dinner? So Health Care isn;t something society should make possible for the sick? Why is there a governemtn if it can;t help its people? Get rid of government all together you say. Yeah. well you live in that world, where there are no roads, bridges, schools (not that your kids will need them) Oh thats right, you only want to pay for the things that you want, not the other stuff. Well, must be hard living in your house. Only the rooms where you live get heat, everyone else is out of luck. Too bad they have to freeze. They should have gotten jobs and thought about their future, you know, the kids. They could have started planing when they were i guess 6. By that time they should have stocked away tons on money to take care of themselves. What an idiot.— WeedsNSticks
- Tom, the AF1 event is sooo yesterday and a total non-issue. My 64 yr old 9/11 survivor aunt works on 59th St and although there was some concern among NYCers it was NOT the scare event that the media blew it up to be. Dumb move by the FAA and WHMO, but everyone else has moved on, and so should you, less you appear more petty than usual.— GetEmGood
- ***"I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate," he said in the statement. "I don't have to say anything to them. They've said it to me," Specter said, when asked in a Capitol corridor about abandoning the Republicans.*** http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30456741/ They said it to you be having you down in primary polling by 21 points or so! You said it to them by voting for the biggest porkulus nonessential democratic spending package ever to be written! Sen. Spector's flip-flopping ways work better on the other side of the aisle anyway:)— NEPhilly
- Way to represent your constituents, Arlen. This is the last dtch effort of a politician desperate to retain their personal power. Another good reason for term limits.— chasmodai
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- These are the most boohoo crybaby remarks from republicans on this board. The national gop was going to support Toomey in the upcoming primary. Doesn't that kind of tell you that the party doesn't want Specter any longer, and in a two party system, that's the gop telling him he's no longer welcome in the party because his positions and votes are not in line with the gop? And if he's been voting with the dems on a lot of issues, maybe that means that he's more of a dem than a repub? This doesn't show the weakness of Specter, this is just another example of the gop pandering only to the far right and shows why moderates are leaving the party in droves. I'd love for the gop to get back to its roots, but it keeps moving further and further to the right. Toomey will win the primary and get destroyed in the general because he's too far right for almost 70% of the public, just like the remainder of the gop.— donde
- This isn't about which party is in line with his beliefs....it is about him trying to hang on to power and he thinks this will help him do that. I wonder what he will do when the Democrats overstep(which they are already well on their way to accomplishing) and force the voters to switch back to the Republicans in the next election.— cujat13
- Spector doesn't matter... he's not going to live long anyway and the Dems are going to get the seat unless the GOP moves to a protectionist platform.— tjstork
- there's still a republican party?— djoseph
- so what happens to a good guy like Joe Torsella.— Sam Pileggi
- Statesman thy name is not Arlen Specter. You have really lowered yourself this time. And only a month after you said you would never do it. Why would anyone believe anything you say? GO PAT TOOMEY. For all of you who complain about Democrats and the way they run Philly, now is your chance to STAND UP and be counted and work and vote for Pat Toomey!!!!!!!!— WriteWinger
- mkevinf - LOL. It just goes to show you that everything relates back to The Godfather.— incredulous
- So let's see. Air Force One flies above Manhattan with an F14 escort for a photo op, causes a panic, nobody in NYC knew it was going to happen. Now, Obama did not know about it, neither did Napolitano, the DOD, nobody in the administration knew about it. Anybody believe the most efficient administration in our history did not know about this?— tom - wilmington, de
- Good riddance! CD is right, he really should just retire and give a young dem a chance at the seat! How old is Arlen, 80 something? He chooses to 'survive' at this point in his career instead of sticking to his guns and fighting for what he truly believes! Why? Because even Sen. Spector doesn't really know what he truly believes or stands for anymore! Pretty sad!— NEPhilly
- I am glad he made the move. Now he join the other senile dems who have been in office to long. He wont be around after 2010.— tb733
- Coward!!!!!!!— sawgrass
- I understand that the Dems are excited by this......but they DO realize he's going to torture them like he tortured the 'Pubs all these years, right?— guit10
- Is someone scared of Toomey...— democratsruinedthecity
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- I have seen a couple of liberal blogs saying they do not want him because of the Anita Hill thing. Very interesting.— CD75
- Comparing Joe Lieberman to Spector - Lieberman faced his party head on despite and the wingnuts on the far left, lost, and then had the guts to pick himself up. He did not compromise his values. Spector on the other hand is showing nothing by a jelly spine. Fascinating.— CD75
- While partisans on both sides cheer and boo, it says much more: 1) Cowardly, in that he should face his party critics head on and face his own music that he drafted, 3) transparent, in that it is just a survior tactic, 4) unfair and selfish, in that he is quashing the hopes of many up and coming dems like Josh Shaprio who actually care about the dem party and not just themselves, 5) not a sure thing, in an off year election in "Pennsyltucky" there is not guarrenty that conservative democrats are going to flock to him. The repubs will be more unified against him then ever.— CD75
- Now let's see how Polman writes in glowing terms of Specter the first time he votes against Dems and votes his conscience. Now he can confound Democrats as he has confounded Republicans for the past 30 years. I wonder if he will not flip again on EFCA?— tom - wilmington, de
- 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
- 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
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"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- Coleman should go to the Supreme Court since the Democrats stole that election.— SailAway
- It's the smart thing to do. But I always thought it would be Clemenza.— mkevinf
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Coleman will probably go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court now.— anonymous
- I wonder how Bill Belichick feels about this?— Freerojo
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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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