In the Department of I Told You So, the short happy life of Arlen Specter, Democrat, is unraveling in its very first week. This morning, ol' No. 60 went on "Meet the Press" and told David Gregory, in so many words, that he wants to keep supporting federal support for cancer research...so that people with gold-plated insurance plans like members of Congress can be cured some day, while those millions of Americans without coverage are just going to have to wait. Some Democrat!
Washington Monthly's Steve Benen nailed Specter's Democratic days:
It's quite a start for Specter's career in Democratic politics, isn't it? In the four whole days he's been a Democrat, Specter has voted against the Democratic budget, rejected a Democratic measure to help prevent mortgage foreclosures and preserve home values, announced his opposition to the president's OLC nominee, and this morning rejected a key centerpiece of the Democratic health care plan.
For years, Republicans criticized Specter as a RINO -- Republican In Name Only. As is turns out, at this point, Specter appears intent on literally being nothing more than a DINO -- Democrat In Name Only. Specter doesn't want to do any of the actual work involved in being a valuable member of his new team, preferring to vote exactly as he used to, only now with a different letter after his name in parentheses.
I'm not sure what Ed Rendell and the others who welcomed Specter with open arms in the Democrat were thinking -- that this guy can survive a statewide Democratic primary in 2010, not in this highly politicized climate. Already, Delaware County Rep. Joe Sestak is edging closer to the race -- he's even planning to to chat tonight on the progressive blog Firedoglake.
This is getting good.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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