The Arlen Specter decade
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
The Arlen Specter decade

I believe we're entering what I like to call the Arlen Specter Decade. Oh, for me, Arlen Specter, the 10's will be pretty much the same as the 00's. I'll still be thinking of me, Arlen Specter. But for you, you'll be thinking more about how things affect me, Arlen Specter. When you see a news report, you'll be thinking, "I wonder what Arlen Specter thinks about this thing?", "I wonder how this inflation thing is hurting Arlen Specter?" And you women will be thinking, "What can I wear that will please Arlen Specter?", or "What can I not wear?"
-- (slightly modified from "Saturday Night Live," December 1979).
It seems that Al Franken isn't the only (likely) new member of the Democratic uber-majority in the Senate with a famous riff on what it all means to me, me, me. For eight years, Arlen Specter for the most part just sat there -- sometimes on mute, sometimes enabling -- while his Republican Party drifted to the far, far right and crossed its triple "Ts" of torture, tax-cuts-for-the-rich, and teenage abstinence-only sex-ed. Now he's speaking out -- because a poll said he might lose an election and lose his job.
I don't think this will make the updated version of "Profiles in Courage."
Don't discount the deal he made. He brings all his seniority to the Democratic Party. Otherwise, he's just the ranking minority member. You also can't ignore that the Republican Party has gone off the deep end. So he's supposed to be obligated to go along with them? SteveMG
And what about the hundreds of thousands of PA voters who changed their registration? They have to go back? SteveMG
Comment removed.- Heard some commentators on TV speculating this is just another nail in the coffin of the Republican Party. While I don't necc. agree with that, they do make an interesting point that the far right has turned the GOP into a fringe party everywhere but the deep south (which of course includes the T of Pa.) When you hear Michael Steele decrying Specter as a leftist, you know they have lost touch with reality.
Comment removed.
Comment removed.
Comment removed.- "Pea brained single shot theory nincompoop" . . . well, you know that the Zapruder film and computer graphics have proven that, because Kennedy and Connolly were both turned a bit in their seats and Connolly was in a lower jump seat, that Spector's single bullet theory is correct. But, hey, don't let facts or science get in your way.
Comment removed.- .."while his Republican Party drifted to the far, far right." I'm sorry to inform you that the Republicans are in the trouble they're in because they drifted left. They blurred the distinctions between them and the Dems. If Dems are big government statists, then the Republicans were statists that favored only slightly less government. jmc
Comment removed.
Comment removed.
"YOUR party is a mess" - thank you, chip diller. of course, for most people issues aren't a partisan thing, but thank you for your postcard from irrelevance. "Good riddance...let the purge begin." - Your Hate America Firsters thank you for your support. Let nothing stop you from hating your fellow Americans, no matter how few of them you think there are with each passing day... This isn't a matter of teh teevee, this is a matter of reality. The modern "conservative" is a joke - and not a good one. They have the intellectual credibility of a radish danish. Until they climb down from their ivory towers they will forever be a discredited, fringe element at best tolerated and at worst defended againt. E.Plebnista- Bye,bye!Sorry I ever voted for him. Really betrayed those that voted for him. The Dems are welcome to him. georgel
As usual the neococonuts don't "get it." Then again, the thought Palin was a slamdunk. lolz........... chasing history
- Andrew Sullivan
- Blinq
- Blogorrhea
- Blonde Sagacity
- Free Republic
- Instapundit
- James Taranto
- ScrappleFace
- The Corner
- Buzzmachine
- Eat the Press
- Editor and Publisher
- Media (Huffington Post)
- Media Bloodhound
- Mickey Kaus
- Pressthink
- Romenesko
- The Inksniffer
- A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago
- Above Average Jane
- BlankBaby
- Citizen Mom
- Keystone Blog
- Metroblogging Philadelphia
- Phawker
- Philadelphia - America's Hometown
- Philadelphia Will Do
- Philebrity
- Philly Future
- Phillyblog
- Phillyist
- The Clog
- The Next Mayor
- Welcome to Phillyville
- Young Philly Politics
- Afro-Netizen
- All-Spin Zone
- Atrios
- Bad Attitudes
- Billmon
- Booman Tribune
- CorrenteWire
- Fables of the Reconstruction
- iFlipFlop
- Kiko's House
- MyDD
- Philly (Dragonballyee)
- Rowhouse Logic
- Slacktivist
- Suburban Guerilla
- Tattered Coat
- upyernoz
- AmericaBlog
- Andy Borowitz
- BuzzFlash
- Crooks and Liars
- Cursor
- Daily Kos
- David Sirota
- Drudge Report
- Echidne of the Snakes
- Fire Dog Lake
- Glenn Greenwald
- Hullabaloo
- Jesus' General
- Jon Swift
- Josh Marshall
- Juan Cole
- Kevin Drum
- Mad Kane
- Majikthise
- Matthew Yglesias
- Oliver Willis
- Raw Story
- Swing State Project
- Talk Left
- Taylor Marsh
- TBogg
- The Carpetbagger Report
- Think Progress
- War and Piece
- Wonkette
- A Citizen's Blog
- Balls, Sticks and Stuff
- Beer Leaguer
- Dick Polman
- Phillies Nation
- Philling Station
- Shallow Center
- The 700 Level
- The Good Phight


