Specter to switch parties

[Rowan]

Or it was maybe because the Republicans have turned into the Party of Palin (alternatively Bloc Dixie) and have shifted far to the right, and the in PA Republicans have lost 200,000+ registered Republicans to the Democratic Party thus shifting the Party Primary electorate even more and maybe it has something to do with the Republicans not tolerating moderates.

That all was obvious before he made firm claims he'd never switch parties and started to reverse his positions on labor

I'm not ignoring the obvious opportunism, I'm just saying that acting like this switch was due to Specter being evill is ridiculous, there are reasons.

Yeah, he switched so he still could be senator.  If the Rasmussen poll showed Specter ahead of Toomey, he would have stayed as a Republican.

Or if the poll had even been relatively close he might have stayed. A long-term incumbent down 21 points in the primary. He had to do something. I kinda can't blame him.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I wonder how many crazy right-wingers switch registration to the Democratic party to vote against Specter in the primary.

[Lunar]

I wonder how many crazy right-wingers switch registration to the Democratic party to vote against Specter in the primary.

There's going to be a real Democratic primary?  With Reid, Obama, and Menendez supporting Specter?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Well... It looks like we need to get Franken seated ASAP. We have the 60 votes needed, its time to show what democrats can do while in power!  Though honestly cleaning up from the past 8 years will take at least until 2010 or 2011. Any idea on if Specter will move to the left at all because of this (even if only slightly so?).

However, Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, and quite possibly Arlen Specter aren't the most reliable Democrats to say that least.

[Lunar]

I wonder how many crazy right-wingers switch registration to the Democratic party to vote against Specter in the primary.

There's going to be a real Democratic primary?  With Reid, Obama, and Menendez supporting Specter?

What's Menendez got to do with anything? He's not even from the same state.

I didn't realize the guy who recruited and nationally funded Senate candidates had anything to do with Senate races, ok, nevermind. 

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Holy shit.

When Franken is seated, the Dems will have a filibuster proof majority.

It should be noted that this fillibuster proof majority relies on Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, Joe Lieberman, and Arlen Specter. Not exactly the most liberal bunch.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I wonder how many crazy right-wingers switch registration to the Democratic party to vote against Specter in the primary.

There's going to be a real Democratic primary?  With Reid, Obama, and Menendez supporting Specter?

Most likely someone will run against him. True, someone actually left of center in this seat will probably have to wait until 2016.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Here's the break-down of Jews in the Senate

Vote for Democratic leadership: 14
Vote for Republican leadership: 0

[© tweed]

All I care about is that private health care is kept around, so that I can avail myself of that option, as many doctors/hospitals will.

hardly a concern

[Rowan]

I wonder how many crazy right-wingers switch registration to the Democratic party to vote against Specter in the primary.

There's going to be a real Democratic primary?  With Reid, Obama, and Menendez supporting Specter?

What's Menendez got to do with anything? He's not even from the same state.

I didn't realize the guy who recruited and nationally funded Senate candidates had anything to do with Senate races, ok, nevermind. 

I deleted my post right after I posted it because I realized that after I hit submit. But you're too damn fast and caught my stupidity.

[Ronnie]

Holy shit.

When Franken is seated, the Dems will have a filibuster proof majority.

It should be noted that this fillibuster proof majority relies on Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, Joe Lieberman, and Arlen Specter. Not exactly the most liberal bunch.

Lieberman pretty much toes the liberal line when it comes to the economy (the real issue), but you are correct about the others.  Bayh and Nelson, specifically, are very erratic when it comes to the economy and I really don't know what their philosophy is other than "vote with the GOP ~35% of the time".

[Keystone Phil]

The Facebook and Conservative website comments are amazing.  Our own activists want to give away Snowe, Collins, McCain, Alexander, Gov. Schwarzenegger, to the Dems.

This is insanity.

Irrelevant. Stop trying to change the subject.

How is the fact that our Party is going to be reduced to two redneck drunks sitting outside a trailer somewhere in Alabama irrelevant to this subject?  That is until one of the drunks accuses the other drunk of being a RINO, and Jimbo the drunk becomes America's last Republican.

Don, you are such a crybaby. You refuse to admit that Specter screwed us. You refuse to admit that you were wrong about your hero. You want to make this about a small group of people that mislabel a bunch of people as RINOs.

[Wiz in Wis]

Looks like Nate at 538 confirmed my little experiment with ADA scores using DW-Nominate. Expect Specter to be more like Bob Casey than Ben Nelson. In fact, with Casey there, I would assume you see rather twin like voting from that duo

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/04/what-kind-of-democrat-will-arlen.html

[Ronnie]

Here's an interesting analysis from Santorum:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/04/28/santorum_on_specters_party_switch.html

Nothing we haven't heard though, I guess.

[Wiz in Wis]

Chris Matthews and Michael Smerconish are talking up Tom Ridge as a challenger to Toomey and someone who could beat Specter.

I tend to think that would be too cute by half. Ridge is like Specter... and I don't think he could win in a primary by substituting for Specter when Specter was getting his ass kicked.

[Lunar]

A lot of gibberish gets fed into the system when there's such a massive political vacuum as we've seen today.

 Any politico who remotely likes a certain candidate is talking to reporters and speculating about their favored candidate

[Keystone Phil]

Specter said something like "this isn't good for the management of government" when Jeffords left. Stay consistent, Arlen.

Chris Matthews and Michael Smerconish are talking up Tom Ridge as a challenger to Toomey and someone who could beat Specter.

I tend to think that would be too cute by half. Ridge is like Specter... and I don't think he could win in a primary by substituting for Specter when Specter was getting his ass kicked.

Chris just loves saying whatever the hell comes to his mind.

Ridge won't run.

[Lunar]

Specter said something like "this isn't good for the management of government" when Jeffords left. Stay consistent, Arlen.

He legislatively and publicly fought the ability for Senators to switch parties mid-term.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Specter_tried_to_block_party_switching.html

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Holy shit.

When Franken is seated, the Dems will have a filibuster proof majority.

It should be noted that this fillibuster proof majority relies on Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, Joe Lieberman, and Arlen Specter. Not exactly the most liberal bunch.

Lieberman pretty much toes the liberal line when it comes to the economy (the real issue), but you are correct about the others.  Bayh and Nelson, specifically, are very erratic when it comes to the economy and I really don't know what their philosophy is other than "vote with the GOP ~35% of the time".

On the other hand if there is some watered down non-binding resolution having to do with warmongering, you can bet that Lieberman will vote no.

Specter said something like "this isn't good for the management of government" when Jeffords left. Stay consistent, Arlen.

He legislatively and publicly fought the ability for Senators to switch parties mid-term.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Specter_tried_to_block_party_switching.html

Yeah, well the Republican party wasn't quite crazy enough then for Specter to be down 20 points in a Republican primary.

[Keystone Phil]

Specter said something like "this isn't good for the management of government" when Jeffords left. Stay consistent, Arlen.

He legislatively and publicly fought the ability for Senators to switch parties mid-term.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Specter_tried_to_block_party_switching.html

I love a good hypocrite.

[cinyc]

Well... It looks like we need to get Franken seated ASAP. We have the 60 votes needed, its time to show what democrats can do while in power!  Though honestly cleaning up from the past 8 years will take at least until 2010 or 2011. Any idea on if Specter will move to the left at all because of this (even if only slightly so?).

Ask the New York State Democratic Party about how much they've been doing while in power with their 1-vote State Senate majority.  And since the Democrats control everything, everything is their fault.

[opebo]

Sam Spade's constant invokation of the 'bond market' is pathetic.  Firstly socialized medicine does not of course increase costs or expenditures in any way - it just redefines them as 'public' rather than 'private' (a fairly meaningless distinction).  Secondly the 'bond market' doesn't matter as the Fed can just buy the bonds instead if the owners don't.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Chris Matthews and Michael Smerconish are talking up Tom Ridge as a challenger to Toomey and someone who could beat Specter.

I tend to think that would be too cute by half. Ridge is like Specter... and I don't think he could win in a primary by substituting for Specter when Specter was getting his ass kicked.

Chris just loves saying whatever the hell comes to his mind.

Ridge won't run.

Actually it was Smerconish who mentioned Ridge. And if I remember correctly he said that Ridge made a statement that he is looking at the race now.

[Brittain33]

How has every other western country managed the astonishing combination of a public health system and a (pre-2008) functioning bond market?

Not to drag this thread too far into the ditch but I have to agree that I doubt the introduction of a government health-care program will cause the destruction of the American economy as we know it..

Also, both President Bush and President Obama have already played games with the deficits ten times the size of those that the bond market smacked down viciously when Clinton tried them.

I know, because like many Democrats, I kept hoping and waiting for the bond market to discipline President Bush and punish him for what he was doing. Never happened.

[Brittain33]

Ask the New York State Democratic Party about how much they've been doing while in power with their 1-vote State Senate majority.  And since the Democrats control everything, everything is their fault.

I really don't think that's the dynamic yet. Everyone recognizes that the Senate Dem majority is dysfunctional because it is no majority at all, and that a larger Dem majority would behave differently. We will see a larger Dem majority before we see Republicans ride backlash into control of the NY Senate again because "everything is bad and the Dems own it."