Specter to switch parties

[Marokai Backbeat]

Glad to have you, Arlen.

[Marokai Backbeat]

There are plenty of Dems that are more liberal than he, but I think the imagery of "Arlen Specter (D-PA)" is more powerful than any generic liberal we could have in the Senate. I'm very happy to have him.

[Marokai Backbeat]

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

This is insanity.

We're more than happy to take Snowe and Collins.

[Marokai Backbeat]

MSNBC says Specter will have a news conference in about a half an hour.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Toomey is on MSNBC right now on the phone.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Toomey is on MSNBC right now on the phone.

What's he saying? This is record time for him to engineer a party switch; usually it takes until the general election.

Basically called him an opportunistic old man that can't be trusted on anything.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Specter's own words: “I have traveled the State, talked to Republican leaders and office-holders and my supporters and I have carefully examined public opinion. It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable. On this state of the record, I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate.”


Translation: I have slighted and flat out betrayed my loyal Republican constituents over 29 years one time too many and they won't put up with it any longer. I must therefore leave the party, retire from politics or end my career with a humiliating primary defeat. If the economy tanks more like I think it will this is going to be fun...

Oh and the Republicans turning into a Southern Know-nothing Party and losing 200,000 votes in PA kinda hurts too.

But y'know whatever.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Santorum apparently says he's "deeply disappointed."

You're in good company with your new fellow Republicans, Peter.

[Marokai Backbeat]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/28/snowe-gop-has-abandoned-p_n_192368.html

[Marokai Backbeat]

Some clips from the news conference for those that haven't seen it,

Specter's opening statement, he says that he finds himself "more in line" with the Democrats and refuses to let the Republican Primary electorate judge his record: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVRuNK43qFo

Specter goes after the Club for Growth and the "far right" and says there "ought to be an uprising" against that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1eAZD8RVG0

[Marokai Backbeat]

Looks as if the EFCA now has a new lease on life if it comes up again next year, since Specter (now that he is a Democrat) no longer has any reason to continue to oppose it. 

If we assume that either his opposition then or his presumed support now were done out of political expediency as opposed to principle, then yes.

Let's hope so.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Holy shit.

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

Key word now is 'when.' The opposition to Franken was slowing, I fully expect them to pick up and try to delay him even more than they already are.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I didn't really want to say this but:

Keystone, you were right.  Specter is a spineless, opportunistic, scumbag.  I apologize for doubting you.

Really I don't see anything wrong with it. It's opportunistic, sure, but I think it says more about the Republican Party that they're:

A) Losing voters at a ridiculous speed, leaving mostly only the far right left.
B) Republicans are far less tolerant of differing ideologies than the Democrats and don't tolerate his moderate views.

Sure Specter is doing what's best to win re-election, but I don't see anything wrong with it since it mostly fits his political views and Republicans don't tolerate heretics anyway.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I didn't really want to say this but:

Keystone, you were right.  Specter is a spineless, opportunistic, scumbag.  I apologize for doubting you.

Now kiss his ring.

You don't want to know where he keeps that ring....

Well, y'know, Phil's type and all..

[Marokai Backbeat]

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..

[Marokai Backbeat]

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.

Or it could be because Arlen Specter is evil, whatever.

[Marokai Backbeat]

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.

[Marokai Backbeat]

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.

That much is obvious, I'm just saying that it's not entirely unjustified for Specter to switch out of the Republican Party.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Clearly this is a disturbing pattern further proving Arlen's fiery liberalism.

[Marokai Backbeat]

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=225906&title=changeling

I found this amusing