Thursday, April 30, 2009
Arlen Specter, the Switcher

Arlen Specter
As Arlen has done throughout his career he has looked out for number one. Since polls clearly show him losing in primary to former Congressman Pat Toomey by 21 points. That was enough for Arlen to head across the isle and join the Democratic Party. The consequences of this move may very well have a long term impact on the country. Of course, with Senator Specter he never was a certain Republican vote. Chances are with the movement of Pennsylvania into the Democratic camp that he will win the 2010 senate seat that is up for grabs. Let's hope not, and work to prevent that from happening.
As Arlen has done throughout his career he has looked out for number one. Since polls clearly show him losing in primary to former Congressman Pat Toomey by 21 points. That was enough for Arlen to head across the isle and join the Democratic Party. The consequences of this move may very well have a long term impact on the country. Of course, with Senator Specter he never was a certain Republican vote. Chances are with the movement of Pennsylvania into the Democratic camp that he will win the 2010 senate seat that is up for grabs. Let's hope not, and work to prevent that from happening.
UPDATE: From the Washington Post, May 1, 2009
Dems should be open-eyed on Specter return
By David S. Broder
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON -- It's been more than four decades since Arlen Specter, the senator from Pennsylvania, earned the nickname "Specter the Defector." This week, he confirmed that it is indeed an accurate description of his political character.
I was a kid reporter for The New York Times back in 1965, when Specter's flip-flopping first attracted attention, and the report I filed recounts the circumstances that led to his unflattering nickname.
Specter, then a Democrat, had been an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, and he harbored an ambition to run against his lackluster boss, a man named James Crumlish. The Democratic bosses of Philadelphia were not encouraging Specter because, as one of them told me, "We don't want another young Tom Dewey," the reform-minded New York prosecutor who launched himself into the governorship and two presidential nominations by sending a string of prominent officeholders of both parties off to jail.
So Specter, with the encouragement of such prominent Pennsylvania Republicans as Sen. Hugh Scott and Gov. William Scranton, said he would run against Crumlish on the GOP ticket. To hedge his bets, and to help himself gain Democratic votes, he waited until he won that race to change his own party registration.
Over the decades since, Specter has become one of the senior Republican senators and the best Republican vote-getter in Pennsylvania. But his frequent defections from GOP orthodoxy, not just on abortion but on labor issues, taxes and spending, have made him vulnerable to challenge in the state's Republican primary.
Former Rep. Pat Toomey, a right-wing ideologue, came close to upsetting Specter in the 2004 Senate primary, and next year, Toomey looked to be a better than even money bet to knock off the incumbent.
But much as Specter's decision reflects an increasingly serious weakness in the Republican Party, there is no escaping the fact that it is also an opportunistic move by one of the most opportunistic politicians of modern times.
The one consistency in the history of Arlen Specter has been his willingness to do whatever will best protect and advance the career of Arlen Specter.
Specter has been welcomed to the Democratic Party by President Obama and by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, the most influential Democrat in Harrisburg. That makes it unlikely that Specter will face any serious challenge in next year's Senate primary. And, if his health holds up, he will be a strong favorite against Toomey in the November election.
So once again, Specter is likely to reap the political reward from his maneuvering. But the Democrats should be open-eyed about what they are gaining from his return to his original political home.
Write David Broder at Washington Post Writers Group, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
Update, May 6, 2009: Poor Arlen, his old party is mad at him and now his new party makes him the most junior senator of their party. He loses all his seniority that he accumulated while in the Republican Party and worse his juicy committe positions. Either he made a lousy deal or Harry Reid and the Vice President lied to him about his future in the Democrat Party. Poor Arlen....hard to sore with the Eagles when your flying with the turkeys.
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