The pro-choice soon to be ex-Republican Arlen Specter has switched parties. He was facing a tough primary fight, and the consensus was that he can easily win in a general election if he can survive a primary fight. So the guy who generated the magic-bullet theory and acted like a cro-mag jerk during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings when questioning Anita Hill has some opportunities to make amends.
Fortunately for the Republicans, Norm Coleman is digging in his heels on their behalf and the Minnesota Supreme Court is indulging him with regard to the delay.
Addendum: Finally got to read the article linked above. It seems that Pennsylvania is going through a demographics change similar to that of California’s during the 1990s. The Republican Party is shrinking, with the residual being hard right and bitter (just like Obama said) making it impossible for a moderate Republican to survive a primary fight (largely the reason Schwarzenegger needed to bypass the primary). According to the article the last straw, and a classic example of unintended consequences, may have been a poll indicating that 80 percent of the state’s remaining Republicans had positive impressions of the “tea parties” of two weeks ago, suggesting Specter had serious problems as one of the three Republicans voting for the stimulus, even with all the concesssions they extracted for the votes.
Libs might not want to be too sanguine about all this. With all the moderates bolting the Republican Part, it means the Democrats in office are less dependent on the base for reelection. Specter is expected to defeat any liberal primary challenge, probably because many liberals will want to reward the switch with the hope of encouraging further crossovers. Obama’s biggest problems right now are coming from Blue Doggers and DLC types, as the GOP cluelessly slides into at least temporary irrelevency. It’ll probably ease up when the base gets tired of losing elections and you start reading about RLC’s, or red dog Republicans – a window of opportunity can be lost if the Liebermans, Bayhs, and Specters have their way.
Okay, glass can be half full. Leave it to me to view the filibuster-proof, or at least filibuster-resistant, Democratic majority as bad news. Besides, the “don’t cite us” US Supreme Court majority still hasn’t chimed in on the Franken/Coleman race. I wonder if they’ll be pissed at the Coleman camp for ignoring their admonition and citing them anyway.
Meanwhile, there’s lots of coverage at TPM, including statements from reps of both parties. Apparently Biden brokered the switch.
Addendum: It was quite an MSM show yesterday. The Republican response: “freedom is the biggest tent.”
16 comments
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April 28, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Anonymous
Let me guess Eric. You think the CIA killed Kennedy?
April 28, 2009 at 12:28 pm
humboldturtle
Land O’ Goshen, I can’t believe there has been no commentary on this post. Don’t the right-wing nut-cases know about your blog?
April 28, 2009 at 12:29 pm
humboldturtle
Oops. Sorry, I spoke too soon.
April 28, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Fred Mangels
Any person concerned about liberty should be extremely concerned when one party holds so much power in this country.
April 28, 2009 at 12:49 pm
paul
there’s still the demo crackers to even it out, prevent 60…
April 28, 2009 at 1:52 pm
ED Denson
The Republicans have only themselves to blame for this switch, and for the prior one which cost them a majority in the Senate. They just love to play hardball trying to keep their own people in line – assuming that running a hard-right opponent in the primary had party approval (if it didn’t then where would funding come from?).
As for “one party” having too much power, this assumes that the democrats will all vote the party line. For that matter it assumes that the democrats can establish a party line, which is no sure thing. But if you think that the coming democratic majority is bad, lay the blame on the Republicans. They are the ones who lose the elections by running candidates and/or platforms that the voters don’t like; and they are the ones who squandered, among other things, 8 years in power.
Not to worry. If the Republicans disbanded tomorrow, the democrats would fall apart the next day.
April 28, 2009 at 2:03 pm
crazy horse
First of all Specter was a RHINO anyway, no great loss. Second, he only did what was expedient for his political future, he was so far behind a Republican challenger he would have lost the primary. Now he can use the vast Democratic war chest to his benefit. I , for one, will NEVER forget his role in the Anita Hill affair. As far as one party having absolute power, I agree it is dangerous. America needs a three party system, both the Democrats and Republicans are corrupt beyond words.
April 28, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Eric Kirk
Let me guess Eric. You think the CIA killed Kennedy?
No. I do not believe the CIA killed Kennedy.
I do however think it possible that Oswald had an accomplice. And I have many criticisms of the Warren Report.
April 28, 2009 at 2:51 pm
crazy horse
The mob killed Kennedy(IMHO). Joe Kennedy Sr. had close ties and actually shared a mistress with Sam Giancana. Kennedy received huge financial backing ( see Frank Sinatra) and a lock on Illinois because of mob control of the unions. Then Bobby ,as AG, started going after them. Needless to say they were very P.O.ed. Anyway you look at it Oswald did not act alone, one look at the Zapruder tape confirms it.
April 28, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Dan Squier
Actually, from my reading it’s not the filibuster that matters any more, it’s the cloture vote to get a bill to the floor of the Senate. The Senate rules committee changed the filibuster rules back in the 80′s IIRC, so that a Senator didn’t actually have to stand in chambers and say, read from the phone book (Civil Rights Act filibuster) which means those who want to filibuster can now just claim they want to filibuster without, you know, actually filibustering. And when you have a politically spineless weasel like Harry Reid, just dreaming about a filibuster is enough to get him to back down.
Now the cloture vote is another animal entirely and it still takes 60 votes to get a bill through cloture and bring the bill to the floor for debate.
But let’s not forget, this is Arlen looking out for Arlen. As pointed out above, he was going to get his ass handed to him by Club for Growth founder Pat Toomey who almost beat him in ’04.
April 28, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Eric Kirk
Okay, I’m confused. I thought the cloture vote was specifically developed to shut down a filibuster.
April 28, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Bunny
“Any person concerned about liberty should be extremely concerned when one party holds so much power in this”
Yes, like the last 8 years.
It’s my turn. I’ve been pissed off for 8 years and I’m happy happy happy now. And I’m older and need the happiness way more than the hate.
April 28, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Eric Kirk
Well, there are really three parties: Republicans, liberal Democrats, and centrist Democrats. The Republican moderate is an endangered species and the Republican liberal went extinct when Pete McCloskey switched parties.
Stepping back and looking at it all objectively, the Republicans are where the Democrats were in the 1980s. They need to listen to some of their own, like Olympia Snowe, or Carlos Quilez, or they could be out of power and influence for some time to come. But Rush’s voice is louder.
April 28, 2009 at 8:42 pm
moviedad
Stepping back and looking at it objectively….These people all belong to the same socio-economic class, does it really matter what bullshit name they call themselves? They only have one concern, how to protect and promote their own.
April 29, 2009 at 9:22 am
Anonymous
Olympia Snowe, or Carlos Quilez. Heh.
April 29, 2009 at 10:06 am
mresquan
“They need to listen to some of their own, like Olympia Snowe, or Carlos Quilez, or they could be out of power and influence for some time to come.”
Or Ron Paul.