If this is true, it would be huge — CNN is reporting that Sen. Arlen Specter has switched parties. That means when Al Franken finally takes his seat in the Senate the Dems will have 60 votes.
Here’s Chris Cillizza reporting the same thing. Looks like it’s a “go.”
That means, assuming Dems vote together (a big if), the Dems could break GOP filibusters that prevent vital bills from being brought to the full Senate for a vote.
I take it Specter, who is up for re-election in 2010, made the move to avoid a defeat in his primary next year. Republicans were throwing their support behind the more conservative former Rep. Pat Toomey, even though (I’m told) Toomey has little hope of winning a general election unless he’s running against a mollusk.
HuffPo’s got it too. They’ve even got their own version of a Matt Drudge “Blue Light Special” thingie flashing beside the headline. Which may be why HuffPo keeps crashing the crappy IE browser I have to use while at work; they’ve overexcited the Microsoft coding.
Specter still a No on EFCA though.
Specter still a No on EFCA though.
Yeah, that sucks.
Unfortunately, I don’t see the Democratic senators voting as a block very often.
*cough* Ben Nelson *cough*
This is great news. As a former Pennsylvanian, I have followed Specter for some time, and he always struck me as being moderate and practical – a traditional northeast Republican – although some of his moves during the last eight years have left me cold. I was starting to think his age – 79 – had something to do with his judgment. He’s run against far right nutcases before, and with PA turning more and more blue, it’s great he’s able to see the writing on the wall and redeem himself. I wonder if any other northeastern Republicans will also follow.
You give him way way way too much credit, moonbat. Specter’s only in this for himself, and his political survival. If you think this means he’ll do anything to help get a democratic agenda passed, I think you’ll be disappointed. Pissing inside the tent is much more destructive than standing outside of it and trying to piss in, and now Arlen has the perfect opportunity to do so. If you have in fact been following Specters long and soul-crushing career, you’ll know that he always talks a good game on his “principled stand du jour” and then folds like wet laundry when it actually comes to a vote that matters.
Now he’ll be enjoying his Fox News Democrat celebrity on the Sunday morning talk shows, where he can undermine everything the democrats are trying to do, this time as a “principled democrat.”
Ugh.
I was hoping for the opportunity to get a real democratic senator hee in PA, and instead we end up with Lieberman Deux.
And my little gravatar above exactly expresses my sentiment about this topic. grrrrrrr!
No, that means that the Dems will have 59 votes. Much as he wants to be, Joe Leiberman is no Democrat and, at that, I’m being kind. In addition as zhak says above, there’s Nelson and a couple of other “Blue Dog” Senators who I wouldn’t trust any further than I could throw them.
Still, I’m glad that Arlen switched and I’m waiting for Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to follow.
I’m not sure this is going to make that big of a difference. Specter, in his statement, went to great pains to say he would definitely NOT be voting the party line on anything. This is mostly because after his vote for the stimulus bill, most republicans in the state want nothing to do with him.
He seems to be amongst that vanishingly rare breed these days of actual sane conservatives, but he’s still conservative.
-me
*cough* Ben Nelson *cough*
Point taken. Ben “Helmet-head” Nelson is my senator, and I would’ve thought he and Lieberman are a sufficient quorum for the roadkill (dead center and flat as a pancake) bloc.
Ah well, I still did my Nelson Muntz laugh– HA ha!— when I read the news. Nelson Muntz frequently laughs at the wrong things too.
I think the real hope was that we could pick up as many as five seats in 2010 so the Specter switch is really only a short term deal. Kind of like trading for the over priced starting pitcher before the trade dead line, renting him for a couple of months. Symbolically, I think it’s huge. I don’t want the Repubs to move further center because that would stick us in the same holding pattern of the past thirty years. Incidentally, I heard about the switch from the horses mouth, the head of the Republican Party (that would be Rushbo). On my two minute commute home for lunch I listen, it’s kind of like getting waterboarded. He said, and I quote, “I don’t want any more moderates in the Republican party. I want only conservatives.” I think he’s getting his wish, maybe they could meet someplace, like in someone’s living room, because they certainly won’t be meeting in any public offices for much longer.
I agree with gypsy howell, Specter’s a smuck and always will be, I would be willing to wager that he will derail more than one democratic bill. Anyway who gives a shit about him, the best thing about him changing parties is THIS. I love the whining from the wingnuts, wha wha wha, Redstate.hate call the fucking whamulance!
Opps I think its spelled schmuck? I failed yiddish!
gypsy howell, uncledad – I think you are right about Specter – I’ve had a few hours to rethink my position. It’s clearly a bid to stay in power. Let’s hope something good can come out of it.
I agree with gypsy howell on Specter.. I remember his public outrage on the telecom’s domestic spying issue, but when it came time to provide substance for his words.. there was none.. He did fold like wet laundry.
I think Specter should just pack-up and retire. He’s no longer serving America..He’s serving himself. And he was on the “Warren Commission” if I remember correctly, and that’s like a clue.
Now we know why Chris Matthews decided not to run.
Are you going to the change the paid advertisement on the bottom right to reflect his change of party?
Specter is tired of riding the short bus…………
gypsy howell: “…[Y]ou’ll know that he always talks a good game on his “principled stand du jour†and then folds like wet laundry when it actually comes to a vote that matters.”
Swami: “…[B]ut when it came time to provide substance for his words.. there was none.. He did fold like wet laundry.”
So, are we talking about Arlen Specter or Harry Reid, here?
[Specter] was on the “Warren Commission†if I remember correctly, and that’s like a clue.
It’s even better… Specter created the wondrous “magic bullet” theory, in which a single bullet changed its trajectory more than once, without losing momentum at any point, to wound both JFK and Gov. Connally.
O noes, I remembered “Connally” w/o having to look it up. I will now go sit in the Conspiracy Theorists’ naughty corner, and hang my head in shame.
Hmmm … the fact that there are still kennedy assassination conpiracy theorists lo these many years later tells me way more than I wanted to know about the potential shelf life of the 9/11 truther conspiracy theory ….
I’m going to be arguing against “controlled demolition” when I’m 90, aren’t I? *sigh*
-me
“Specter still a No on EFCA though”
“Yeah, that sucks”
Want the employee free choice act to pass? Do you want strong unions? Why not start with the UAW right now today? Why not buy a UAW made car? Look into it. Oh wait, maybe I don’t really want the EFCA if it means giving up my Honda!