04/28/2009
Senator Arlen Specter Announces Switch to Democratic Party
The Washington Post reports:
"Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and announced today that he will run in 2010 as a Democrat, according to a statement he released this morning. Specter's decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster proof majority in the Senate assuming Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next Senator from Minnesota. (Former Sen. Norm Coleman is appealing Franken's victory in the state Supreme Court.)' I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary,' said Specter in a statement. 'I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election.' He added: 'Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.'"
Obama welcomes Specter: "Thrilled to have you..."
Andrea Mitchell reports on the switch, AFTER THE JUMP...
Posted 12:10 PM EST by Andy Towle in Arlen Specter, Democratic Party, News, Republican Party | Permalink
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The GOP is shrinking!!! Now all we need is Franken to get in there, and the Dems could have some real fun :-)
Posted by: Alan | Apr 28, 2009 12:23:13 PM
Wow!
Posted by: dolly | Apr 28, 2009 12:24:29 PM
Why now? After all those years in Washington, after all those years as a Republican, what was the final deal-breaker for Specter?
Republicans. Like rats, they desert their own party like the sinking ship it is.
Like rats, they only spread destruction and disease.
Posted by: Roscoe | Apr 28, 2009 12:26:18 PM
It's about time that Specter did this. Now the Democrats have no excuse not to back the LGBT agenda.
I mean, if Dubya thought he could shove the right wing agenda down our throats with simply a tiebreaking vote...
Posted by: Chitown Kev | Apr 28, 2009 12:30:04 PM
I suspect this is more about his chances for re-eleciton than it is about a shift in philosophy.
Posted by: Ben in Oakland | Apr 28, 2009 12:40:44 PM
Dying, er, literally?
Was this written by Perez?
Posted by: Brian | Apr 28, 2009 12:46:28 PM
Arlen Specter has already shown his willingness to deceive by authoring the Single Bullet Theory. This is not a win.
Posted by: Garland Smith | Apr 28, 2009 12:48:46 PM
Mind blowing news. Just think of the progress that now could be made. We are well off for a better tomorrow.
Posted by: Rafael | Apr 28, 2009 12:50:45 PM
Don't expect Specter to suddenly get all liberal on us. It'll be business as usual. He doesn't want to alienate those recently converted Democrats in PA by getting all gay-friendly.
Posted by: Roscoe | Apr 28, 2009 12:51:06 PM
Actually, Specter has pretty much been left of center, so good for him. You go, Arlen--welcome to the fold!
Posted by: troschne | Apr 28, 2009 12:51:34 PM
Maybe Ben, bu the is a vote for the hate crimes bill, for ENDA, and for the overturning of DOMA. He supports CU's but not full marriage equality plus...
No. Fucking. GOP. Filibusters.
Once Franken is seated, of course
Posted by: Chitown Kev | Apr 28, 2009 12:52:38 PM
Oh, my Lord! He should've left along time ago. The Everett Dirksen/Jacob Javitz/Nelsen Rockefeller wing of the Republican Party has had no say in its policies for decades. Daddy Bush was a traitor to that wing of the GOP. Even that traitor Joe Lieberman really doesn't want to be part of this contemporary Republican "Christian Conservative" Party. Maybe they'll split?
Now, I wonder if Mayor Blumberg and the two ladies from Maine will get some sense and jump that sinking ship also?
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Apr 28, 2009 12:56:46 PM
of course this means that the remaining GOP members are going to work REALLY, REALLY HARD to keep franken from being confirmed.
Posted by: alguien | Apr 28, 2009 12:56:59 PM
The Northeast's moderate Republicans have for several decades been at-odds with the more rigidly-conservative and Christianist Republicans of the South and Midwest, so I'm not totally surprised. The philosophical-divide between Republicans vs. Democratics here in the Northeast falls only minutely-to-the-right-of that between Moderate-Democrats and Liberal-Democrats in the rest of the country.
Posted by: Ted B. (Charging Rhino) | Apr 28, 2009 1:00:10 PM
Specter has always been a good Senator, in spite of the assumptive comments from people who don't know anything about him.
Unfortunately this is a cynical move designed to ensure his re-election. God forbid that he would ever go Independant or Libertarian!
It's pathetic that everyone feels the need to be aligned with one of the two corrput and thuggish gangs in power. Why are so few people willing to think for themselves and stand on their own in this country?
@Brian - Thank you! That literally made my skin crawl right off my body.
Posted by: paul c | Apr 28, 2009 1:03:18 PM
The Republican party now marches in lockstep with Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney and other members of the Flat Earth Society.
Republicans have made their party a niche party with no ideas and no relevance. Call them the Incredible Shrinking Political Party. By embracing the fringe right they have caused moderates to flee the party in record numbers, and without the middle they can't possibly ever hope to win elections.
Posted by: SAM | Apr 28, 2009 1:10:38 PM
The Republican party, once home to Lincoln, Goldwater and Reagan, has become the party of Limbaugh, Cheney, Palin and narrow-minded zealots. The term "moderate Republican" has become an oxymoron.
Posted by: J. J. | Apr 28, 2009 1:11:37 PM
Great news, but remain realistic
This is about his getting 6 more years and retiring with full benefits as a US senator.
He was once a dem and then in 1966 switched to repubs.
The dems will not run anyone against him in the primary but the UNIONS might and should to push him to find religion on EFCA
Now for Collins and Snowe. Hell Snowe is a conservative dem based on her voting records......except for the party name
=======================
Tomorow Limbaugh will screech that Specter has been brainwashed into becoming a commie socialist while glen beck cries
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Apr 28, 2009 1:15:39 PM
This makes sense politically for Specter as well. He was almost defeated in the primary in Pennsylvania last election after an infusion of money and mobilization for his opponent Pat Toomey by 537s. Toomey was about as far right as they come and it took some hard campaigning on Spector's part to eek out an primary win. After the primary, he won handily in the general election.
I think he figured out that with all of the right-wing rhetoric against anyone who isn't as far right to the point of falling off the edge and bearing the brunt of a lot of it, he had no chance in a GOP primary anymore. All of the sensible GOPers as he pretty much pointed out switched to Dem. He is better off politically on the (D) side of the aisle now.
Posted by: Ed | Apr 28, 2009 1:16:28 PM
Good post! I'm a big fan of ur language! Keep it up!!! :)
Posted by: Scott | Apr 28, 2009 1:17:31 PM
Good post! I'm a big fan of ur language! Keep it up!!! :)
Posted by: Scott | Apr 28, 2009 1:18:21 PM
I'll be happy when I see what this actually means in the way of action. Right now, all I see is a rat deserting a sinking ship, and why would I want that rat on board my vessel to spread his fleas and disease?
Posted by: Kyle Sullivan | Apr 28, 2009 1:21:07 PM
I think Howard Stern - who hosted Specter on his show on two different occasions - is the mastermind of this switch.
PS Fortunately Specter is in favor of continuing the American tradition of secret ballots and opposing union intimidation -- EFCA or "card check" is going nowhere. (He mentioned this in his announcement.) PHEW!
Posted by: Dan | Apr 28, 2009 1:22:55 PM
You know why today when tomorrow is the offical switch?
The filibuster vote on Selbius (spll chk) nomination for HHS. He is going to vote this afternoon for cloture / end the repub filibuster on her nomination so it goes for a straight up or down majority vote = thus the letting out it today though officially it is tomorrow he is a dem.
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Apr 28, 2009 1:28:39 PM
Ben in Oakland - He never said he had a shift in his philosophy. On the contrary, he saw the Republican party as ever more radical and clearly departing from his believes. I think part of it is political, but he has been a moderate and evidently his believes have coincide with those of the Democrats in the past.
On another note, yes Sen. Specter will continue to be moderate. But make no mistake, the President will be the ones to call the shots. As far as LGBT issues, they may begin to be addressed after Sen Specter's reelection.
Posted by: Rafael | Apr 28, 2009 1:43:08 PM