Arlen Specter: Democrat

[SuperJerk 0]

Basically, Specter was politically dead in the Republican Party, what with his "liberal" (i.e. moderate and mainstream) ideas about habeas corpus, immigration, the economic stimulus, consumer protection laws, and a woman's right to choose.

 

Specter is hardly representative of any larger trends, since this is an isolated occurrence, and a far larger number of Democrats defected to the GOP in 1995. However, it does underline the continuing ideological shift within the Republican Party, which does not seem to have any room for moderates.

 

The Republican Party is far from being an endangered species, but continues to shift into a regional, ideological party that shuns anything that even remotely looks like pragmatic policy or using the power of the federal government to try to make people's lives better. Jingoistic foreign policy, unrealistic tax cuts, and morality governed by unimpeachable state governments are its new mission. Anyone who stands in their way is a socialist or wants the terrorists to win.

 

With President Obama's approval ratings hovering in the 60-70 range, and the public overwhelmingly WANTING government activism, the Republican propaganda from 2006 that "we lost because we weren't conservative enough" has brain-washed the party into buying a ticket aboard a sinking ship.

[Swindle 0]

Eh, he's trying to save his seat.

 

That's the bottom line. The idea that it was based upon deep ideological reasons is nonsense. The guy is the worst kind of a cynical politician. He switch 40yrs ago, now he is switching again.

 

He'll be pushed to the left by because I'm sure he'll face a democratic primary opponent. They can dig up old Bush videos of him praising Spector. Thus, the guy is going to have to go left as he finishes out his term to build up cred with the Dem primary voters.

 

The larger implications is a further step to the left for Washington. The idea of a filibuster-proof majority that will rubber stamp Nancy Pelosi is truly frightening. The Republicans remain completely ineffective as an opposition party. The national media is nothing more than a live-in maid giving Obama fellatio. I don't see much from the so-called blue dog dems these days.

 

Very depressing.

[SuperJerk 0]

Of course he's trying to save his seat. But why is his seat in more danger from Republican primary voters than from Democratic ones?

 

Because the Republican Party has become too ideologically dogmatic to retain moderates.