[LUconn]

Rut row

A couple of sources are saying Arlen Specter is going to switch parties. I don't see how a person elected by people to represent them can do that but here we are. This is assuming Franken will get away with his shenanigans.

[RagingTireFire]

Arlen switched sides years ago. He'd just be making it official.

[4everfsu]

Well some on this board wanted the democrats to win the White house, senate, etc and screw up the country so the Republicians could come back and win later. Problem is there may not be much to come back to if the senate(dems) gets 60 to break a filibusters

[Ed Dantes]

It doesn't really matter as much as you think, actually.

60-votes is what it takes to break a filibuster in the Senate. Any 60 senators can do that. If the Dems can vote on party lines, then yeah, they have 60. But they still have to vote on party lines.

It was much worse when Jim Jeffords switched to an independent back in 2000 -- because that broke a 50-50 split and allowed the democrats to become the heads of the committees.

Arlen Specter making his decision to switch basically says, 'the republicans were going to run a candidate stronger than me in the upcoming 2010 election primaries... i wanted to hold on to my seat, so i switched parties.'

In short, he switched his party affiliation for short-term political gain... which basically means he was a democrat all along.

[ALUmnus]

When I supported the stimulus package, I knew that it would not be popular with the Republican Party. But, I saw the stimulus as necessary to lessen the risk of a far more serious recession than we are now experiencing.

Since then, I have traveled the State, talked to Republican leaders and office-holders and my supporters and I have carefully examined public opinion. It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable. On this state of the record, I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate. I have not represented the Republican Party. I have represented the people of Pennsylvania.

I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary.

Uh, um, really? Isn't that how it's supposed to work? Every member of Congress feels like they're owed something, like it's they're power and we're just their tool to get it and keep it, but are in the end we're largely insignificant.

[Ed Dantes]

Heaven forbid he should be like Joe Lieberman and run as an independent.

[Ed Dantes]

Specter, March 17th:

“I’m staying a Republican because I think I have a more important role to play there,” he said. “I think the United States very desperately needs a two-party system. … And I’m afraid that we’re becoming a one-party system, with Republicans becoming just a regional party.”

Specter, April 9th:

"I'm a Republican and I'm going to run in the Republican primary and on the Republican ticket."

This guy's the Ritchie McKay of politicians. Good riddance.

[Baldspot]

Specter has been saying in PA that he was staying a Republican because he was the only Republican Senator representing an urban area, Phila. Last time I checked, wasn't Houston an urban area as well. He's 80 years old and soon to be forgotten (except for the single bullet theory) no matter what party he's in.

Let's hope for a little Obama backlash when the general election comes around.

[matshark]

if there's anything left to vote for.

we'll wait and see what the districts look like when ACORN is done doing the census. (I'm sure all their work for Obama has NOTHING to do with them being used to do the census...certainly not) i mean, the white house running hte census instead of the commerce department isn't politicizing it or anything. (oh wait... yeah, it is.)

[makarov97]

...

[Ed Dantes]

if there's anything left to vote for.

we'll wait and see what the districts look like when ACORN is done doing the census. (I'm sure all their work for Obama has NOTHING to do with them being used to do the census...certainly not) i mean, the white house running hte census instead of the commerce department isn't politicizing it or anything. (oh wait... yeah, it is.)

It doesn't really matter how ACORN redistributes the districts, the Senate is comprised of two senators per state.

The entire 'no GOP senator represents an urban area' basically means that, of the major US cities, they all have democratic senators (although yeah, Houston and Phoenix are among the largest cities -- larger than Philly at least -- and represented by GOP senators).

[matshark]

I can't wait until Specter is repaid fully for his treachery. I have the feeling he will lose in a landslide.

I hope his wife and family are heckled mercilessly for his lack of ethics and conscience. His whole family should pay for his actions. They are a disgrace to this country by mere association to him.

[ATrain]

I can't wait until Specter is repaid fully for his treachery. I have the feeling he will lose in a landslide.

I hope his wife and family are heckled mercilessly for his lack of ethics and conscience. His whole family should pay for his actions. They are a disgrace to this country by mere association to him.

Yeah, and we should punish the families of murderers as well

But yes, I hope Specter is defeated soundly in his upcoming re-election bid and that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can be reclaimed as a red state in 2012.

[matshark]

well actually, if you look historically at what was done to corrupt politicians during the revolutionary war period...

and the families of murderers are punished, they live without their loved one fore several years while they serve their sentence, and also have to live with the shame of being associated publicly with a known murderer. It works out. (i.e. when you commit a crime, you aren't the only one that pays)

however, i firmly believe that to whom more is given, more will be required. especially when they are given the public trust to strengthen the nation and they turn to petty personal gain while selling out the very people who voted for them. there's no excuse and THAT is perhaps a more abominable crime than most others.

[WinthropEagleFan]

well actually, if you look historically at what was done to corrupt politicians during the revolutionary war period...

and the families of murderers are punished, they live without their loved one fore several years while they serve their sentence, and also have to live with the shame of being associated publicly with a known murderer. It works out. (i.e. when you commit a crime, you aren't the only one that pays)

however, i firmly believe that to whom more is given, more will be required. especially when they are given the public trust to strengthen the nation and they turn to petty personal gain while selling out the very people who voted for them. there's no excuse and THAT is perhaps a more abominable crime than most others.

Do you feel the same towards US representatives Ralph Hall (of Texas) and Rodney Alexander (of Louisiana) who did the same thing (though they switched from Democrat to Republican) back in '04? Should their families be heckled as well?

[Ed Dantes]

Of course he doesn't, WEF. Duh.

Here's the thing...

Specter, being a liberal Republican, was an important fellow. Would he vote his conscience, or would he toe the party line? If he voted the conscience, then the Democrats would have that filibuster-proof majority needed to get virtually anything passed. If he voted along party lines, like he did with the Card Check legislation, then he had the power to effectively stop bad (i.e., liberal) laws from getting passed.

Now? He's one of 60 senators. He has no more importance in the Senate than, say, Pennsylvania's Bob Casey. If Republicans want to siphon off votes from the Democrats, they'll go to someone like Mark Pryor, Mary Landrieu, or Ben Nelson -- people who have arguably the same liberal / conservative voting record as Specter. Plus, those three happen to be up for re-election soon, and they inhabit Red States.

Specter (who was a Democrat until the late 60s), was the most powerful man in Congress. Now? One of 60. What happened was, he would rather be one of sixty for the next seven years (this year plus re-election) than #1 for one year.

And the Democrats will not, I guarantee, will not run anyone against him (with the nat'l party's backing) in the primary election next year. It's up to the GOP to get its act together...

BUT...

They won't, because the GOP is really, really in danger of losing seats in New Hampshire, Missouri, Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina (versus a pretty safe crop for the Democrats -- Connecticut should be competitive, but it won't, same with Illinois, Colorado, Nevada, and New York). The GOP will be playing defense, they won't have cash to mount an effective offensive.


****EDIT FOR CORRECTION: Nelson and Landrieu aren't up for re-election. Oh well. My point remains the same.

[Libertine]

however, i firmly believe that to whom more is given, more will be required. especially when they are given the public trust to strengthen the nation and they turn to petty personal gain while selling out the very people who voted for them. there's no excuse and THAT is perhaps a more abominable crime than most others.

I can think of about forty crimes that are worse than that and that are of course, you know, actual crimes.

[NG33]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05 ... placement/

[matshark]

well actually, if you look historically at what was done to corrupt politicians during the revolutionary war period...

and the families of murderers are punished, they live without their loved one fore several years while they serve their sentence, and also have to live with the shame of being associated publicly with a known murderer. It works out. (i.e. when you commit a crime, you aren't the only one that pays)

however, i firmly believe that to whom more is given, more will be required. especially when they are given the public trust to strengthen the nation and they turn to petty personal gain while selling out the very people who voted for them. there's no excuse and THAT is perhaps a more abominable crime than most others.

Do you feel the same towards US representatives Ralph Hall (of Texas) and Rodney Alexander (of Louisiana) who did the same thing (though they switched from Democrat to Republican) back in '04? Should their families be heckled as well?

if the democrats wish to heckle them, then by all means go ahead. the point is that they didn't have a filibuster proof majority riding on their switching sides. further, i think its a bit disingenuous to run for office as one party, then switch in the middle to another - no matter which party it is. if they had issues with the Dems, they should've become independents, or else voted as Dems for whichever side of the legislation they felt morally drawn to. if they were going to switch sides, they should've waited until the next elections to do so. then again, show me one politician that DOESN'T say one thing, then do whatever the heck hey feel like later. (apparently ethics is a lost idea among those in D.C.)

[matshark]

Of course he doesn't, WEF. Duh.

and perhaps Ed, you should let me answer questions before you attempt to answer them for me. Duh.

[matshark]

however, i firmly believe that to whom more is given, more will be required. especially when they are given the public trust to strengthen the nation and they turn to petty personal gain while selling out the very people who voted for them. there's no excuse and THAT is perhaps a more abominable crime than most others.

I can think of about forty crimes that are worse than that and that are of course, you know, actual crimes.

yes, because selling out your party and possible the future of your entire country for personal gain doesn't represent a crime. id argue that there is far more damage done to the fabric of freedom in this country by Specter switching sides than by one individual murder, etc...

a murderer can only help destroy the freedom of one person, specter can help destroy the freedom of an entire country for generations. both are bad. which is worse?

[Baldspot]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05 ... placement/

Interesting.

I'm coming to the opinion that Specter's switch is a good thing. He was probably going to lose the Republican primary simply because moderate Republicans in the Phila suburbs have been switching to the Dems in massive amounts leaving the more conservatives from the PA "T" left to pick the candidate.

Unfortuantely those still in the party aren't enough to win in the general. We've lost a lot of statewide elections lately. Just ain't happining in the short-term. A re-elected Specter, at age 80, is better than a newly elected younger Democrat who can hold the seat for a couple decades just as Specter has.

[Libertine]

Unequivocally, killing a person is worse. Killing a person is much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much worse than switching political affiliation.

[mrmacphisto]

Unequivocally, killing a person is worse. Killing a person is much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much worse than switching political affiliation.

How?

[Libertine]

Killing a person involves a person actually dying while changing political affiliation simply makes matshark type louder.