I grew up in Pennsylvania and as a Republican voter and activist in the state during my yoot, we would always grumble that Arlen Specter only cared about Pennsylvania every 6 years. The other 5 years, he would just melt into the Washington Elite.
So while his announcement today shocked me, I can’t say I’m surprised. The man’s only principle has always been self-preservation. I can’t name one thing that Arlen Specter has ever stood for …. except Arlen Specter.
His own statement is quite telling and reinforces what I’ve always thought about him:
“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.â€
Yeah, it is just TERRIBLE to have the VOTERS decide on your future in office or your past (stupid) record. UGH! Such an arrogant sense of political entitlement. It drives me crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOProud reacts to the turncoat’s decision:
“The decision by Arlen Specter (PA) to leave the Republican Party to become a Democrat is an example of Washington politics at its worst. In order to save protect his political future; Senator Specter was willing to trade away complete and unchecked control over federal policy to Congressional liberals.
“We echo the sentiments of Chairman Michael Steele, who earlier stated: ‘Let’s be honest-Senator Specter didn’t the leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record.’
“We are hopeful that the voters of Pennsylvania will see through this cynical political smoke screen.”
Let’s hope. I’d be willing to donate to a DEMOCRAT to challenge Arlen in the DEMOCRAT primary! How about it, Ed Rendell? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeze?
Good riddance, Senator Specter. I always figured you were a Democrat anyway. It is about time
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Bruce, I’m just waiting for our resident Trolls-In-Transit (otherwise known as TITS) to gleefully point out how the GOP is becoming “regionalized,” “marginalized” or some other cute wording they come up with.
And then I’ll simply repeat a name that had them caterwauling from the high heavens four years ago: Joseph Lieberman.
I’ve always said that TITS are a bunch of boobs.
Regards,
Peter H.
And one more thing – wait until 2010, when PA elects Pat Toomey to the US Senate. Bank on it.
Regards,
Peter H.
If Republicans are clever, (and they’re not), this is the point when they start talking about “restoring balance.” Americans have historically been leery of one-party rule. And the Democrats pretty much have absolute power, now. Middle of the road voters might well be persuaded to vote Republican just to keep the Demoncrats in check.
That is cowardly. I hope PA’s Democratic electorate stick it to him (like they preferred Lamont to the sitting Lieberman in CT, a couple years ago). And if they don’t, I hope the general electorate sticks it to him – go Toomey!
Overall, I like this news. With Specter voting with the Democrats on Porkulus, America was screwed anyway. Now Specter has ripped his own mask off. I always like it when masks are ripped off (for whatever reason) and people are blasted over to the side they were always on. Let the Democrats own all of the Porkulus votes – and the blame, when the 20% inflation rates hit in a couple years. Let the other two Senators who voted for Porkulus convert as well… and then let the electorate sweep out that whole party, in due course.
Nobody ever has the balls to switch to a minority party.
That’s one day I hope we all live to see.
Where will he go if a Democrat enters the primary and is favored to win?
He believes that his career was saved in 2004 by Democrats voting for him. Will they trust him as a turncoat in 2010?
P.S. Not to gloat too much, but I am reminded of a “conversation” I had on this blog a week or two ago about Specter, Toomey and Tea Parties with a self-proclaimed GOP “progressive” and “activist” who has shown a certain fondness for insulting conservatives. This individual maintained that PA was too Democratic for Toomey to win, and we should live with Specter. I pointed out that Toomey has beaten PA Democrats before, and that Specter was one of the big-spenders that the Tea Party movement protests against. The individual had no answer to my points. Lots of personal insults and invective… but nothing to my points.
Here in Pennsylvania now the conservatives who were going to contribute time and resources to defeat Spector can now put all our efforts into electing Mr Toomey. Let the work begin.
Here’s a problem. I was just watching “Special Report with the guy who isn’t Brit Hume” and the panel was discussing this as if Specter’s win is, at this point, all but certain. I don’t know how the polls look in PENN., but just how are Republicans going to win if they don’t appeal to anybody. Isn’t this just one more stake coming loose in Ronald Reagan’s “Big Tent”?
Pennsylvania can be a Republican state. We switch parties every four years on average for the Governors mansion. We are a pro life state. Casey is one of the few pro abortion guys to win state wide. I think in 2012 there is going to be a large BIG GOVT backlash, I’m just not sure it will be up to speed by Toomey’s election in 2010.
sf, careful with your Reagan allusions. Reagan wanted to shrink government and cut spending – and even with a Democratic congress, he did the best job of holding back government’s growth (at least) of any President since Eisenhower. Reagan’s tent was big on some issues, but not on certain others like taxes, spending, or the question of “government vs. the People”.
*I meant we switch parties every EIGHT years in the Governors mansion.
Rush Limbaugh Oct. 2008
Either you don’t have a very good memory of the early 89’s, or you were too young to remember. Ronald Reagan did not advocate that members of his own party leave the tent, even when they disagreed with him, especially on the tax issue. For almost two years after Reagan signed his tax cut, the economy continued to slide deeper into recession, until the recovery manifested in 83. There were more than a few members of his own party who strongly encouraged him to rescind at least some, if not all of the cuts. Did Reagan go around griping about the wishy washy moderates, saying they should leave the party? NO! He would try to do his best to sway that Representative or Senator to his way of thinking. He was always disappointed if someone didn’t vote his way or agree with him, but he never badmouthed that politician or hounded him or her to leave the party. He simply recognized there was disagreement and moved on. That is how he managed to keep the Republicans of all stripes together, and manage to get more than a few votes from Democrats.
Now go to Rush’s site and search for the term moderate, and you’ll see tons of examples that are similar to the quote above. Today’s Republican party IS NOT the one that matured under the stewardship of Reagan. You’re Rush’s party now.
I am in complete agreement with GP. Ed Rendell go for it.
I’d be interested in learning which stake of Ronald Reagan’s “Big Tent” Arlen Specter was holding down… Not joking.
This is what makes politics fun, the sudden party switch and the unexpected 60 proof majority Democratic senate. I do find the back room deals that went into this to be interesting, Specter must have had some incredibly bad private poll results to have done this. He could have done the Liberman route, lose your primary and then run as an independant but the Democrats promised him no primary challengers…really fascinating. Specter had a close race in 2004 in the general election, but unless things really turn around for the Republicans he seems pretty safe.
He will probably be a thorn in the Dem’s side though, its not like he supports their entire agenda either. Card check being one of them.
Great job GOProud and GayPatrioters! Show your commitment to Gay rights by attacking one of the few voices in the GOP that wasn’t extremely and openly hostile towards any Gay rights. What’s y’alls problem with Specter? Other than the fact that he, unlike 95% of Republican elected officals actually supported Gay rights.
Can y’all do us all a favor and drive Collins and Snowe out of the GOP while you’re at it. Maybe a few more teaparties/Palin rallies will do the trick. If y’all are successful, maybe we can DADT repealed this year after all. With zero or one GOP senators and maybe 10 GOP congressmen voting for repeal.
Who you got now on your side. Are there ANY GOP members of the US Congress that YOU SUPPORT (and don’t call RINO’s etc.) that actually support Gay civil unions/marriage and/or DADT repeal? That you would endorse over a Pat Toomey clone.
This was a big loss for the GOP and you know it.
Problem with losing the primary and running as an independent is that PA has a “sore loser” law that prohibits that. So, it was either Democratic way or the highway.
David
As I pointed out in another discussion, the liberals will be in love with him until he votes against them. Then the honeymoon will be over and he’ll rank somewhere between Cheney and Rumsfeld on their hate list.
I’d rather not have “gay rights” if it means living in a Socialist state with massive debt, bites on a pillow for terrorists and tells Israel to burn in Hell.
re, post #2: wait until 2010, when PA elects Pat Toomey to the US Senate. Bank on it.
Are you kidding me? Your prognostications have been wrong each and every time. From 2006 to 2008 you kept spouting how the GOP would win congress ad nauseum. You were wrong then, you’re going to be wrong again. Specter will win again in a cake-walk.
You better get used to the big switcharoos…next might be Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins. Moderates have no room left in the GOP; they’ve been expelled by Limbaugh and Hannity.
The GOP deserves its minority status and will probably have to get used to it, for I forsee an entire generation of being second-fiddle.
Goodness, with democRat Resident B. Hussein O., 60 senators & house majority, GAY RIGHTS SHOULD FLY RIGHT THROUGH.
Let’s see what these democRats bring with all that power. I won’t hold my breath.
#16: Tom – VP Cheney was gay-friendly and it certainly didn’t inoculate him from every loony accusation that left could throw.
I do seem to recall that Specter did good work during the Clarence Thomas episode – so I give him credit for that.
No wonder the liberals fancy him.
Wouldn’t contributing toward a hit man be more satisfying?
#19 Ed’s right. The are no reasons now why Obama can’t give us all free healthcare, free car warranties, free home mortgages, end DADT, go back to big welfare, double the number of teachers and dbl their pay. He can push for gay marriage. Now all our problems can be solved. The evil Republicans can’t stop anything. Obama can have everything he ever dreamed of. Raise tabacco taxes another dollar. Add a dollar carbon or gas tax. Demand the govt car companies only manufacture the Smart Car. Let’s go. Close the coal fired electric plants. Fire up the socialism. Let’s see in 2010 and 2012 how American likes the Obama revolution. The Democrats could win in landslides. Let’s see the true face of the liberal socialist Democrat Party now. And let the people decide if that’s the Amerika they want. He can now ditch all the flags, the flag pins, visits to military bases. No reason now not to act how he really feels.
filtered
Well, that’s just it. He is unwilling to have his record judged by the PA Republican primary electorate. But, he will gladly have his record judged by the PA Democratic primary electorate. What does that say? Doesn’t it speak volumes?
Volumes about him, I mean. While I’m not the expert on PA, the national GOP is no more rightward now than they were 9 years ago, say and probably less; while the national Democrats have moved noticeably leftward, these last 9 years.
Yeah, but his argument that the Republicans moved too far to the right, when amplified by a compliant MSM, might well resonate with the voters who pay no attention to what Washington’s doing AND listen to NPR for their news.
I may have said this before but I’ll repeat it. A “conservative” friend shrugged, “He’s (Obama) only doing what any president would have had to do.” I’m picturing McCain allowing trillions in pork, issuing an executive order that all projects funded with federal money must use union labor or pay union wages, giving a few billion dollars to ACORN & their ilk (I know, that’s just a drop in the bucket of “trillions,” but to some groups that would seem quite a lot of money), taking over banks and car companies, etc. This friend is one of the voters paying NO attention to what’s going on.
“Good riddance, Senator Specter” = “You can’t fire me, I quit!”
I understand that this defection is deeply embarrassing to the GOP. Mortifying, really. But wouldn’t it be a bit smarter to behave graciously?
spammy filter
There are a few inaccuracies here in the comments that may contribute to a misunderstanding behind Specter’s party switch.
#1 – Pennsylvania law prohibits a candidate that runs in a party primary from running in the general election as an independent. Thus, the option Lieberman used in 2006 was not available to Specter.
#2 – Due in large part to the highly competitive Presidential Primary in 2008 between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, over 200,000 Pennsylvania voters switched party affiliations from Republican to Democrat. Those voters came disproportionately from the Philadelphia suburbs, Specter’s home base. According to Roll Call, Republican registration has decreased by 83,412 in Philadelphia and the four populous counties that comprise its suburbs since 2004. This shift has left the remaining pool of Republican voters in Pennsylvania much more conservative than the electorate Specter faced in 2004.
#3 – Specter defeated Toomey in the 2004 primary by just 17,000 votes out of a little more than a million cast. Simply, the erosion of Republican registrations in Philadelphia and elsewhere meant Specter could not win the Republican primary in 2010.
#4 – A March 25, 2009 Quinnipiac University poll pegged Specter’s approval rating among Pennsylvania Democrats at 71%. One can expect that number, already extraordinarily high, to inch higher now that Specter will caucus with the Democrats.
#5 – Ed Rendell revealed last month that he himself had courted Specter to switch sides recently. Ed Rendell will not be a candidate in 2010. Specter will face scant opposition in the Democratic Primary.
I say good riddance! He was nothing but a turn-coat playing all coy. We need staunch Republicans who will stand up to this Socialist trend, and ensure traditional Republican values.
I may be more conservative than some here, but we do not need someone in the party who has a mixed record during this time of assault. We do not need someone in favor of civil unions. Marriage or imitation of that for anything but a man and a woman is not proscribed by our tradition or our country’s religion. It is unacceptable and he should have voted for the constitutional ban. We do not need someone helping institute special rights by voting for the prohibition of job discrimination based on sexual orientation. We have a long tradition of free markets and employers should be able to hire and fire at will.
Plus he’s pro-choice. Enough said. And enough of this bullshit big tent flabber-jabber. Kick the RINOs out. It’s only when we purify ourselves that we will be able to better recognize the mandate given to us by God to lead the country.
I think we’re being very gracious, considering.
Let’s see, he’s voted against gay marriage at least 3 times. Which gay rights is he a champion for?
TGC, in a 29-year career, he also had chances to vote on DADT and DOMA. It’d be interesting if anyone remembers or can look up how he voted.
Defense Of Marriage Act Roll Call Vote
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Roll Call Vote
DADT was part of a military appropriations bill and the nay votes, of which Specter is one, may not be the best indicator of a Senator’s position on that portion of the bill.
Tea parties what?
1996 Employment Non-Discrimination Act Senate Roll Call Vote
Specter and Olympia Snowe are the only Republicans, still serving in the US Senate, to have voted in favor of the bill. (Jim Jeffords, William Cohen, Lincoln Chaffe, Alfonse D’Amato, Mark Hatfield and Alan Simpson were the other Republican Yea votes)
The bill was defeated 49-50.
What just happened?
A fiscally-irresponsible, big-spending, big-government liberal just went to join the rest of the fiscally-irresponsible, big-spending, big-government liberals.
Republicans strengthen their claim to fiscal responsibility and Democrats weaken theirs — which has already been eviscerated to begin with.
Or look at it another way. Specter switched because he was going to be given the boot. He left because the people who put him there have determined him a failure and a loser. And Democrats greedily gobble him up.
Any way you slice it, it makes Arlen look like damaged goods the Democrats look drunk on power and both of them look unprincipled.
It makes Republicans look as though they are standing up for principle.
All of which helps Republicans and hurts Specter and the Democrats.
I’m old enough to remember the Republican takeover in ’94 and the resulting series of Democrats that switched parties.
Before you get too gleeful, remember that it’s all a numbers game — one the Democrats are very good at. Every additional Democratic senator and congressman puts a Republican committee chair that much further into the future. I don’t like Specter and I seldom agree with him, but his presence in the GOP assured that more conservative/libertarian pols have a better shot at leadership positions once the GOP does regain a majority — possibly one of the reasons he switched parties. Specter, Snowe, and Collins are far, far better than three leftists, not because of their own political positions, but because their presence in the GOP helps conservatives/libertarians in the GOP. Do I wish Specter were a conservative? It would help, but he’s not and he’s elected. It would be preferable for a challenger to take him out in a primary fight rather than giving the opposition an additional member, making it that much harder for the GOP.
As someone who actually lives in the Northeast and has witnessed the erosion of the Moderate/Pro-Business wing of the GOP this isn’t that big a surprise….and I’m appalled at the support here for Toomey. Toomey’s certainly NEVER been a friend of the G/L community…conservative or liberal. Plus, Toomey can’t garner the independents and Union-types who’ve supported Sen. Specter for years. If he’d defeated Spector in the Primary, he’d still lose the general election and the Senate seat for the GOP. Now he’ll win the primary by default, then lose the general election to Sen. Spector anyway. Either way, the GOP wasn’t going to keep the Pennsylvania seat in the first place.
When I got involved with the GOP it was a law-n-order, tax-policy party of the Northeast, the Upper-Midwest, and competitive in the Rust Belt, Florida and California. Now, it’ shifted to the South and Midwest-only Right-wing religious party with a veneer of Reaganism. While I might not have done what Sen. Spector did in-his-place, I can certainly empathese with his viewpoint and action.
Oh, and Sir Winston Churchill crossed the aisle TWICE in his long political career.
#34 – In other words: Specter voted ‘yes’ on both DADT and DOMA.
#20 – “The GOP deserves its minority status and will probably have to get used to it, for I forsee an entire generation of being second-fiddle.”
And you have the audacity to call ME a “wrong prognosticator?” Please.
Try again.
Regards,
Peter H.
So what? Apples and oranges; the British ‘Liberal’ party of his day were classical liberals, i.e., capitalists. What counts is that Churchill never went Labor / socialist.
And Specter has? See comments above.
Wikipedia told a different story, when I looked it up a couple weeks ago:
I think the key question will be the economy. Will Obama’s inflationary depression with its 20%-or-more inflation rates have kicked in by 2010, or will it take longer than that? Time will tell.
Because the Democrats, Ted, are so great on law-and-order and taxes? Umm… have you *noticed* the future taxes and/or hidden taxes (inflation) that they’ve committed America to? Hint: http://www.gaypatriot.net/2009/04/20/no-wonder-president-faces-confidence-gap-on-spending/
For all those who think that there was no “behind-the-scenes” coaxing by the Dhimmicrats (a la Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords of VT) to get Benedict Arlen to jump, think again.
Behold the latest piece by Eleanor “Rodham” Clift of Newsweek, no conservative apologist herself, talking about what the DNC MSM is not:
“Those who know [PA Gov “Fast Eddie”] Rendell say he really wants the seat that Specter holds but would not run against his friend. The scenario that was unfolding had Specter losing in the Republican primary to Club for Growth President Pat Toomey, the favorite of Pennsylvania’s conservative Republican base, and then had Toomey losing to a Democrat in November 2010.
The Democrat suiting up for that task was Rep. Joe Sestak, a retired Navy admiral in his second term, eager to move up, and at 57 years of age, young enough to stake a claim on the seat.
A Sestak candidacy would derail Rendell’s future plans. Keeping Specter in the seat at his age, which is 79, makes it far more likely that the seat would open up in the kind of timetable Rendell would hope for.”
And for those of you who need a link (hello Nutso), here it is:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/195340
Regards,
Peter H.
Did you feel the same way in the 80s when southern Democrats were switching parties to be Republicans?
I seem to recall one party member who jumped to the (R) side of the force by running as a Republican, from Texas I think. Who was it?
And, as usual, Houndentenor misses all the real points that have been made in this post and thread.
TL – you might be thinking of Phil Gramm, who “did it the right way” by resigning his seat, on the honorable premise that he didn’t own the seat and the voters hadn’t elected him (yet) under the party he wanted to go to.
I believe in the 80’s, Ben “Nighthorse” Campbell jumped to the Republican side the very day after the election. I make no judgments, I’m just tossing out a fact.
And Bruce, thank you for the handy eye-chart-like post. I see better than I thought I did!
#52 – Actually, Campbell jumped sides right after the 1994 midterm elections, when Americans finally came to their senses and the country began a period of unprecedented growth through 2006.
(Waiting for TITS* and boobs in 3…2…1…)
*Trolls-In-Transit, just FYI 😉
Regards,
Peter H.
Actually on the subject of party switching outside of an election R to Dem (bigot GOPer Shelby -day after the 1994 elections), and Campbell. There were multiple switchers to the GOP from the old Confederacy in the 1990s.
Several posters have opined that Arlen Specter voted for anti-Gay legislation and that VP Cheney was gay friendly.
Arlen Specter (in favor of the most important gay civil right law – ENDA, in favor of HCPA, and voted no on the Constitutional Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage). He had some bad votes 12 or 16 years ago, so what? I understand that some people think that VP King in the 1850’s was Gay, does that make me a Whig?
Dick Cheney never once voted for a bill to advance Gay rights. Not once.
I repeat myself, please NAME ONE GOP SENATOR that you support (not call a RINO etc. – so the Maine 2 don’t count) that has publically come out in favor of DADT Repeal, supports the Matt Shepard Act, supports Employment Non-Discrimination, or has actually voiced support for federal civil unions/marriage protections. And that you would support even if FOX News/Club for Growth ran a bigot like Pat Toomey against.
Tom, since you like throwing the “bigot” epithet all over the place, can we therefore deduce that you would call the California Prop 8 gay protesters who harassed straights in the streets “bigots” as well? Or does that epithet merely apply to those who disagree with your incorrect world view?
Regards,
Peter H.
I wouldn’t necessarily support one who did.
Peter Hughes,
I stand by my comment that Pat Toomey is a bigot. I believe him to be openly hostile towards Gay people. He supports special rights for religious opponents of Gay people. He supports hate crimes laws that cover Baptist, but wishes for Gays to be excluded. He supports employment non-discrimination protections for Mormons, but opposes them for Gays. He supports taking HIV/AIDS funds and giving them as payola for anti-Gay groups for their ineffective ‘abstinence’ programs. He supports federal taxpayer payments to churches. He is an active opponent of DADT repeal. He opposes civil unions and Gay marriage. He opposes the Permanent Partner Immigration Act. He opposes Social Security benefits for partners. He supports a constitutional amendment banning Gay marriage. He supports unequal pay/benefits for equal work. I cannot think of one thing in his entire voting record that could be considered to be performed with the knowledge that it might help Gay people.
That Gay Conservative wasn’t able to name an incumbent US Senator that he supports that supports DADT repeal.
Raise of hands… Pat Toomey vs Arlen Specter in the General. Who do you support and why.
You know, there is a place for groups like GOProud!/Gaypatriot in the debate on DADT Repeal. The only problem is that if you aren’t willing to be intellectually honest by attacking Democrats for moving slower than I and you would like on the repeal, while simultaneously cheerleading candidates that flat out oppose DADT repeal, then you’re not going to impact the debate.