I'll take Arlin Specter as #59, I don't care what people think about his opportunism

[DainBramaged]

We're at war with the party of 'NO'. If you think this isn't a good thing, oh well. Maybe some of you should switch parties.

[onehandle]

1. Amen. nt

[tridim]

2. Lots of ignoring the forest for the trees going on this morning on DU

To be expected I guess.

[cliffordu]

3. Yep.

[DireStrike]

4. So he will vote with us?

Or will everyone be able to say "The democrats are so ineffectual! They couldn't get things done even with 60 votes!"

[Lorien]

7. He has often voted with the Democrats, just as Snowe has

he has been their Lieberman for years now.

[Occam Bandage]

10. On cloture, I bet he will. nt

[Renew Deal]

12. He's going to need to vote with us on EFCA.

To bolster his Democratic support!

[LSK]

14. maybe 50% of the time now versus 10% of the time if he stayed in the GOP

If he stayed and faced a right winger in the primary, he would have been forced to vote with us a lot lot less.

[DireStrike]

18. Yeah, alright. I guess it's good then.

Not a huge deal but it helps.

[Lorien]

5. We already had Dems as conservative as he is in the party, so why not

be happy about it? Anything that weakens the GOP is a good thing!

[DinahMoeHum]

6. Fine. But he STILL needs a good scare like a primary challenge.

to get him in line.

I don't like his stance on the Employee Free Choice Act, and he while he's a camera hog, he really doesn't stand for anything anymore except himself.

His departure from Capitol Hill wouldn't matter shit to me. Should have been done a long time ago.

[stillcool]

8. I'd like to get as much pushed through..

as early as possible. The future is unknown and the time to get it done is right now, while we can.

[get the red out]

9. Demoralizing the Republicans

and reinforcing that they are a very regional party greatly in decline can only be good for Democrats.

[blondeatlast]

11. Word, wordity word. Stem-cell rearch with federal funding, here we come--

and that is a VERY good thing.

[Jack Rabbit]

13. This place attracts ideologues

Ideologues on either side have little use for Spector, who is a man of independent judgment. I have not always agreed with him, but this is a welcome event. The Republicans are in terrible shape and aren't going to win national elections any time soon by reading other Republicans out of the party. And from the lowest Freeper to Michael Steele, there they are, denoucing Spector's "left-wing voting record" (that's what Steele said, really).

I've seen some posts here this morning that read like some of the ones being copied from FR. The people there definitely don't get it. Let them run Twomey, who seems to be their kind of "real" Republican, against Spector in 2010 and see what happens. Let them run Palin for President in 2012 and see what they say the morning after President Obama is re-elected in a 50-state sweep.

As a practical matter, it just doesn't pay to be doctrinaire. Now get out of your ivory towers and get some dirt on your feet. We may never get to a perfect world, but we'll get to a much better one than the one the free market purists and neoconservative imperialists left us in January.

[Mz Pip]

15. I'll take him too

The Republicans are driving people away. Their Big Tent is nothing more than a small plastic bag full of holes.

[stopbush]

16. An opportunistic politician? Heaven forfend!!!

[SteelPenguin]

17. So you'll vote for him for reelection then?

Just wondering if you're from PA or not...

See here in PA we saw Specter losing in the primary to a radical, which would let us actually get a real democratic senator. Instead we'll get Specter.

Don't fool yourself. Specter will vote how Specter will vote. This will not change any vote he would have made as a Republican, and will only serve to secure his reelection. That's all it is.

I will not applaud political opportunism without any gain for our side. Sorry.

[DainBramaged]

20. ALL politicians are opportunists, and NO I am from NJ.

We are at war, and ANY advantage we can get now is worth it. Or shall we go back to the days of whining and bitching how the GOP kicked our asses and we were powerless.


The circle has returned from where it began, and I for one celebrate the destruction of the GOP.

[SteelPenguin]

22. That's my point

This is all for his benefit. He'll vote how he always has voted. The only reason he did this is to secure his reelection, after which we get another Lieberman.

No thanks.

[DainBramaged]

24. I don't think so , but that's just old Bramaged me.

:hi:


He'll get a PLUM committee chair and he'll be our lapdog.

[SteelPenguin]

25. I hope you're right

I'm just sick of national party compromises determining my senators, rather than electing an actual liberal. I sucked it up to get rid of Santorum because he was vile, but this is just....

We were months from getting rid of Specter. He would have lost his primary, and we could have put up all sorts of great people who were only starting to stand up to consider running for the seat...and they would have won. We could have put a real liberal in the seat...It's frustrating. Particularly when all the PA dems I know were excited to start working to get rid of Specter next, and now we're going to have to work for his releection? And all the people in other parts of the country are cheering it?

It doesn't sit well with me.

I hope you're right. I hope he at least votes for cloture when needed, but I just don't see it happening. Particularly after he gets reelected (and he WILL get reelected as a Democrat. Our only hope was to have him lose his primary fight to Toomey which he would have).

Maybe he toes in line with the Dems now, though I doubt it. he'll do JUST ENOUGH to stay on people's good sides....until the election. Then he'll do whatever he wants to do.

You know what it's like? It's like trading a great hockey rookie prospect at the trading deadline to get a veteran forward who will leave for free agency as soon as the season is over. Hope they realize that if they want to use him, they need to use him NOW...cause he'll go to the highest bidder after the season is over...

[DainBramaged]

26. There may be things going on we just don't know about

I enjoyed your post, well thought out and written, thanks.

[ProgressiveFool]

19. Not that I'd trust Specter, but I will gladly welcome him.

Especially if his move influences Snowe and/or Collins to do the same, and encourages moderate Republicans to assert themselves. It would be the death-knell of the current Republican party, plain for all to see that it has become a party of unreasonable hatred, illogical posturing, and mostly just obstruction (of progress, of justice, etc.).

I still think a credible Democrat should run against him in the primary, if only to get him on record with some more liberal ideas. Even if he only votes with the Democrats for cloture, it will be worth something.

[DainBramaged]

21. We HAVE to welcome him, anyone who won't is foolish

The GOP would welcome and Dem who jumps party, and I am sure they are trying so hard to get one of our Bluedogs to jump, at which time the naysayers here would crucify him and still bitch about Specter.

[spanone]

23. show me a politician that is not an opportunist and i'll show you a pol out of office