Republican Sen. Arlen Specter's Surprise Move: Become a Democrat
Snarlin' Arlen—as Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter is known—has suddenly become the Democrats' darlin'. The gruff lawmaker stunned the political world today by announcing that he is leaving the Republican Party—his home for 43 years—and joining ranks with the Democrats. He entered the Senate in 1981.
The turnaround represents a seismic shift for national Democrats on the eve of President Obama's first 100 days. Specter will become the 59th lawmaker to caucus with Democrats; 57 others belong to the party, and two are independents who vote with them. Depending on the result of the still-contested Senate race involving Democratic candidate Al Franken in Minnesota, the party now is poised to reach the magic number of 60 needed to bypass Senate filibusters. Those 60 votes would mean that Obama could find it easier to advance a far-reaching agenda on healthcare, energy, and a host of issues.
Specter issued a statement saying that he has worked hard for the GOP, its candidates, and its ideals, but "my party has not defined who I am." He added, "I have taken each issue one at a time and have exercised independent judgment to do what I thought was best for Pennsylvania and the nation."
In recent weeks, Specter, 79, who is up for re-election in 2010 and facing a primary challenge from a prominent conservative, repeatedly turned aside Democratic overtures. The courtship heated up after Specter was one of only three GOP lawmakers in Congress to vote in February for Obama's $787 billion stimulus package. Their votes were crucial to its passage.
As recently as April 2, Specter was asked about turning aside efforts by high-level Democrats, including Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, to lure him over to the other party. At the time, Specter said in an interview, "It's not a very complicated decision. I am a Republican. I think my voice is very important in the Republican caucus. If you were a fly on the wall and you heard what went on, you'd see that voices like mine are necessary to provide some balance. So I think I have an important role to play there."
He added: "I am a Republican. I am running on the Republican ticket in the Republican primary. I've had some primaries in the past."
Specter, though, went on to say that conservative Republican Pat Toomey, a former House member and the president of the antitax Club for Growth, was a "very substantial threat" as a primary opponent. Toomey came close to beating Specter in a primary in 2004.
In the interview, Specter also said that at least one other Republican senator voted against the stimulus out of survival instincts. "After I announced my position on the stimulus, one of my senior Republican colleagues said to me in the cloakroom, 'I'm proud of you, Arlen.' I said, 'Are you going to vote with me?' He said, 'No. I couldn't. It might cost me a primary.''
Reader Comments
No surprise
Good! That fake GOP officer is out of the GOP, hopefully the PA citizens will dump him in the next primary.
Devin of OR
Who are you? Do you really believe that being pro-life, anti-Taxation and against government intervention into public life is close minded? All I see liberal dems do today is legislate to take Americans money, their ability to defend themselves and their freedom. You guys constantly whined about breeches of privacy under Bush because of serveilance on suspected terrorists, but you are willing to give all your freedoms up to make sure that someone too lazy to get a job has a big screen, that someone too messed up to know that raping a child is wrong doesn't get executed (because that's just inhumane right?) But you dont have the guts to protect an unborn baby? You and other mis-educated Americans will either die off or kill off our country.
Im from CO but serving in Iraq
Congressional Term Limits
I would love to see congressional term limits for people just like Specter. Im only 24 but I already feel like I've seen too many good men go to Washington only to become good politicians. More concerned with wealth and their own importance than the United States strength and prosperity. Originally, being a congressman or senator was a part time job, and Washington was where they met. Now we are subject to proffessional politicians who sometimes come back to visit the people who elected them(usually around elections.)
There is no place on the state drop-down menu for American Soldier in Iraq.
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