Department of WTF???
Specter jumps ship, and as usual it’s all about Arlen:
I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard for the Party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been comfortable being a Republican, my Party has not defined who I am. 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.
Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.
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.
That’s certainly a lot of “I” statements, isn’t it? it’s not because Specter feels the Democratic party more closely matches his political philosophy, it’s because he is “unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate”: ie, the people who elected him year after year since 1980, and who he has let down in so many ways.
And make note, Specter still can’t help but lie:
My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats that I have been for the Republicans. Unlike Senator Jeffords’ switch which changed party control, I will not be an automatic 60th vote for cloture. For example, my position on Employees Free Choice (Card Check) will not change.
Uh arlen? your position on EFCA has ALREADY changed: you were originally a supporter.
here’s what i believe the truth to be: Arlen has realized he cannot win the Pennsylvania primary. PA has been trending Democratic for the past 10 years: Kerry and Gore won here, Rick Santorum was defeated by an enormous margin, and as Specter points out, 200,000 or more republicans switched parties here as the GOP moved hard right. We’ve been electing more democrats.
I was here in 2004 when Specter last faced Toomey. it took personal visits and appeals from Bush and Santorum to push him over the finish line. Toomey came very close: Specter only won the primary by 2 percentage points.
But since the moderate republicans became conservative democrats, Specter doesn’t have that cushion anymore. And i don’t know if rank-and-file Democrats want a rehashed Republican half-heartedly representing them
And he may still find himself fucked in the Democratic primary (but probably not: given that the party hopes to “avoid a primary this year” (so much for democracy), a deal of some kind has probably been made). Even though Specter originally co-sponsored EFCA, he now opposes it, evidently hoping it would assuage angry conservative republicans. that didn’t work out in two ways: the GOP was not assuaged, and the unions (which have always come out for specter) are now pissed about his reversal on that same bill: EFCA!
April 28th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
[...] Department of WTF??? [...]
April 28th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Stick a fork in him, he’s done.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
[...] 3. http://brendancalling.com/2009/04/28/department-of-wtf/ [...]