Can you say “I told you so”? -Knew you could. It looks like the way Arlen Specter figures it, change wasn’t just coming, it was unavoidable with the election of Barack Obama. But I’m not going to put words in the man’s mouth; instead, I’ll direct you to his Big Announcement of today. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/28/AR2009042801523.html?hpid=topnews
Yep, the man’s gonna switch parties because he wants to keep playing with the kids on the Capitol Hill playground. Lieberman did it, but he did it to the tune of “Miss Inpedendent” (all respect due Kelly Clarkson). That was Connecticut-ese for “I’m pissed at the Democrats for not having gotten me elected with Al, but I’m not so pissed that I’ll become a Republican…I’m just gonna go over here and eat an Independent sandwich.” -Said action successfully assured him Freaky McFreak status on the Hill, confirmed by his endorsement of John McCain during last year’s presidential campaign.
Yeah, yeah…Norm Coleman still gets to have his day in front of the Minnesota State Supreme Court to try to wrest the senate seat away from Al Franken, and Specter still has to win as a newly-minted Democrat in the fall, but Specter’s a shoo-in, and Minnesotans are sick of Coleman whining. All that to say the Senate balance may tip in favor of Democrats, a huge coup no matter where you stand.
Specter claims there are over 200,000 registered Republicans in Pennsylvania who switched parties in 2008, and he’s listening to their political re-awakening. What does this say about anyone who switches parties? That they’re fickle? -No. At least that’s not what my former boss meant when he voted for Obama, and he’d been a lifelong Republican-voting Conservative from New York. From Guantanamo to the 2008 Wall Street meltdown, from the war in Iraq to the Patriot Act, if you could name the congressional act or Presidential veto and it was linked to the Bush administration, he was supremely angry with it. He let his voice be heard on November 4 with the two-toned principle of Voting For the Opposition. He didn’t switch parties, but he also didn’t abstain from voting. I don’t know what’s more insulting: no vote from a previous supporting member, or the slap in the face that accompanies the vote for another party.
So Specter’s on to something here. If people like my boss, who were die-hard Republicans, became so inflamed by Bush/Cheney rhetoric that they jumped ship, there might be some more Republicans who’ll do the same to stay working in Congress. If members of the House follow Specter’s lead, the Democrats’ win could increase exponentially: a filibuster-proof Congress. Wouldn’t that be a sight?
