The Specter of a fillibuster-proof majority

[Anonymous]

Senator Arlen Specter has announced he's switching parties and will run as a Democrat in the 2010 Senate primary. Franken will then be number 60 when he comes to town. Here is an article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30456741/

[Anonymous]

A one party lock on everything isn't good news. I voted for obama, but not having ANY way to check whatever Democrats want to do doesn't sound good.

[Anonymous]

I am sure Bush regrets all the time he spent in PA in 2002!

[Anonymous]

I was sorry to hear Specter is becoming a Democrat. As a registered Democrat and Obama supporter, I want a credible opposition in the form of the Republican Party. I don't want all the moderate Republicans to defect to the other side or lose in primaries.

[Anonymous]

Does this sound like there may be another shoe dropping:

But Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), a fellow moderate, didn't seem surprised. On the national level, she says, "you haven't certainly heard warm encouraging words of how [the GOP] views moderates. Either you are with us or against us."

[Anonymous]

Does anyone else feel he should not be allowed to do this? He was voted in to serve the people. He needs to represent the party/people who elected him. I do not understand how a public servant can just up and leave the population who voted him in. It's a crime.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else feel he should not be allowed to do this? He was voted in to serve the people. He needs to represent the party/people who elected him. I do not understand how a public servant can just up and leave the population who voted him in. It's a crime.

It's frustrating, but happens all the time. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Richard Shelby are two Democrats who switched to the Republican party and Jim Jeffords was a Republican who became "independent" but caucused with the Democrats. And then there is Joe Lieberman who lost the Democratic primary but claims to be an "independent Democrat". I don't think any of these guys have principles. They simply care about what gets them elected. I hope Spector gets primaried by a real Democrat.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else feel he should not be allowed to do this? He was voted in to serve the people. He needs to represent the party/people who elected him. I do not understand how a public servant can just up and leave the population who voted him in. It's a crime.

It's frustrating, but happens all the time. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Richard Shelby are two Democrats who switched to the Republican party and Jim Jeffords was a Republican who became "independent" but caucused with the Democrats. And then there is Joe Lieberman who lost the Democratic primary but claims to be an "independent Democrat". I don't think any of these guys have principles. They simply care about what gets them elected. I hope Spector gets primaried by a real Democrat.

I am all for more democrats in the Senate but it's just not right. Spector needs to represent the people who elected him, not switch parties so he can guarantee being re-elected. I don't understand how it is not "against the rules". Makes me mad.... GRRRR.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else feel he should not be allowed to do this? He was voted in to serve the people. He needs to represent the party/people who elected him. I do not understand how a public servant can just up and leave the population who voted him in. It's a crime.

It's frustrating, but happens all the time. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Richard Shelby are two Democrats who switched to the Republican party and Jim Jeffords was a Republican who became "independent" but caucused with the Democrats. And then there is Joe Lieberman who lost the Democratic primary but claims to be an "independent Democrat". I don't think any of these guys have principles. They simply care about what gets them elected. I hope Spector gets primaried by a real Democrat.

I think a politician should be judged by the policies he supports. Yes, some people voted for their politicians because of party affiliation. But ultimately, they vote for the person based on what they think he/she will support. I think that Specter is going to vote the way he has before on the key issues. And so he is honoring his commitment to the people who elected him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else feel he should not be allowed to do this? He was voted in to serve the people. He needs to represent the party/people who elected him. I do not understand how a public servant can just up and leave the population who voted him in. It's a crime.

It's frustrating, but happens all the time. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Richard Shelby are two Democrats who switched to the Republican party and Jim Jeffords was a Republican who became "independent" but caucused with the Democrats. And then there is Joe Lieberman who lost the Democratic primary but claims to be an "independent Democrat". I don't think any of these guys have principles. They simply care about what gets them elected. I hope Spector gets primaried by a real Democrat.

I think a politician should be judged by the policies he supports. Yes, some people voted for their politicians because of party affiliation. But ultimately, they vote for the person based on what they think he/she will support. I think that Specter is going to vote the way he has before on the key issues. And so he is honoring his commitment to the people who elected him.

Really, he ran as a conservative each and every election just to suck up to voters, and he knows he cannot survive a GOP primary again after some of his recent stands and without GWB stumping for him _- will liberal Dems turn out for a law and order DA?

[Anonymous]

Specter claims that the state is moving left and uses the 200,000 voters who switched parties during the primaries as an example.

While there is no doubt that the state (and the nation) may be moving more to the center, many people in this group switched parties because they wanted to have influence on the Obama/Clinton primary. PA is a closed primary. My own mother did this bc she liked Clinton over Obama, but when it came down to the general, she voted McCain.

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens. There is no way he would have beaten Toomey so this is his only shot at keeping what he feels he's entitled to... a lifelong Senate seat.

2010 is a long way from now- his success will ride on the success of Obama and Co.

[Anonymous]

The closed primary votes skew the system too strongly towards the extreme views. Open primaries or candidates running just in the general election on their own merits (like Lieberman) seem a good way to create more opportunities for moderates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else feel he should not be allowed to do this? He was voted in to serve the people. He needs to represent the party/people who elected him. I do not understand how a public servant can just up and leave the population who voted him in. It's a crime.

It's frustrating, but happens all the time. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Richard Shelby are two Democrats who switched to the Republican party and Jim Jeffords was a Republican who became "independent" but caucused with the Democrats. And then there is Joe Lieberman who lost the Democratic primary but claims to be an "independent Democrat". I don't think any of these guys have principles. They simply care about what gets them elected. I hope Spector gets primaried by a real Democrat.

I think a politician should be judged by the policies he supports. Yes, some people voted for their politicians because of party affiliation. But ultimately, they vote for the person based on what they think he/she will support. I think that Specter is going to vote the way he has before on the key issues. And so he is honoring his commitment to the people who elected him.

Really, he ran as a conservative each and every election just to suck up to voters, and he knows he cannot survive a GOP primary again after some of his recent stands and without GWB stumping for him _- will liberal Dems turn out for a law and order DA?

How do you figure he's a conservative? Look at his 2008 ACU rating: 42 That makes him the 4th most liberal Republican senator. The median Republican senator rated a 76. he is what he is, a moderate. Rating-wise, he's right in the middle between the parties, and the Republicans are making it very difficult to be anything other than a conservative. It's their fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was sorry to hear Specter is becoming a Democrat. As a registered Democrat and Obama supporter, I want a credible opposition in the form of the Republican Party. I don't want all the moderate Republicans to defect to the other side or lose in primaries.

Good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The closed primary votes skew the system too strongly towards the extreme views. Open primaries or candidates running just in the general election on their own merits (like Lieberman) seem a good way to create more opportunities for moderates.

A fiscal conservative, social moderate here who totally agrees with you. Viva Virginia!