No Moderates Need Apply
Personally, as a Democrat trying to elect more and better Democrats, I hate this move by Specter. He is only a Democrat today because his career was in doubt. He is not suddenly a liberal. He is not pro-choice. He is not pro-Obama’s budget. He is not pro-labor. He has just deprived Pennsylvania Democrats and National Democrats the opportunity of winning the seat in their own right (for surely Specter was going to lose to the unelectable Toomey) and having a real Democrat represent Pennsylvania.
And Specter is not suddenly the magic 60th vote that will immediately pass all Democratic legislation within the next few hours. Indeed, he is technically only the 59th until the sore loser Norm Coleman gives him his doomed appeal. But even with Franken, Specter will be no more reliable than conservadems Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh and Blanche Lincoln.
The only good thing to come from this switch is the schadenfreude. As Jason says, we will now be treated to a week’s worth of stories about the GOP in disarray. I love those stories. RNC Chairman may have to lose his job over this. Good.
But the importance of this switch is summed up by Jonathan Cohn:
Specter is one of the better-known senators in America. If you follow politics even casually, you’ve seen or heard him on the news before. So it’s going to register with you that a major Republican senator has decided his party has become too extreme for him. And if you’re a Republican, you might wonder if it’s become too extreme for you, as well.
Of course, polls show voters leaving the Republican Party already. And not just in Pennsylvania, as Specter noted. The real significance here may be less about political change to come and more about political change that has already happened.
The message now being broadcast loud and clear is this: The Republican Party is too extreme for the guy who came up with that magic bullet theory. Now that is extreme. This is just further confirmation that the GOP is the party of Cheney, Limbaugh, Gingrich and Palin, where no moderates need apply. Whereas the Democratic Party openly welcomed the moderate Specter, and acknowledged him as such, the GOP is openly happy that they are rid of him. That is a stunning message being broadcast at this very moment to even the casual follower of politics, and it will resonate.
And we all know, it is those who appear moderate that win elections.
Simmer down. There are plenty of moderate democrats, like Tester, and even one from PA called Casey. Don’t act a weirdo Repub.
Yeah, it is a move for politcal expediancy, so what. I can’t disparge the man because he isn’t in MoveOn.org.
Basically Specter said to the GOP, you all nuts now and I can’t be associated with you. Do you disagree?
He voted for the stimulus…
We can win the battle (Specter) and win the war (more and better Dems). This is a process.
And I’m still convinced Specter had to make some big promises in order to be welcomed in with open arms. The psychological damage inflicted on Republicans isn’t enough to promise him unconditional Dem support. I think there were conditions. Health care springs to mind.
Just giving ya my precise view Dorian. I am happy to have him as a Democrat for certain reasons and unhappy for other certain reasons.
Health care and judicial nominations.
And cloture for EFCA.
Will he vote for cloture on EFCA? I think he said he remains opposed.
1) I agree. Specter sucks. Give me a real Dem any day.
2) This makes a Castle party switch a bit more likely. (Has he reacted to Specter yet?)
Like Specter, Castle would need a promise from Dem power brokers to not contest a primary with a top tier player. That ain’t happening so Castle’s “Specter Probability” is nudged up a hair, but still at about 1% chance.
One reason that is is even 1% is because, well just look at the Republican party now. What do they offer someone like Castle? Nothing.
Here is the current breakdown:
Castle to Retire: 64%
Castle to run for Senate as R: 21%
Castle to run for House as R: 13%
Castle to accept appointment: 1%
Castle to switch parties: 1%
From 0% chance to 21% chance…
That’s change we can believe in.
Castle to Retire: 40%
Castle to run for Senate as R: 40%
Castle to run for Senate as D: 20%
Castle to run for House as R: 0%
Castle to accept appointment: 0%
My money is on zero. I was showing the percentages that George Sorros and the boys at the home office are throwing around. Castle’s been talking up the Senate, maybe you’ve missed that?
Anyway, Thanks for the chance to clear that up.
Like Specter, Castle would need a promise from Dem power brokers to not contest a primary with a top tier player.
Like who? There is nobody except Carney (maybe) who could beat Castle in a Senate primary in either party.
He can vote for cloture and vote against….
George asked me to the meeting too, but I had to wash my hair that night.
You have hair? Damn it! The image keeps getting destroyed with each new comment!
By the way, Jason, do you think that VP Biden has more or less influence in DE now than he did when he was the Senior Senator?
And don’t you think Carper would like to have Castle on his side of the aisle in the Senate so he could double date with Specter and Lieberman?
Freep this WDEL poll.
If Castle runs as a Democrat, then the GOP in Delaware is destroyed. Completely. Thoroughly. Steve Newton and the Libertarians are now the main opposition party.
A1,
I love you but you are getting on my freaking nerves being all nervous and jerky about Castle.
I think Specter’s switch makes Castle less likely to run for Senate. I do think Specter’s switch does make more party-flipping possible.
As far as Specter goes, ugh. David Waldman at Congress Matters explains that the Specter switch could have a profound effect on committee assignments. Basically, Republicans will need a new organizing resolution or lose one more seat on each committee that Specter is on. If Dems had a spine they’d make sure Franken is seated, at least provisionally, in a new organizing resolution.
DD makes a good point. If Castle leaves, who is left on the shallow bench? Protack? O’Donnell? Maybe they can let Jan Ting back in the party.
Del Dem wrote:
If Castle runs as a Democrat, then the GOP in Delaware is destroyed. Completely. Thoroughly. Steve Newton and the Libertarians are now the main opposition party.
See, it might be a good thing, Jason!
I think the Green Party is more likely to emerge as an opposition party than the Libertarians. Steve isn’t going to run and Tyler? Yeah, right.
Sorry for the delay. But back to the original post. I understand there are things about Specter that aren’t super liberal, but please don’t cry about it. You sound like Republicans who said McCain didn’t love Jesus enough. These partisan litmus testes are really dumb.
He’s listens to reason and at least considers it carefully before making up his mind. That makes him a Democrat. Maybe not a liberal…. so what.
Jan Ting worked harder for Obama in Philly last year than perhaps any of us in Delaware.
DG wrote:
He’s listens to reason and at least considers it carefully before making up his mind.
No, he listened to reason and at least acted like he considered it carefully before voting with Bush.
He switched from a RINO to a DINO.
It took big balls to vote for that stimulus.
Indeed. But the balls involved crossing the members of his party. Not in representing his PA constituents who mostly supported it.