Impending Doom

Separated at birth?

I am having a hard time reading the tea leaves on this Arlen Specter party switching move. Stupid me, I thought that it was a clear win for the president's agenda but after a look at the blogosphere, I'm wrong, wrong, wrong. If you listen to the right wing columnists, it is a portent of dire consequence for the Democratic Party.

William Kristol in the WaPo: Good News for Republicans. I wonder if today’s Arlen Specter party switch, this time to the president’s party, won’t end up being bad for President Obama and the Democrats. With the likely seating of Al Franken from Minnesota, Democrats will have 60 seats in the Senate, giving Obama unambiguous governing majorities in both bodies. He’ll be responsible for everything. GOP obstructionism will go away as an issue, and Democratic defections will become the constant worry and story line. This will make it easier for GOP candidates in 2010 to ask to be elected to help restore some checks and balance in Washington -- and, meanwhile, Specter’s party change won’t likely have made much difference in getting key legislation passed or not. So, losing Specter may help produce greater GOP gains in November 2010, and a brighter Republican future.


So let me get this straight, Bill - the defection is a good thing because the Democrats will now have the power to do everything they want, and eventually the country will get sick of them. Is that it? Like D-Day was a clear win for the Nazis because they wouldn't have to bother funding a military for the next 50 years.

Sen. James Inhofe says that Specter's departure is evidence that the GOP was on its way back: "Now the evidence of this was found out when Arlen Specter made his decision," Inhofe explained. "And that is all of a sudden, we find out that Arlen Specter is down in the Republican Party, down in terms of his popularity. The guy that ran against him and was defeated by Arlen Specter in, six years ago, now is so far ahead of him that Arlen Specter's own advisers said there's no way that you can win this thing unless you change to the Democratic Party. Now to me, that's the evidence it's coming."

Forget the fact Jim, that Pennsylvania overwhelmingly voted for Obama and the Democrats, the Democrats just won eight more Senate seats and that in the latest Pew Research Poll earlier this month, only 24% of Americans identified themselves as Republicans.

Sen. John Cornyn : During the last 24 hours, much has been written about U.S. Senator Arlen Specter's (D-PA) defection to the Democrat Party. Unsurprisingly, the Washington media have cast Specter's announcement as a devastating blow to the Republican Party, and are predicting doom and gloom for us in the months and years ahead. Senator Specter's decision indeed carries important ramifications, but there is another side to this story that has been largely ignored by the Beltway pundits. First, his departure likely spares Republicans from spending valuable resources in what would have been an expensive and divisive Republican primary - a primary battle that Specter appeared extremely unlikely to win. Indeed, Specter cited recent polls showing him trailing former U.S. Representative Pat Toomey (R-PA) by more than 20 points as his main reason to bolt the Party. While Senator Specter's decision was indeed disappointing, it did allow us to realize - perhaps sooner than we would have liked - the dangerous ramifications of unbridled, one-party rule in Washington. Come November 2010, this may ultimately be viewed as a positive development in the Republican Party's climb back to power.

You got me John, you've obviously got the Democrats right where you want them...

Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina is positively giddy about Specter's departure. "I would rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who really believe in the principles of limited government, free markets, free people, than have sixty who don't have a set of beliefs."  

Gee Jim, might not be a great time to talk about free markets and deregulation.  We just saw what happened when the foxes guarded the henhouse.

The de facto leader of the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, has referred to Specter in the past as being the leader of a "liberal lynch mob." He said that Specter should take McCain and his daughter with him.

The Republicans are on a witch hunt to restore ideological purity to their party. Snowe and Collins are the next (and probably last) two moderate Senators likely to be in the crosshairs. The Repugs are down to one Senator in the northeast, Gregg, who has signaled that he is retiring. Apparently the party was backing Specter's conservative opponent Toomey in the next election. Is it any wonder he bolted? I am convinced that most Americans are interested in centrists, yet the vanquished pachyderms continue to charge to the fringe. Soon they will be near extinct and only visible in zoos and circus tents.

This is like having a front seat at the Donner Party. Pardon me for my glee at watching the sick spectacle. But if this is somebody's idea of bad news for the left, please bring me a second helping.