by Mark Silva
"I found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy,'' Sen. Arlen Specter said at a Capitol news conference today after announcing his intention to become a Democrat again after more than 40 years, suggesting that his vote on the president's economic stimulus bill this year was a watershed. It was necessary, he said he had concluded, to avert another Great Depression.
The Pennsylvanian said he had concluded that "the prospects for winning a Republican primary are bleak,'' and that he is "not prepared'' to have his 29-year record in the Senate decided by the electorate, the "jury,'' of the Republican Party primary. So he will run as a Democrat, enabling all the voters of the state that he has served since 1981 to cast a judgment on him.
"I will not be an automatic 60th vote'' for the Democrats in the Senate, he added, noting his opposition to the so-called "card-check'' bill for union elections that Democrats are promoting.
Specter says he has until next Tuesday, when the parties hold their weekly luncheons, to decide when he will start caucusing with Democrats. He cannot formally change parties until May, he said, because registration is closed at home until then. But he will.
He was asked if he is putting his personal political fortune ahead of principle.
"No, I am putting principle at the top of the list,'' said Specter, who is 79. "I'm full of vim, vigor and vitality. There are lots of things I want to do.''
Specter left the Democratic Party in 1965 when he was running for district attorney in Philadelphia, and was elected to the Senate as a Republican in 1980.
Asked what positions he might assume in the Democratic leadership, the five-termer suggested that he has a lot of seniority. He said that he had spoken with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid about this, and was told that he will be ranked as if he had been a Democrat since starting in 1981.
"We find, I think regrettably, that the extremes of both parties are taking over,'' said Specter, noting that his colleague from Connecticut, Sen. Joe Lieberman, had been unable to win the primary election of his own party when he last ran for reelection -- and became an independent. His own primary chances, he said, are "bleak'' - a sign that the GOP that he joined in the mid-1960s has roamed too far to the right.
"The party has shifted very far to the right.''
(At a committee hearing today, Specter said he would have to leave because this is a "complicated day'' for him. He added that that was not meant as "a laugh line.'' Photo by Olivier Douliery / Abaca Press / MCT)
Comments
As late as 6 weeks ago, Specter said he'd never switch:
"In a March 17th interview with The Hill, Specter said he absolutely would not switch parties:
[Democrats] are trying very hard for the 60th vote. Got to give them credit for trying. But the answer is no.
I’m not going to discuss private talks I had with other people who may or may not be considered influential. But since those three people are in the public domain, I think it is appropriate to respond to those questions.
I am staying a Republican because I think I have an important role, a more important role, to play there."
We all can see what Specter's word is worth....
Posted by: Party gal | April 28, 2009 2:58 PM
What part of you're either with us or against us didn't Arlen understand?
Posted by: bill r. | April 28, 2009 3:12 PM
Any bets on how long it will be before another Senator or Representative switches? I'll bet there will be defections from both sides. There will probably be a few more Republican to Democrat conversions, maybe even one or two more in the Senate, but I think the real numbers will be the conservative House Representatives that will switch from Democrat to Republican. I don't honestly think any of these defections, R to D or D to R ,will be driven solely by moral or ethical principles. I think the majority of these defections will be based solely on careful calculations related to personal political survival.
Posted by: kg123 | April 28, 2009 3:15 PM
I am staying a Republican because I think I have an important role, a more important role, to play there."
We all can see what Specter's word is worth....
Posted by: Party gal | April 28, 2009 2:58 PM
..........
Quit crying, Teresa
Specter finally gave in to his good conscience. Toomey is a right-wing psycho-path and that may play well with todays Repug base (the deep South) but in Pa that won't get you elected in a general election.
The Repugs are sinking faster than than the Titanic, in fact they're now less popular with Americans than Venezuela and Russia are.
.
http://www.pufferfishblog.com/weblog/2009/04/republicans-less-popular-than-venezuela.html
Posted by: Hulk SMASH! | April 28, 2009 3:21 PM
Funny just found a quote from Snowe.
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."
Posted by: bill r. | April 28, 2009 3:36 PM
I'm loving this moment.
Pretty soon it will only be Rush, Beck and Palin in the lounge at the local Applebee's in Alabama rousing the GOPer base of about 20 teabaggers.
The party of Limbaugh (GOP) did this to themselves and now all they lack is a crying towel as they tearfully wave goodbye to the few remaining Reagan Democrats. They primaried out nearly all of their moderates and can't win national election with their extremist base. Good riddance.
It will take decades to undo all the damage they've done to themselves.
Posted by: LoveBuzz | April 28, 2009 3:57 PM
Arlen Specter = A true American hero.
Posted by: I ♡ Arlen Specter | April 28, 2009 5:58 PM
Really good stuff on earlier Arlen thread.
However, I'll ask this here:
Who's next to jump ship?
Posted by: ornery | April 28, 2009 5:59 PM
The once democrat - turned Republican - is now going back. This is nothing but him saving his hide in 2010. He could give the dems the filabuster proof majority just by voting with them, like he did with the spendulus bill.
This was another President Bush mistake, campaigning for him in 2004
Posted by: Terry | April 28, 2009 7:35 PM
Specter hasn't shown proof of where he was born.
Posted by: dinky | April 28, 2009 9:57 PM
Right, dink.
I hear Specter was not really from Russell KS but from Havana and is a second cousin once removed of Fidel Castro.
Get out a black felt tipped pen and draw a little beard on his photo and you'll see what I mean!
Plus someone told me he has been heard wandering the halls talking to himself in Spanish!
Or perhaps he was on one of those new fangled telephones talking directly to Fidel!!
Terry needs to look into this.
Must go now and read the Financial Times.
Posted by: Milton Friedman | April 29, 2009 9:37 AM
*I* heard he was a Muslim and a weird kind of brand-x Christian cultist (yeah! at the SAME TIME!) and his brother is living on $1 a day somewhere in Africa or one of those other Latin American countries (maybe it was France)! Be afraid! This guy will try to take all your rights away from you and make you be a Muslim or something and won't let you have any guns and will FORCE YOU TO MARRY YOUR CAT!!!!!!!
Posted by: Rinky | April 29, 2009 1:57 PM