I Have Seen the Specter

You know things are bad for the Republicans when one of its brightest and most mature U.S. Senators leaves the party. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched to the Democratic Party effective immediately. His decision was based on two factors. First, he realized that there was no place for him in the Republican party after voting for President Obama's stimulus bill against overwhelming opposition from fellow Republicans. Second of all, he found that a conservative Republican primary electorate, out of step with Pennsylvania's moderate politics, could possibly deny him renomination for a sixth Senate term next year, and felt the general electorate was more qualified to vote on his re-election bid.

Specter was born in Wichita, and grew up in the Jewish community of Russell, Kansas - i.e., his family. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and Yale School, he settled in Philadelphia, where he served as district attorney. As a U.S. Senator since 1981, Specter has supported abortion rights and gun rights, and he was one of only four Republicans to vote against Robert Bork's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1987. He has high ratings from both the liberal group Americans for Democratic Action and the AFL-CIO.

So, Specter's a pretty moderate guy. A Democrat once before, he rejoins the party and demonstrates the growing disgust in the American Northeast with the GOP. Once a party of establishment types, it is increasingly becoming the party of right-wing crackpots and bigots, the kind of folks that even James Baker III once called "yahoos." Heck, these are the kind of people even Barry Goldwater thought were kooky.

Because Specter is not a true liberal, except by Republican standards, he won't be any more a reliable vote for the Democrats than he was for the Republicans. Indeed, there's something about him that irks Barbra Streisand; she invited Specter's 1986 Democratic opponent to her private fundraising concert for the Democratic party, and she went right up to Specter at one of President Clinton's inaugural balls in 1993 and snidely asked him how it felt to be on the losing side. (Actually, Specter won his bid for a third term in 1992, despite female opposition in Pennsylvania to his support for confirming Clarence Thomas to a seat on the Supreme Court, which he now regrets.) But he will be clearly be more comfortable in party that is the big tent the Republicans pretend to be. (Pennsylvania's other Democratic senator, Robert Casey, Jr., is pro-life.) And when Al Franken finally gets into the Senate, the Democrats will have a filibuster-proof majority that should intimidate the GOP opposition. Specter is certain to be a formidable candidate for re-election next year.

Streisand may even campaign for him. :-D

This must be the ultimate wet dream for MSNBC host and Philadelphia native Chris Matthews.

(Semi-related useless fact: Arlen Specter's name is an anagram of "learn respect." :-))