And that’s what makes it so great. Obama has done so well, and now it looks like he’ll have the power to do some even more significant things. The turnaround in the US, at least on the political level, has been nothing less than shocking. You’ve gone from having one of the worst leaders in living memory to having one of the strongest, and a true world leader. Obama has goodwill galore at his disposal right now, at home and around the world, and if you combine that with this kind of increased formal power then the future looks bright indeed. I’ve said this before, but I think we all need to watch and learn from what’s happening with Obama and this presidency. Obama is a very able guy, but there’s no magic to what he’s doing and what his appeal is about. I think he’s is just the first of the next generation of leaders, and we all need to watch and learn to make sure that the ground he’s breaking and the principles he’s establishing become part of our democratic traditions for a long time to come.
What a joke. He basically gets to have his cake and eat it too. If he was truly honest, he would have switched earlier. Of course that would mean giving up his committee slots. And will the Dems give him the same slots? I doubt it. The Dems will reward the people that have been working for the Democratic minority the past several years.
I should have left the "legal" line out of my post, because I'm not surprised that you already know that. I'm sure there will be some quid pro quo between Specter and the Democratic leadership. He will get rewarded with some plum commitee assignments and allowed to have a relatively independent voice. In return, I expect him to support most of the President's agenda, but certainly not all of it. This is big for a host of reasons. One that immediately comes to mind are judicial confirmations. I think that Specter can be counted on to approve most or all of Obama's federal judicial appointments. That's important to me. He'll support much of his social agenda. Specter won't be a rubber stamp by any means, but with the seating of Franken (an absurdly drawn out affair, but he will be seated, IMO), Democrats do indeed have that 60 vote majority on many issues. Not on all issues, but on a lot. And that's huge. The more moderate Republicans pushed out by their own party, the more marginalized the GOP becomes... a fringe, right-wing religious group. That is who controls the GOP and who has the most influence in the party. They've worked hard to shove moderate Republicans to the curb. Well, they are paying the price for their actions. I hope this eventually leads to a more moderate GOP. One more in touch with the country at large. That would be a healthy development. Time for them to wake up and smell the coffee. Time to move away from the Rush Limbaugh/ right-wing/religious fundamentalists that are in charge (witness Perry, Rick/Governor of Texas for an example of the worst of the Republican Party) and to find the mainstream again. Long past time.
Guess the Repubs can always throw themselves another little tea party to express their dissatisfaction.
I think you should at the very least have him make it through his term before making such bold statements.
And a lot will change by next November. I don't think that he would have been anything but Swine flu to Republicans by then, though.
This comes as a surprise since all the speculation had died down. Regardless of what happens in the Dem primary, either Specter or another Dem will likely beat Toomey in 2010. The national Dem party doesn't have anything to lose here. Specter won't be getting a committee chair. That is nonsense. One thing that happens is after Franken finally gets seated, the Dems will govern with a 60-seat "super-majority" for 18 months before the 2010 elections. They could either blow it big-time and hand the GOP a huge club to beat them with during the 2010 Senate election cycle or they can allay fears that many independents have of giving one party too much power. I hate to repeat a cliche, but this truly raises the stakes to another level. If things go well, the Dems will end up with somewhere between 64-67 seats next year. After the economy, the big issue will be health care. How the Dems handle it will be crucial. With Specter switching sides, I now expect the GOP to be even less cooperative, more obstinate and more inflammatory. They risk a lot with this strategy because more people (like me) are starting to think of them as a bunch of kooks. Good theater upcoming.
"A vote for Arlen Specter is a vote for denying Harry Reid and the Democrats a filibuster-proof Senate." --John Cornyn, last month http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/
Yes. It is far too early to call it a failure. Everyone is free to their opinion on if he is doing a good or bad job up to this point. The previous administration was
kennedy assassiantion investigation everyone's seen "JFK" edit: after wiki ing it, he signs off on the single bullet theory "back, and to the left, back, and to the left"
RNC response? Hillarious! The move was the latest blow to an already staggering GOP, and Republicans immediately sought to cast Specter's move as nothing more than the politics of self-preservation. "Let's be honest -- Senator Specter didn't leave the GOP based on principles of any kind," said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. "He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/28/AR2009042801523.html?hpid=topnews Steele couldn't give a better example of why the Republican Party has become a fringe group and a failure. "Left-wing" voting record my arse!
