The Political Environment: PA US Sen. Arlen Specter, (R), Now A (D)

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Change is gonna happen now!

Jim Bouman said...: There are some good reasons to hail this development as good news for the current Democratic majority in the Senate.

But it says some things about the disappearance of the fundamental differences between the parties. Glenn Greenwald, writing at Salon (GG may be the last good reason for ever consulting that weak sister of a web outlet),wrote today:
"The idea that Specter is a "liberal" Republican or even a "moderate" reflects how far to the Right both the GOP and our overall political spectrum has shifted.

"Consider Specter’s most significant votes over the last eight years, ones cast in favor of such definitive right-wing measures as: the war on Iraq, the Military Commissions Act, Patriot Act renewal, confirmation of virtually every controversial Bush appointee, retroactive telecom immunity, warrantless eavesdropping expansions, and Bush tax cuts (several times). Time and again during the Bush era, Specter stood with Republicans on the most controversial and consequential issues."

Read the rest of Glenn's persuasive piece on the Specter "defection":
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/04/28/specter/index.html

It is not hard to believe that V.P. Joe Biden spent a good deal of time with his old Senate pal, Specter, negotiating the terms of surrender. The big question is "Who surrendered what?".; April 28, 2009 at 9:18 PM