Specter Stands for Nothing, Falls for Everything

After Arlen Specter’s spectacle last week, where he switched parties for political expedience and a better chance at winning the 2010 election (or so he thought), he is now being snubbed by his new “teammates.”

I don’t think this comes as a surprise to anybody but Specter.  Those who don’t live by principles or standards, and change their mind at the drop of a hat, will inevitably be fooled by anyone and anything.  I guess Arlen expected his new party to adorn him with benefits galore and adulation for his switch and the chance to give the Democrats an official super majority after Franken is seated.

However, some say that the latest snub by the Democrats regarding Specter has probably more to do with the fact that nobody can trust a man who can change political parties that fast and only for self-centered reasons.  The Dems don’t trust the guy because of his recent “no” vote on the budget and some other odd things that have come out of his mouth since his “change of heart.”

Those problems — in brief:

• Specter pronounced that he would be keeping his seniority when he announced his party switch last week — maintaining that his ability to deliver for the state would not be diminished in any way shape or form by his move across the aisle. Except, that wasn’t exactly right. The Senate’s approval of Specter’s junior status on a series of committees led to a “he said, he said” between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and the newest member of his caucus. Asked about the back and forth by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday, Reid stood his ground saying simply: “He is a person who’s been in the Senate since 1980. I think he should be able to handle himself.”

• In a sitdown with the New York Times’ Deborah Solomon, Specter said he was hoping that the Minnesota courts would do “justice” and declare former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman the winner in the contested 2008 election. Whoops! Specter tried to walk the comment back told Reid that he briefly “forgot what team I was on.”

• Specter has done little to back off his initial assertion that his decision to switch parties was based almost entirely on political calculations and had little to do with ideology. While most party switchers are almost certainly guided by personal political concerns (what politician isn’t?), most don’t come right out and say it because it is a turnoff for voters who want to believe that their politicians believe in, well, something.

For Pennsylvania voters — especially Democratic primary voters — this triptych of recent events is likely to be deeply troubling.

“His actions over this past week have done nothing to curry favors with either party,” said Penny Lee, a former senior adviser to Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and now a Democratic consultant. “He needs to show some willingness to be a Democrat.”

To show Specter the respect he deserves, the Democrats stripped his seniority from him.  Specter is now a junior Democrat Senator, even after being in congress since 1980.  Some will say that this is a childish move by the Democrats and proves that they are really power hungry, control freaks who care more about their ideology than doing the right thing, however, there are those who will also argue that this would be expected from a person with no principles or limited time under their belt as a Democrat.  Either way Specter and the Democrats are both incredibly childish and unethical.  It would be nice to have more people in D.C. that had a back bone, character, and integrity.

Sen. Arlen Specter was unexpectedly stripped of his seniority Tuesday night in a humiliating blow from Democrats who earlier had welcomed the former Pennsylvania Republican’s defection from the GOP. The move not only strips the five-term senator of his legislative clout but also hampers his ability to persuade voters he can still bring influence to issues in Pennsylvania as he approaches election there in 2010. Specter lashed back Wednesday, strongly suggesting he had been betrayed.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Specter said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had promised him that his seniority would be preserved.

Oooopsie!

Unfortunately, this entire decision by Specter does not seem to be boding well for his re-election prospects and who could blame the voters of Pennsylvania based on his lack of seniority and the fact that he threw his own constituents under the bus?  Specter may be challenged by Joe Sestak in the primaries.  If the Democratic strategists are paying attention, they will probably back a REAL Democrat rather than a faux Democrat who switched in order to win.  I think the Democrat voters will feel the same way.

Share on Facebook