I understand changing because you no longer agree with the direction of your party, but I am not impressed with the survival instinct of someone in the Senate for nearly 30 years. If your constituency no longer wants you, you change your constituents? I think this was as much about not facing the democratic gov, as it was about avoiding a republican primary loss. Either way, it sounds to me as if he is no longer wanted by his voters. Self preservation is the least attractive and most compromising quality in a politician.
maybe, maybe not. what if getting into a general election, he is wanted by the majority of the voters, and can serve the majority of his constituents that are the moderates from both parties? this, under the assumption that the moderate dems would support him in a general election along with the moderate pubs.
He admits he cannot get elected as a republican or an independent, but only as a democrat. If the independents are centrists by default, what does that tell you? I don't see the nobility in the self preservation, and considering what his shift does for liberal power, it's a fairly significant change. The unintended consequences of these overnight changes will roll in on us in about 3-4 years, and Americans will wake up wonder what happened. I am unsure how America wins with a filibuster proof Senate(lock step with the executive), regardless of who is in power. We get what we pay for.
then i hope he's moderate enough to go against those idiots reid and pelosi. i also hope that the blue dogs in both houses are moderate enough to stand up to them. i'd like to see th moderates of both parties get together and force things to the middle. unfortunately, members of both parties are so whipped by their leadership and digging into "party first" its difficult to get true bi-partisanship.
It'll be a filibuster proof Senate in name only. They'll always have some democrats who peel off on votes. I think it would take more than a bare minimum fillibuster proof majority to be truly fillibuster proof. Damn, it sounded like it made sense when I was thinking it.
That is not how i see it. I see it as the Demos just got an I WIN button. You know he was promised and had to promise an awful lot to make the switch. He is going to have to promise the Demo party a lot more in order to keep his seniority and not become a freshman Senator in the Democratic Party. Completely agree with this.
Wouldn't that be nice? But since he is one of 3 republicans that voted for the current budget, I am not inclined to think he will. Moderation is not the buzz word with the current ruling power. Yeah, it did sound good, for a second. :hihi: But again, the self preservation aspect from a 30 year senator is unimpressive to me. I could respect him if he had gone independent and truly appealed to the moderate center, but he did not do this. Because he no longer appeals to the moderate. He needs the left to get re-elected. That tells me you need to go.
Can't disagree much on that. Leiberman did go indy when he left the democrat party, and still cacuses with the dems. A moderate to bail on either party and go independent is understandable. To change to the other party, with them so far apart, is hard to understand. Rodney Alexander, anyone?
Spector - 03/17/2009... The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room Specter had disavowed a switch [MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRgsnj_rvPU[/MEDIA]
Interesting how in his comments this morning at the press conference he mentioned his desire to get reelected in about the first 30 seconds of his comments. snake
