Great post. I can only hope the voters of PA see through his self-serving lies.

Can we give Arlen back to the GOP? At least his occasional votes with Democrats (when he was a Republican) had the advantage of being able to claim bipartisan support. Now, it appears that the opposition will be able to make the same claim, and with greater frequency.

I would expect that clip - "I did not say I would be a loyal Democrat" - to be run on an endless loop by any and all of Specter's potential primary opponents. And I certainly hope that Barack Obama has lots of scheduling conflicts during that period - a lukewarm endorsement by e-mail is as much as he should offer.

I noted, too, that switching parties hasn't freed Specter from the lie that EFCA ends the secret ballot in unionization votes...

Considering that he might have been more useful on the Judiciary Committee as a Republican anyway, it's hard to imagine now why Sestak wouldn't jump into the primary race and probably beat him pretty badly. Here's hoping, because we neet real Democrats in the party not just political opportunists trying to keep their job.

I was one who said yea to the Spector switch, admittedly, likely for the wrong reason -- that it was a smackdown of wingnuts and fun to see. Though I did think he actually would support Obama and dems with his voting, at least till he won another term, then he would likely go back to being his old ornery self.

Looks like I was wrong, though not alone. He needs a strong dem competitor in the primary if he votes the way he's been talking. Though with Spector, it's hard to know what he will do, until he does it.

did not say I am a loyal Democrat.

Well, I'm glad we've gotten that bit of confusion cleared up. Beginning now, the order is: Primary him back to the pit from whence he came!!!

no one could have known that arlen specter would behave in such a manner once he got his goddam ass inside the democrats' tent!

and being such a big tent, it seems the dems always have room for yet another asshole...

I don't understand how 51 votes was a majority when the Republicans were in charge, and everyone accepts without a demur that the Democrats don't have a majority unless they have 60 votes? That's insane, and yet everyone acts like it's always been that way. So the US voters voted in a HUGE Dem majority, which is hard to do in the Senate with 6 year terms, and that's just going to be ignored????

Maybe Arlen can join the Party of JoeMentum?

Two problems with Sestak. 1) Specter has high approval in PA from Dems. 2) Sestak has a more conservative left/right rating than Specter. fivethirtyeight.com has the details.

i dont mind an independent voice on issues, but if he's not a loyal democrat why is he in the party? if he's a democrat for convenience sake, feed him to the sharks. we dont need a 60th vote in name only.

which undermines a basic Senate institution to require 60 votes to impose closure on key issues

There is no such tradition, and even if there were it would be a really stupid thing to keep. The 60-vote barrier was invented by minority Republicans as a way to thwart their opposition. When the GOP was in control of the Senate, they were on record threatening to take away the filibuster (the nuclear option) if the Dem minority even thought about using it on anything important.

I've loathed Specter since Anita Hill. Primary the bastard.

Contact the DNC and tell them you will not contribute a dime to the national party. tell them that you don't want your money going to scumbags like spector, Nelson or Bayah. Support individual candidates and Primary opponents.

Specter wants Democratic votes, but doesn't want to earn them. It's a dynamic that practically begs for a primary.
==========

It may have to be a Republican primary, then, because the Democratic leadership (heh, indeed!) has already said that they'll support Specter.

I remember when the Democratic Party supported actual Democrats. I'm that old.

Specter knew he was about to lose the thug primary. By joining Dems, he has his old constituency of milquetoast "moderate" thugs who will continue to vote for him, plus a handful of deaf, blind and very dumb right wing, corporatist Dems as well. The question is, will the Democratic party buy into the idea that any old incumbent is better than an untried candidate. If Reid and Bayh and Nelson and that crowd have anything to do with it, I am afraid we have abig housecleaning job ahead of us.

I must say he's acting like he has the primary sewn up. I'd give him another month or so to come around, before pushing full steam ahead on a primary challenger.

He all ready looks like an opportunist for switching parties to win re-election. If he were to suddenly fall inline behind the Democrats he would look even more like an unprincipled pol. Remember, he has already swung to the right to try to hold on to the GOP nomination. Hence a sudden shift to the left would look terrible for him. He may for that reason shift gradually to the left.

On the other hand, this is Arlen Specter we're talking about. You know, Mr. I'll Do It My Way. I'm sure he'll give me reason for disappointment and anger for as long as he remains one of my two senators. Frankly, I'd like to see a real Democrat running in Pennsylvania, perhaps if he continues to be a prig we will be able to beat him come next May and run a true progressive against Toomey. That would be the best of all possible solutions.

Ah, couldn't happen to a nicer party.

Enjoy your discent, progs.

By the way, Sestak also said on CNN the other day that he is not in favor of reconciliation rules on controversial issues, which suggests that he is also against a government healthcare option. His main message right now seems to be that he wants Specter to prove that he is a real Dem. I'll be interested in how he proves that he is a better one. Who else does PA have to offer?

One problem, homeskooljake, is that we can't tell if you mean descent, decent, dissent, or perhaps some other word that could start with "d" or maybe not.

Does anyone else notice that the more votes the Democratic party has the more their leadership acts like Republicans, or is it just me?
We should have a primary in every district.

While I think the Democrats were correct to allow Specter to caucus with them, they were essentially doing Arlen a favor since his loss in the Rethug primary was virtually a foregone conclusion and PA law prevents him from pulling a Lieberman. Therefore, I fail to understand why, in addition to already doing that favor, they apparently agreed to give Specter his full seniority for future committee assignments and to put the full weight of the party behind him in the Democratic primary without, apparently, any quid pro quo from Specter. Of course, we can't know everything that went on behind closed doors, and perhaps after Arlen makes his independent "bones" and thrills the Villagers, he'll take cover under some cosmetic compromises to help pass the bulk of the Democratic agenda and Obama nominees. But if current appearences hold, and Specter continues to pretty much vote as a Rethug, the Dems will have been played for a sucker (never to be discounted with spineless Harry Reid). If Specter fails to change his voting pattern, the Democrats would have been far better off to allow Pat Toomey to knock him off in the primary and then be crushed by a more reliable Democrat in the general election.

"It may have to be a Republican primary, then, because the Democratic leadership (heh, indeed!) has already said that they'll support Specter.

I remember when the Democratic Party supported actual Democrats. I'm that old." May I point out that one can always change their mind. If Mr. Specter continues to vote Republican then All Democrats need to contact the DNC and tell them that you will not support him. This wsill force the DNC to change their stated position on this matter. The choice is up to each and every member of the Democratic party. Do not like what the DNC is advocating for? Then tell them loudly and often! It is OUR party and if enough complain they will listen!

The only way to determine Specter's position is by his vote, and that may change before he gets back to his office. The only amusing thing is that there still are people who believe what Specter says.

On Face the Nation, Specter was asked if he could imagine supporting a SCOTUS nominee who wasn't a lawyer. Specter said he could, and then named Mark Hatfield, an 87 year old former Republican Senator from Oregon. He doesn't seem to be getting the hang of this new party thing. Either that or he assumes he has the Dem primary already, and is tacking right in order to pick up Republicans.

Specter embodies everything that is wrong with career politicians of his ilk. His party switch is purely self-serving. This sorry bastard can't imagine the thought of not being in the Senate, and will do anything it takes to keep himself there.

I hope that Mr Sestak runs against Specter in the primary and beats him. The Democratic party will be fine without him.

Howdy and welcome back from the left side of our great state, FitterDon! How the hell you been, anyway?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2q7hei3T3E

It will odd to have his own campaign commercials edited only slightly and then used against him.

Specter doesn't want to do any of the actual work involved in being a valuable member of his new team, preferring to vote exactly as he used to, only now with a different letter after his name in parentheses.

Congrats on figuring that out so quickly. Welcome back from pollyanna land.

Specter could still wiggle out of the crap he spewed today on the cloture/passage distinction.

Given that Reid negotiated the switch, I'm not optimistic that Spector promised to do anything.

And Disputo, have I told you how much I missed you in your absence? Glad to be reading your contributions again, too.

as a pa dem, i am totally disgusted with this "deal" by rendell, reid and biden. it is the worst kind of good-ol-boy politics and deeply insulting to the many real dems in pa who work so hard to elect actual dems. for starters, please write to both specter and reid to tell them that arlen needs to prove he is a democrat before he gets any kind of support or seniority.

2 comments:

Spector will be a Democrat in name only... ergo not worth supporting.

Loyalty oaths are not required by the Democratic Party when last heard.

Harry Reid: "Arlen, here's the deal: You're Democrat now, so that means in between now and your next election, you've got to support every last part of our platform, and vote with the Democratic majority in every vote you cast, got it?"

Arlen Specter: "Now Harry, I have to - "

HR: "You have to start voting like a Democrat and acting like a Democrat. By this time next month, you better be seen as being to the left of Barney Frank and Henry Waxman, or - "

AS: "Or what?!"

HR: "Or you'll fail in you election bid. We'll give all of our money and our support to someone who is more closely aligned to our ideals and and will vote, and act like a Democrat, that's what."

Great post. My initial enthusiasm for Specter (D-PA) has faded and I am becoming more in favor of a primary challenge. I agree with you" make him earn his Democratic votes!

Spector will watch the way the wind blows in PA as the primary comes closer and key votes come up. If the president's agenda has a lot of support, he'll vote with it. Specter's loyalty is opportunistic. Always has been. Nothing new here.

Hi, Arlen. Bye, Arlen.

Is it just me, or are all these Senators starting to look like zombies?

In any case, it's not about Senators. In one corner, Obama, and the American people, and healthcare, in the other- the U.S. Senate, the most fascistic legislature in the world. Most of them- and I mean this quite literally- would vote against healthcare just to give Obama a poke in the eye- if they weren't afraid of losing the next election.

And that's where the action is- making them afraid they will lose the next election. Obama has laid down the markers- get healthcare done in this session. Forget about your Employee Free Choice, your DADT, your cap-and-trade. If you e-mail them about those things, they will whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Why not? It will cost them nothing.

It's not that those things are unimportant. But if they beat Obama on healthcare, they'll know they can beat him on the other stuff too.

We need to make healthcare the third-rail of the 2010 elections. The American people are ready. Check out the comments on your local paper, and help shut down the trolls. Strong work there will make it plain to the editor of the paper that opposing healthcare will be a loser for circulation.

We don't get to vote for or against Nelson or Specter. But maybe you know someone who can, or maybe your Senator or Representative needs some persuading. Just remember, the topic is healthcare, and the lineup is Obama and us versus the U.S. Congress.

Specter had sure as hell better not be granted seniority on the basis of his total time in the Senate - it should be, how long a Democrat (and maybe not even the few years way back when, as something.) Wormy accomodationist Reid is, as expected, pushing for the full seniority for the spectral one. Here's a good piece on how many top Democrats are pushing back against that outrageous possibility:
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/senate-dems-are-fuming-over-deal-let

Also, Specter repeated the fallacy (unchallenged I'm sure by DG), "I voted against the budget because the budget has a way to pass health care with 51 votes, which undermines a basic Senate institution to require 60 votes to impose closure on key issues...."
That last is BS as we all know. Sure, filibuster is allowed but should not be considered "normal" even for "key issues." That line from Specter already shows he's part of the problem.

Majority Leader Reid is a center-right conservative who pretends to be more liberal than he is when that helps him politically. He finds Specter useful, just as Nelson is useful: they throw up molehill obstructions that stand in the way of outcomes too liberal for Reid's actual conservative intent. Reid can then avoid responsibility for the outcome by finding the molehills insurmountable.

I note that Reid had no difficulty ignoring the hold placed by Sen. Dodd on the FISA re-authorization that contained the retroactive telecom immunity needed to cover the Dem. leadership's collective asses. Reid gets the outcomes he wants.

We desperately need a Majority Leader who is not actually a conservative. Sen. Reid is not that man.

"I did not say I am a loyal Democrat"

Sounds like a hell of a soundbite for an opponent in a Democratic primary to use over and over in their commercials.

Hey, BG how you doin'? It's been awhile.
Looks like Royals and Chiefs may have finally stopped the bleeding. I have been working more than I want since the last time we talked. Like 8 months worth of 6-10's followed by a knee replacement. But I'm almost back to work and normal, whatever that is. It's a lot more fun to watch the news these days , eh?

Is this a new variant of "Blagojevitchism"?

Arlen SpeKKKter is another Republikkkscum Technocrat and he is going to help destroy President Obama's agenda in the US Senate. He should be REJECTED and not allowed to join the Democratic Party. Say he gets in and sits down at meetings and starts listening to what is being said. Does he refrain from dialing up his old Republikkkscum buds and does he hold his tongue about the agenda? Does he hand over internal party documents to his old donors? Whoever thought it was a good idea to let SpeKKKter into the party is fooling themselves. He is a traitor and a douchebag and he shouldn't be allowed to join a party which does not share the values he has espoused for however many fucking years he's tried to be a puke in the Republikkkan fucking party. Out with the rubbish and IN with progressive candidates that share my values. Do I send money to the Democratic National Committee and then watch them hand that money over to Spekkkter? I say, no, ya don't get my donation if it goes to a rat fuck like him.

I hope Arlen has some family he can spend time with.

Arlen is looking a lot like a Trojan Horse right about now. I say keep him out of the deliberations and strategy meetings, and let Pennsylvania field their best up and coming Democrats against him in the primaries.

Most votes don't matter.

When Specter votes on a bill that passes 88-11 then it doesn't matter how he votes.

Realistically, it doesn't matter much how he votes on a cloture vote that is 64-36 or 55-44.

It really only matter when the votes is within one or two or three votes.

Specter used to pay lip service to being independent but, whenever the liberals needed him, Specter was always there for the Republicans.

You need to withhold judgement on Specter until some close votes take place.

I hope Reid, Schumer and Obama hold his feet to the fire and that, if he isn't close the the middle of the party that a real Democrat wins that seat. If Specter ranks as the 40th most liberal Democrat then he is worth supporting. If he is to the right of Lieberman and Bayh and neck and neck with Nelson as the most conservative Democrat then the party will need to support the real Democrat in the primary.

It is one thing to have a conservative Democrat from Nebraska or Indiana, it is another thing to have a conservative from Pennslyvania.

Total knee, huh? I just dodged that bullet myself. Since the new administration came in, doctors aren't so worried about long-term pain med use as they were under Bush, so I get to wait a while. Maybe there will be a stem-cell fix if I can wait a couple of years - that's the only way I'm going to be able to put off the surgery forever. But what the hell, I'll take what I can get, right?

I used to have an email for you but can't find it. Mine is in the sidebar here. We can do this off-thread. I'll fill you in on this weekends Truman Days! Damn, can our Party throw a party!

Hit 'em it hurts. Refuse to donate to the democratic party (if tempted, picture your cash being direct deposited in Specter's account). When solicited, explain why the well ran dry. Be sure to mention Reid's incompetence, and suggest he resign from the leadership.

Agree. Let's find a real Democrat to run against Specter. I think there will be some voters who also aren't happy that he was a Republican so long and now because it's expedient he switches. Write to the PA Party and tell 'em!

Danp: On Face the Nation, Specter was asked if he could imagine supporting a SCOTUS nominee who wasn't a lawyer. Specter said he could, and then named Mark Hatfield, an 87 year old former Republican Senator from Oregon.

Mark Hatfield is the only Republican I have ever voted for, at least for national office. Back in the day he was one of the few voices in the GOP against the war in Vietnam.

It's hard to remember, but there was a time when the GOP actually had a liberal wing. That said, I can't believe that Hatfield was mentioned with any degree of seriousness.

I realize Obama was trying to be encouraging and tactful but Specter is a phony and a hypocrite. He will not support the dem agenda but will do all he can to ensure it's failure. The "d" after his name is there only because he saw it as the best way to remain in the senate.

We need to get rid of this guy and get a real democrat in his seat. The dem party is not so desperate that we need to tolerate Specter's one vote a year as being representative of the dem party.

Most of us here don't find Specter credible and believe a dem will win in Penn (Sestak for instance). I will send no money to Specter (who is more representative of that sinister group from the James Bond movies than the dem party values). Free or not...we don't want Specter's voice in the senate because he is still a republican. Reid's good ole buddy needs to retire along with Ben Nelson and lobbyists owned Bayh.

Geez, I can't believe people aren't laughing in Specter's face, he's such an obvious opportunist. He'd join any party that would enable him to keep his seat (and seniority).

Specter needs to be shown the door. There should at least be chair term limits if not outright term limits. Look at that asshole Lieberman, lost the primary, wins as an independent, campaigns with McLame now still enjoys his chair! Arlen Specter's opportunism will be just like Lieberman's; a waste of time and money on a no-good legislator whose only interest is his comfort zone and not one inkling of responsibility to neither his constituents nor his country.

Against health care reform, against EFCA, against Obama's budget, against investigations and prosecutions for torture, against Obama's OLC nominee, against regulating credit cards or banks....remind me again what part of Obama's agenda he supports that he could even be considered a dem.

Yeah, he voted to end the filibuster on the stimulus package..but being against that was just pure stupidity. Without that filibuster senate rule Obama wouldn't look twice at Specter...we shouldn't either.

With Democrats like Specter, who needs Republicans?

Can we throw this catch back?

As much as I enjoy bitching, it's really up to the rank and file of Pennsylvania Dems what they want to do with Specter. The best we can do is pressure the national party to stay out of the process.

Specter wants Democratic votes, but doesn't want to earn them. It's a dynamic that practically begs for a primary.

And... Add me to the list of willing financial supporters of whomever challenges Specter in the primaries.

That old dog needs to be put out to pasture - regardless of the party he claims to support.

Hopefully he'll get a sense of how the winds are blowing and decide that he 'wants to spend more time with his family' and/or he feels it is time to retire because 'he needs to attend to his failing health issues'

I hope for the latter, because he apparently doesn't have a family he 'wantss' to spend time with.

No surprise. Only the naive would have thought Specter was a good thing for the Democrats.

Arlen Specter is in love with Arlen Specter. Who needs him? Harry Reid and Joe Biden made a terrible mistake wooing this guy. Reid is giving him his full seniority, and this will cut into the pecking order of real Democrats who paid their dues. The Democrats should have let Specter go down in the GOP primary. A Democrat would win against Toomey in 2010 and that Democrat would be a true Democrat, not a DINO. I will never forgive Specter for the vicious and untruthful attack he made on Anita Hill.

With Democrats like Specter, we don't need Republicans.

Enjoy your discent, progs.

No matter which handle I use, I keep misspelling this word the same way. I'm that dumb.

Now we need Harry Reid to switch parties and become a Democrat.

What??

REALLY??!!??

Never mind.

Democrats need to run a progressive democrate against the old party repuke who is just trying to save his ass by switching parties.

Specter is a DINO-SAUR.

Democrat In Name Only...Stupidly Asinine Unholy Republican.

(Now, your turn. I thought of any number of variations on the SAU of SAUR, many of which involved cuss words. What fun. And DINO-SAUR definitely fits Arlen Specter, because someday DINO-SAUR species like him will be extinct).

(Now, your turn. I thought of any number of variations on the SAU of SAUR, [...] -- The Oracle, @ 19:47

Stealth Agent (of) Unrepentant Republicans?

On Face the Nation, Specter was asked if he could imagine supporting a SCOTUS nominee who wasn't a lawyer.

Moronic questions like these remind me why I no longer bother to watch the Sabbath Gasbags. Did some intern just tell whatever blow-dried host he or she works for that nothing in the Constitution or the US Code actually requires Supreme Court justices to be lawyers? Anyone who careed about this has known it for, oh, a couple of centuries. Is anyone proposing to nominate a non-lawyer? Has anyone done it in living memory? Why waste time when you could ask real questions with fluff like this?

Arlen Specter is practically spitting in Obama's face. After Obama saves him from a certain defeat in the Republican primary, this is how he thanks Obama.

I sure hope Obama is about to kick Specter's ass off the bus, if he doesn't I will lose a lot of respect I had for him. Losing Specter's vote on maybe a few issues would be worth the credibility points we would get, if Specter is allowed to pull this shit then every nitwit in the party will know that we don't mean business.

I'm hoping this has been a grand setup by Obama and that Specter will be booted so hard he lands in Ohio, but maybe I'm dreaming.

Twopoliticaljunkies.blogspot.com from Pennsyvania had a fine review of Arlen's tendencies, from a 2006 post:
Let's look at the record:
Specter is alarmed at Bush's warrantless domestic surveillance, so he creates legislation to effectively repeal FISA's current requirements captulating to executive claims of power.

Specter backed away from his pledge to question executives from telecommunications companies that have allegedly been cooperating with the government's secret wiretapping program.

Specter urges Bush to come forward about Iraq data leak in April, but, as of yet, has done nothing about it.

Specter said he was considering legislation to cut off funding for the Bush administration's secret domestic wiretapping program until he gets satisfactory answers about it from the White House, but of course did nothing of the sort.

Specter declared Gonzales' explanations to date as "strained and unrealistic" and said the he believed that Bush violated the FISA law but did not have Gonzales sworn in at the hearings.

Specter backed down when the administration rejected his request to have former attorney general John Ashcroft and his former deputy, James Comey, testify about the origins of the secret wiretapping program.

"Specter wants Democratic votes, but doesn't want to earn them. It's a dynamic that practically begs for a primary" challenge. Fixed.

I agree. Bring on a real Dem and win the seat without having to face SPECTRE in the general.

Specter, as Steve pointed out, enjoys widespread appeal from Democrats in PA.

The national party platform does not necessarily reflect Penna Dems' views.

Also, let's see how he behaves the day after he wins as a Democrat after Toomey and the GOP pour gasoline on any remaining bridge between them with vicious attack ads. Maybe progressive votes may begin out of sheer spite.

Like the current congress, if you get no support when trying to be conservative, why bother?

Is Ben Nelson a loyal Democrat? I'll wait to see how Specter stacks up against Nelson before I talk up kicking him out of the Democratic Party.

But to deny he's LOYAL? That's pretty bad. So he's a Democrat because anyone can change their voter registration by mailing in a form. And because his views are closer to those of "mainstream" Democrats that those pesky radical Republicans.

But how can the "powers that be" of the Democratic Party give SENIORITY and pledge SUPPORT in his re-election if he does not want to be "loyal" to his Party?

I guess that what separate us from them. No loyality oath required here.

Sheesh. I guess I WANT loyalty to be given but not required. I don't exactly know where that leaves me with Specter, but I guess I'll figure that out over the next year.

Just wondering, but does anyone know if Shelby brought his seniority with him when he went from D to R?

This guy is not a RINO or a DINO, he's a f&*king a$$hole. Long overdue to be voted OUT.

Rescuing rats jumping from a sinking ship is a great way to become diseased.

By definition - there's no such thing as a loyal democrat. You can have someone loyal to progressive ideals, though.

Democracy is about protecting differences of opinion, while conservatism is about preventing it.

ya know, I have spent my whole life being ruled by old men. I’m old now and I’m so sick of it I just want to spit on these geezers.

Why is it when people, (I would have said men but the women are just as bad) get old they lose all sense of what is important to society?

Souter is young at 69? Well he may be an aberation. Seems he actually grew as he aged. What a concept.

I’ve believed since I was young and I believe it now; Old folk should not be in charge of the country. By old, I mean, It is in the heart and soul. Specter is in the grave and has been for at least twenty years.

Democrat In Liberal Dreams Only

Wow, it didn't take long for Arlen to spit in the face of Democrats in the Keystone State, did it? Barack Obama is a fool if he truly thinks that Specter is worth supporting. The same applies to Pennsylvania Democrats.

Joe Sestak is not without faults, but he's not a duplicitous scumbag, either. Even though I'm a Michigander I contributed to his 2006 campaign against Crazy Curt Weldon, and I'll contribute again if he enters the primary against Specter.

Arlen Specter is to "Senator" what Lyndon LaRouche is to "Radical" .. a man who defies the addition of an adjective .. mostly because nobody wants to claim real fellowship with the guy.

"""With Democrats like Specter, who needs Republicans?

Can we throw this catch back?""""

LMMFAO Nope, he is ALL YOURS BAYBEEEEE!!!!

"""Why is it when people get old they lose all sense of what is important to society?"""

Actually, as they get older and wiser they begin to learn what is REALLY important.

You're just too young to realize that.

Danp: On Face the Nation, Specter was asked if he could imagine supporting a SCOTUS nominee who wasn't a lawyer. Specter said he could, and then named Mark Hatfield, an 87 year old former Republican Senator from Oregon.

AK Liberal: Mark Hatfield is the only Republican I have ever voted for, at least for national office. Back in the day he was one of the few voices in the GOP against the war in Vietnam.
~~~
Interesting history lesson here:
As a young man, Jeff Merkley interned in Mark Hatfield's DC US Senate office; Merkley was elected to Hatfield's Senate seat this past fall (which Hatfield vacated 12 years ago and was held by Repub Gordon Smith in the interim) . Jeff looks to Hatfield as a mentor even though they are of different parties and Jeff is quite liberal.

Re Specter: he's always been a political opportunist. Obama and Reid should take him aside and tell him he will not get his seniority as a Dem unless he starts toeing the Dem line. Enough already! I hope Sestak or some other real Dem will challenge him in the primary. He needs to be held accountable, not given a free ride.

He'll lose in a primary challenge from another Democrat, the Republicans will run sme conservative psycho and that's that. End of story for Phil.

The Democrats do not gain from this Arlen Specter farce. Add to your summary of his career as a Democrat that he shamelessly lies. "I did not say I am a loyal Democrat."

Lose him.

Say what you want about him, but Arlen has always represented as an Arlenlicancrat, his state of Arlen effectively, at least in his mind.

I think it's fairly obvious that the party would rather not have too many real Democrats. After all, it's much easier to maintain the status quo without them.

I say go Sestak!!!

I am a Republican, and I'm sorry but now you know how we have felt about Specter for years. He should really just drop all party labels and be a true independent, cause he is a man unto himself. All he cares about is Arlen. Also, to all of you saying to contact the DNC about money, I wish you well, my side did the same and yet they continued to give him money.