Jumping GOP ship

Longtime GOP voters from Pennsylvania might be confused the next time they visit the voting booth. Sen. Arlen Specter, whose name one would typically see under the Republican column, has flip-flopped in a bigger fashion than John Kerry could imagine: he’s turning Democrat.

Yes, the veteran senator who has served 29 years in the Senate as a Republican is switching to the other side of the aisle.

How exactly does that happen? Well, for starters, it should be known that Specter’s political affiliations have always been questioned. While Republicans in the Senate have called their colleague a “dangerous liberal,” the Democrats have labeled Specter as someone who is only out for his own good.

And doesn’t that seem the case?

Specter apparently believes we can’t see through him. His utmost concern is winning his re-election campaign, and to that end he’s abandoning GOP ship and jumping on the Obama bandwagon.
The White House has already commented that they will campaign and raise funds for Specter if he asks while seeking re-election.

I say good riddance. As a voter who goes straight-ticket Republican each ballot, I do not support a Republican representative with a left-leaning voting record (including being one of three Republicans who voted in favor of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package).

Even if I, hypothetically speaking, were a Democrat, I wouldn’t vote for him. One’s values and morals are closely tied into their political affiliations, and Specter simply appears to be fleeting, if not fake. I wouldn’t say Specter has “seen the light” as a liberal voter; I would say he has found an outlet for personal gain.

When Joe Lieberman swayed from Senate Democrats, he ran again as an Independent and has garnered more success as a result. Unlike Lieberman’s, Specter’s reputation will be haunted by this change. Political pundit Michelle Malkin said it best in her blog: “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Specter’s political motives aside, the Democrats in the Senate will now have a filibuster-proof majority (assuming that Minnesota Democrat Al Franken is given the go-ahead) with 60 seats – a phenomenon not seen since the Jimmy Carter administration in 1977.

Regardless of one’s personal opinions on a filibuster (I frankly think they are a waste of time, no matter who is reading the phonebook). Specter is flying in to put a smile on Democratic faces right when they need it most.
Despite his obvious hypocrisy and ingenuity, the democrats are happy to have him.

Aren’t politics petty?