He should have switched parties a long time ago and probably switched now because the GOP is so unpopular nowadays.

It's kind of like college...going from one shitty party to an equally shitty party.

Not as significant as some have painted on here. Specter usually votes with the Democrats on procedural matters just as much as he votes with the Republicans. The issue over cloture (ending the debate on filibusters) is irrelevant because Specter voted more often with the Democrats on that matter. This only formalizes that political arrangement in Congress, thus giving the Democrats 60 votes in Congress (at least until Al Franken is seated).

I suspect that Specter will be voting more in line with the Democrats in Congress, being that he'll be released from any obligations to support Republican agenda items. The labor bill that's going through Congress is a good example of this situation. He'll be essentially free to vote with the Democrats on this issue without concern of political repercussions from the GOP.

Specter switched parties because he knew that he would be facing a tough Republican primary election next year. In fact, he would have lost had he stayed in the GOP. Pennsylvania Republicans have lost 200,000 voters, mainly moderates, over the past 10 years to the Democrats. This represented the core of Specter's support in the state party. Specter figured that he would have a better chance running with the Democrats, who guaranteed their support by clearing the primary field for Specter. The Pennsylvania Republican party, with the loss of the moderates, has become much more conservative, so much so that Specter (a liberal Republican) would definitely lose the primary election next year. So he decided that the best way to remain a Senator was to switch parties, and as such he cut a deal with the Democrats. That was why he switched parties when he did. He was guaranteed seniority in the Committees he serves, plus the national party is willing to give him political cover by removing primary opposition.

This was strictly a pragmatic political maneuver on Specter's part. He clearly wants to continue in the Senate--that's all what this is about.

4 or 5 if you live in the N.E. area or are into politics. . .2-3 otherwise. . .

The Repubs. have only themsleves to blame.

Specter (a true bulldog who fears nobody and will attack anybody) was an independent moderate Republican who embodied a centrist position one does find in PA. and many parts of the Northeast.

. . .And centrist republicans (who have much to offer) felt squeezed out by the strange and bizarre shift to the right by the party of Proddy-jesus-whores who rubber-stamped everything dubya felt was appropriate. Specter is certainly an opportunist and I don't alibi or like everything about him but he's more honest and courageous than his republican critics- Arlen wants to represent his voters. And PA. went blue early during an election that gave Big O. the presidency with such an electoral landslide that usual 'important' swing states like Missourri didn't even matter. . .The Northeast and west coast simply found the dubya-republicanism a kind of embarrassing era of redneck-shite we had to apologize for in intelligent social circles in many cases. Specter simply came on board late when he saw his political future dying. . .(metaphor, kids.)

Moving too far from the center has made the GOP almost irrelevant in the Northeast. . .a place where you need to make a dent of some kind to have a presidential future in most cases. (And we're not shy about telling you this.) Specter's actions reflect the past two elections- the Repubs. have some serious problems and unless dominating the deep South makes them happy they better start looking in the mirror. (Evolution, kids- it's not just for science!) Adapt or die.

Eh. He did tip the scales. I think he did it to save his own ass, something politicians love to do. I would be more concerned, or reactive to it though, if I thought that there were many differences left on the sides. We need to just overhaul the system and bring in new parties. Call mulligan on the whole dirty business.

This has absolutely no significance at all. He's been voting as a democrat all along so what difference is it other than fraud that he ran under the Republican ticket to begin with.

I'm focusing on the positive potential outcomes rather than the reasons behind his decision... roadblock to Republican filibusters, effect on composition of the Supreme Court...

It is not my problem is the guy is a hypocrite, flip-flopper (started out as a Democrat, actually), or mainly trying to keep his paycheck. It is my problem if Republicans continue to roadblock the President at every opportunity. Anything to make that more difficult is good in my book.

It would be rather ho-hum if not for the 60 votes business. On my end it just reinforces my belief that these bastards are all alike and care for little more than the preservation of their personal power.

Significant, as GTH points out, because when Franken is seated in the Senate, the dems will really own it and everything it does, and all the rest of the US government. Let the spending begin. Any liberal who criticized the spending of Bush and his cronies now must pump their pom-poms for the true spenders, and we ain't seen nuthin' yet.

Specter has been a liberal democrat for years, masquerading as a pro-business, low taxes kind of guy, siphoning money and votes from the republicans in Pennsylvania. In reality, he is a big government liberal who wants to centralize unlimited power in the federal government. And we will soon have the limitless, powerful federal government political liberals covet, headed up by the most liberal member of their party.

What is comical are the table-pounders who railed at the incompetence of certain Bush Administration cabinet members, calling for firings, who sit silent now as Kathleen Sebelius, Janet Napolitano and some dimwit who called for a photo op at the World Trade Center site all keep their jobs. Right, we need competent people.

But Specter's defection changes little. We are heading toward the longest and most severe recession in since the 1930's and with the hatred of George Bush still flowing over, he gets all the blame. Good thing we got some competence in Washington and a really smart guy in charge.

All this talk of "selling out" makes me feel like I'm trapped in a conversation about metallica with people I stopped talking to in 1995 rather than a discussion of politics, but hey...I'll welcome any defectors with open arms ;)

The rancorous old bastard looks like he was seeing the writing on the wall in the upcoming primary and moved in an attempt to save his ass. This guy has the politics of a chamaeleon anyway. I think his primary ideology is, and always has been, getting Arlen Specter re-elected.

There are those that say the Republican Party has become a tough place for moderates - see Victor's review below.

Though like GTH, my sense is that this switch was driven more out of practicality (a desire to stay in office), than ideology.

Yet another "Scientific Constructive predictions...2011-beyond" from the Justice League Fictions comes to fruition ahead of schedule.

I gotta say, not at all surprised about this. You could kinda see this one coming based on his past voting record. Good riddence Arlen.

We've been hearing people on the right wing whine about not having an ideologically pure enough Republican party for years. Now they're getting one.

I'm sure it feels deeply satisfying.

This guy has always been a leftist in Republican garb. Now we know that he is a poilitical prostitute.
Go Arlen! ...take McCain and the rest of the leftoid sellouts with you.

This could be big. If Franken wins in Minnesota, as expected, the Democrats will have 60 votes in the U. S. Senate and that will allow them to defeat the filibuster.

Polls had Specter as a dead duck in the upcoming Pennsylvania Republican primary in 2010. I guess he figures that he is indispensable to the body politic.

Barack Hussein stated that he was tickled pink by Specter's defection.