The moment was five years ago. Senator Arlen Specter was on the ropes and locked in a dead heat with little known Congressman Pat Toomey in the GOP Senate primary.
Republicans had to make a choice. Vote their conscience or vote strategy. It was the conversation at every political event that year.
I worked the polls that day and remember many Republicans came that day and said they were “holding their nose” and voting for Specter. They looked down on the “conscience voters” that supported Toomey. They said that the Toomey people didn’t understand the big picture. They said the Toomey supporters didn’t know how to play the game. They said the Toomey voters were unsophisticated.
They said that we couldn’t risk losing the majority in the Senate. Yeah, they agreed that Specter wasn’t a conservative but they just weren’t sure Toomey could win in the general election vs. then Congressman Joe Hoeffel and then we’d have a Democrat majority in the Senate.
So, many Republicans (including sadly, then Senator Rick Santorum) supported Specter to be safe. We were assured it was the smart vote.
Well how did the “smart vote” work out? We’ve had years of Specter torpedoing President Bush and the GOP. Pro-lifers never forgave Santorum who got trounced in his next election partly because his base never forgave him for endorsing Specter over pro-life Toomey. And now we’re facing a filibuster proof majority by the Democrats with Specter as a Democrat.
Let’s make it clear. If the GOP had stood on principle five years ago this wouldn’t be happening right now. We thought we were smart. We thought we could play the game. Well, we got played.
FOX News reports:
Veteran GOP Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania intends to announce Tuesday he will switch political parties and run in the Democratic primary in 2010.
Republican voters had sent him to the Senate five times. But faced with the prospect of a strong challenge from conservative Pat Toomey in the GOP primary and the state trending Democratic, Specter jumped ship.
“I deeply regret that I will be disappointing many friends and supporters,” Specter said in prepared remarks to be delivered at a news conference on Tuesday.
“I can understand their disappointment,” he continued. “I am also disappointed that so many in the party I have worked for for more than four decades do not want me to be their candidate. It is very painful on both sides.”
The switch puts Democrats within one vote of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Democrats currently hold 56 seats in the Senate, and two independents typically vote with the party. Republicans have 41 seats, and there is one vacancy.
For a while the story’s going to be how the GOP has driven the kindly old moderates out of its ranks. But in the end, Specter needed to go.
But let it be known that Arlen Specter is not leaving because of some principle. Arlen is leaving because he was going to get beaten badly in the primary and Arlen couldn’t stand the thought of not waking up in the morning as a Senator.
And the only reason that Specter is in the Senate to betray us is because we betrayed ourselves first.
For updates on this story please check out The Other McCain.
April 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Good ridance.
There really needs to be a viable 3rd party. There is no reason NOT to have one. This way the Republocrats can all fight over who has the most Kennedy-esque candidate for the media, while the “Christian Centrist” party (just throwing that one out there) can concentrate on all issues with an uncompromising moral focus.
April 28, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Well the Republican Conservatives have got what they wanted. They got rid of Spectre.
Now it is time to fish or cut bait. Go out there and support the conservative of your choice in the primary. If he wins support him in the general.
If the conservative loses in the general there can be no blaming”the republican” party which seems to be a constant whipping boy. It was because we did not make our argument to the people of that State.
April 28, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Matthew, you win the award for most timely and creative post title! Nice play on words.
I agree with the previous poster; good riddance!
April 28, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Great title!
I wonder if Santorum will challenge in 2010?
April 28, 2009 at 10:21 pm
If the conservative loses in the general there can be no blaming”the republican” party which seems to be a constant whipping boy.When the Republican party supports, endorses, funds and champions candidates like Schwarzenegger in CA, Giuliani in NY, Romney in MA etc who else are we to blame? The Republican party has taken the Christian vote for granted and far too many Christians are getting sick and tired of supporting the party as the lesser of two evils.
April 29, 2009 at 12:06 am
If the conservative loses in the general there can be no blaming”the republican” party which seems to be a constant “whipping boy.When the Republican party supports, endorses, funds and champions candidates like Schwarzenegger in CA, Giuliani in NY, Romney in MA etc who else are we to blame? The Republican party has taken the Christian vote for granted and far too many Christians are getting sick and tired of supporting the party as the lesser of two evils.”
With all due respect in all those races there was alternatives. I am getting pretty tired of conservative Pro-lifers complaining when they lose a primary election. It so much easier to blame GOP
I saw this during the Mccain race. Heck for all the threats toward McCain from pro-lifers he picked as his VP not only a pro-lifer but a pro-lifer that talekd the talk. From what I was reading when he picked her most pro-lifers were predicting victory. THen McCain lost and he was blamed again
Just saying Pro-lifers(in which I am one) better start delivering on their promise of votes
We just got rid of SPectre. Well heck now is our chance lets prove we can win. I suspect though most pro-life internet people will just pontificate on the internet and if the conservative pro-lifer loses blame the republican party.
Time for pro-lifers to realize they must convince their neighbors and not just blame scapegoats and thus feel superior on blogs
I say this as a devout pro-lifer.
April 29, 2009 at 2:09 am
The Republican Party is not, and never has been, pro-life. The pro-life establishment’s attempt to ride the Republican Party to victory has been a mistake from day one. The Republican Party wants one thing from pro-lifers – your votes. They will never, never give anything in return. Why should they? You keep voting for them no matter what they do. They will never, (let me repeat in case you don’t get it), NEVER, be responsible for ending abortion in this country because it would mean the end of the Republican Party. And the Party is always, (let me repeat in case you don’t get it), ALWAYS, more important than the principle.
April 29, 2009 at 5:19 am
Geronimo, you are 100% correct.
Before we worry about a third party, we need to establish a second party. Because there’s little discernable difference between the Dems and the GOP.
War policy: Same
Crazy spending: Similar
Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Funded by both Bush and Obama
April 29, 2009 at 7:26 am
“The switch puts Democrats within one vote of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Democrats currently hold 56 seats in the Senate, and two independents typically vote with the party. Republicans have 41 seats, and there is one vacancy.”
Wasn’t that before he switched? I believe now there are 57 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independents that vote with the Democrats, and 1 vacant seat, the disputed Minnesota race.
Norm Coleman (R) was initially declared the winner, but since the margin of victory was so small (215 votes) they had a recount. Now, it appears that Al Franken (D) has won. Coleman appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court which will delay Franken from taking the spot for a while.
If (or rather, when) Franken becomes the new Senator in Minnesota, the Democrats will have 60 seats and will be able to overcome any Republican filibuster.