Does Specter now become a junior senator? How does the System work for turncoats?
On Apr 28, 4:14 pm, dick thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > Lead off is right on the money > > > > [ Attached Message ]From:"WSJ.com Editors" > <[email protected]>To:[email protected]:Tue, 28 Apr 2009 > 16:43:56 -0400 (EDT)Local:Tues, Apr 28 2009 3:43 pmSubject:Best of the Web > Today - April 28, 2009 > > > > Online Journal E-Mail Center April 28, 2009 -- 4:43 p.m.See all of > today's editorials and op-eds, video interviews and commentary onOpinion > Journal.FORMAT TODAY'S COLUMN FOR PRINTINGThe 30% SolutionArlen Specter makes > a great philosophical decision, and Senate Republicans embrace irrelevance. > > ByJAMES TARANTO > > > > Arlen Specter has represented Pennsylvania in the Senate since 1981, but he > was born in Wichita, Kan., and grew up in Russell, a town that, despite its > puny population--less than 5,000 in the last census--has produced two major > American politicians. Bob Dole, like Specter a graduate ofRussell High > School, represented Kansas in the upper chamber from 1969 through 1996 after > four terms in the House. He was also the Republican nominee for vice > president in 1976 and president in 1996. > > > > In 1988, when Dole was making his second unsuccessful run for the Republican > presidential nomination, theNew York Timesrecounted this famous anecdote > about how Dole, a disabled World War II veteran, was persuaded to seek a > career in politics: > > Mr. Dole drew laughs the next night when he recalled that the Democratic > leader in his hometown, Russell, Kan., had once urged him to run for county > attorney. "He said to me, 'You got shot, and I think we can get you > elected,' " Mr. Dole recalled. The local Republican leader also made a pitch > for the young war veteran, saying Republicans outnumbered Democrats 2 to 1 in > Russell."So I made a great philosophical decision," said Mr. Dole. "I became > a Republican." > > We were reminded of this by a statement Specter issued today: > > I have been a Republican since 1966. . . . Since my election in 1980, as part > of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last > year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their > registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in > line with Democrats than Republicans. . . .I have decided to run for > re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary. > > Although Specter's description of his party switch as a high-minded matter of > "political philosophy" is laughable, he can reasonably claim that the > Republican Party left him first.Timothy Carneyof the Washington Examiner > reports: > > Last Thursday night on the Senate floor, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., told > Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, then still a Republican, that DeMint would > be supporting Specter's rival, former Rep. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., in next year's > Senate Republican primary. DeMint says Specter "pretty much cut me off and > said, 'I've heard enough.' "DeMint wouldn't speculate whether this > conversation spurred Specter to switch parties, but the conversation came > within hours of the release of a poll showing Toomey leading Specter among > primary voters 51 percent to 30 percent. "We knew Pat was going to win the > primary," DeMint said in a Capitol Hill interview Tuesday, minutes after > Specter announced his move. "This [party switch] shouldn't surprise anyone. > It was a clever political move." > > And indeed it is a smart bit of strategy--unlike Sen. Jim Jeffords's switch > eight years ago, which we prescientlycriticized on strategic groundsat the > time. Specter is now part of a 59-member majority (60-member if, as expected, > Al Franken eventually becomes the junior senator from Minnesota) rather than > a 41-member minority. Assuming he is re-elected, he is almost certain to > remain part of the majority in 2011. Democrats will be defending only 17 > seats (not counting Specter's), and at least half a dozen Republican seats > seem likely to be vulnerable. Even if 2010 turns out to be a big year for the > GOP, the likelihood of an 11-seat net gain is vanishingly small. > > > > Specter's switch also greatly enhances his own re-election changes. Whereas > he seemed certain to lose to Toomey in the Republican primary, he must be > reckoned the strong favorite if the two are matched up in the general > election. Party-switchers have occasionally been done in by their new party's > primary (cf ex-Reps. Michael Forbes of New York and Greg Laughlin of Texas). > In this case, however, one expects the Democratic establishment will step in > to crush any challenge. > > > > Just 12 days ago, in an interview withJosh Drobnykof Allentown's Morning > Call, Specter was denying any intention of making the jump: > > Some Democrats have approached you to switch, why not take them up on it?How > do you know that as a fact just because Rendell and Biden said that > publicly?Sure, why not take the path of the least resistance.Because I am a > Republican. > > Whether Specter's party loyalty was honest or a pretense, it was not > reciprocated, as Carney's report makes clear: > > DeMint said Specter's switch "shows that there were not principles attaching > Arlen to the Republican Party, but the Republican Party was the means to get > elected."DeMint continued: "I would rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate > who really believe in principles of limited government, free markets, free > people, than to have 60 that don't have a set of beliefs." > > Such an attitude is justifiable only if you think of the Senate as a mere > debating society. In the real world of politics, a small but principled > minority can get things done only by forming coalitions with other factions > on the basis of common interests or partial agreements of principle. In a > two-party system, the most expedient way of accomplishing this is within a > party. If America were a multiparty parliamentary system, a party with a 30% > minority could be hugely influential. In a two-party system, it is sure to be > marginal. > > > > The political logic of Specter's party switch is so compelling that his move > might have been inevitable. But the GOP would have been far better off had it > persuaded him to remain in the fold. Even Toomey would have a better chance > of beating an unknown Democrat than Specter next November. Republicans can > boast that they have kept their principles. That and 41 votes will buy them a > filibuster. > > > > Mission Accomplished > Imagine if this had happened when George W. Bush was president. From The Wall > Street Journal: > > On Monday morning, one of the 747s used to ferry around the U.S. president > was dispatched to the Statue of Liberty, escorted by a fighter jet. > Assignment: Get some fresh glamour shots of the plane.The Air Force said the > flight needed to remain confidential. So while New York police knew about it, > as did at least one person in the mayor's office, regular New Yorkers > remained in the dark.As a result, to onlookers Monday all across downtown > Manhattan--where the World Trade Center once stood--the photo shoot looked > like a terrorist attack. People watched in horror as a massive aircraft, > trailed closely by an F-16 fighter jet, banked and roared low near the city, > in a frightening echo of the events of Sept. 11, 2001.Fearing the worst, > thousands of people streamed out of the skyscrapers and into the streets. > Some buildings ordered evacuations. "Oh God, it was mayhem in here, just > mayhem," says Rubin Shimon, manager of Styling Haircutters, a barbershop near > Ground Zero. Many people took shelter in the shop to call loved ones on their > cellphones. > > At least Bush didn't set off a panic when he landed on that aircraft carrier > all those years ago. We suppose it's too early for either centrist voters or > the liberal media to sour on President Obama, but this is the sort of blunder > that in due course could easily end up feeding a very destructive narrative. > It certainly reflects Obama's greatest personal weakness, his vanity. > > > > It's also a reminder of how tenuous is our post-9/11 complacency. Yesterday's > panic in Manhattan shows that fear of terrorism is still there, just beneath > the surface. As we've warned before, in light of Obama's dramatic (if less > than substantive) repudiation of Bush-era antiterror policies, an actual > terror attack could easily lead the public to sour on him and to demand far > harsher policies than even Bush ever instituted. > > > > 'Card Check' in Action > Matt Milner works as a "tracker" for the Colorado Republican Party: He > follows Sen. Michael Bennet, a newly appointed Democrat, around and > videotapes his public appearances. The Denver Post reports what happened when > he went to an AFL-CIO meeting where Bennet was speaking Saturday: > > Milner, with his tripod and video camera, garnered the attention of event > organizers just as Bennet bid his adieu to hundreds of audience members, some > of whom had grown passionate over politically tricky labor issues, such as > the Employee Free Choice Act. . . .The 5-foot-6-inch Milner found himself > surrounded as the event wound down, he said."This hulking guy comes flying at > me, and he's yelling 'Who are you with?' There's a flurry of F-words," Milner > said. "They circled around me. I'd try to move, and they'd move to block my > path."[Mike] Cerbo [executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO], one of the > five men who spoke to Milner after Bennet's speech, disputed that version of > events Sunday. He said the young interloper was aggressive and tried to > provoke a confrontation, though he declined to say how."He came in uninvited. > . . . I'd call him a trespasser," Cerbo said. "He didn't get the incident he > wanted, so he's clearly lying about what happened." > > Milner says the men demanded that he erase his recording, and one of them > took his camera, while Cerbo claims, in the Post's words, that he "offered to > erase his tape because he hadn't been invited to the event." No one disputes > that Milner was outnumbered, or that it was he who called 911. > > > > If this is what happens to a man at a public event, what do you expect a > woman to do when these guys show up at her house with a card to sign? > > > > It Takes One to Know One > "Harvard Law professor Mary Ann Glendon, one of the most prominent Catholic > conservative intellectuals in the United States, announced yesterday that she > would refuse a prestigious award from the University of Notre Dame rather > than appear on the same platform on which President Obama is being awarded an > honorary degree," the Boston Globe reports. > > > > The Globe notes that not all Catholics are unhappy with Notre Dame's plan to > give the president an honorary degree: > > "There are some well-meaning people who think Notre Dame has given away its > Catholic identity, because they have been caught up in the gamesmanship of > American higher education, bringing in a star commencement speaker even if > that means sacrificing their values, and that accounts for some of this," > said the Rev. Kenneth Himes, chairman of theology department at Boston > College. "But one also has to say that there is a political game going on > here, and part of that is that you demonize the people who disagree with you, > you question their integrity, you challenge their character, and you brand > these people as moral poison. Some people have simply reduced Catholicism to > the abortion issue, and, consequently, they have simply launched a crusade to > bar anything from Catholic institutions that smacks of any sort of open > conversation." > > Now read this 2006Associated Pressdispatch: > > Nearly 100 faculty members at Boston College have signed a letter objecting > to the college's decision to award Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice an > honorary degree.The letter entitled "Condoleezza Rice Does Not Deserve a > Boston College Honorary Degree," was written by the Rev. Kenneth > Himes. . . ."On the levels of both moral principle and practical moral > judgment, Secretary Rice's approach to international affairs is in > fundamental conflict with Boston College's commitment to the values of the > Catholic and Jesuit traditions and is inconsistent with the humanistic values > that inspire the university's work," the letter said. > > Himes, it seems, is an expert on demonization. > > > > Homer Nods > In an item yesterday, we quoted an Associated Press dispatch, according to > which 40 million people died in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19. The AP > described this as a fatality rate of 2.5%, and compared it with the current > 7% death rate among Mexican victims of the current flu. > > > > In fact, 40 million is 2.5% of 1.6 billion, which was approximatelytotal > world populationat the time. > > > > It's Always in the Last Place You Look > > • "No Swine Flu Cases Reported in State"--headline,Montgomery (Ala.) > Advertiser, April 27 > • "No Cases of Swine Flu Reported in Alaska"--headline,Associated Press, > April 27 > • "Health Officials: No Swine Flu Reported in Ariz."--headline,Associated > Press, April 27 > • "No Swine Flu in CO"--headline,Denver Daily News, April 27 > • "No Swine Flu in Florida"--headline,Pensacola News Journal, April 27 > • "Ga. Hospitals Screen Patients, but No Swine Flu Yet"--headline,Atlanta > Journal-Constitution, April 27 > • "Hawaii Officials Say No Swine Flu Cases Here"--headline,KITVWeb site > (Honolulu), April 27 > • "No Swine Flu Cases Reported in Illinois"--headline,Associated Press, > April 26 > • "Epidemiologist: No Swine Flu Reported in Iowa"--headline,Des Moines > Register, April 26 > • "Kentucky Has No Confirmed Cases of Swine Flu"--headline,Associated Press, > April 27 > • "No Swine Flu in La., but Officials on Guard"--headline,Courier(Houma, > La.), April 26 > • "DPH Says No Swine Flu Cases in MA"--headline,WJAR-TVWeb site (Providence, > R.I.), April 25 > • "No Swine Flu Found in Minnesota--Yet"--headline,Associated Press, April 27 > • "No Swine Flu in Mississippi, but It Is Possible"--headline,Sun > Herald(Biloxi, Miss.), April 27 > • "No Swine Flu Cases Reported in Montana"--headline,Great Falls Tribune, > April 27 > • "State Health Officials: No Swine Flu in Nevada"--headline,KRNV-TVWeb site > (Reno, Nev.), April 27 > • "No Swine Flu Found in ND Yet"--headline,Associated Press, April 27 > • "No Reports of Swine Flu in Oklahoma Yet, Says Oklahoma Department of > Health"--headline,Examiner.com, April 27 > • "Officials Confirm No Swine Flu Cases in Oregon"--headline,Salem News, > April 26 > • "Officials Report No Swine Flu Cases So Far in Pa."--headline,Associated > Press, April 27 > • "UPDATE--South Dakota Swine Flu Is a No"--headline,KOTA-AMWeb site (Rapid > City, S.D.), April 28 > • "No Confirmed Swine Flu Cases in Tennessee Yet"--headline,Associated > Press, April 27 > • "Vermont Health Department Prepares for Swine Flu; No Cases Reported in > Vt. at This Point"--headline,Rutland Herald, April 27 > • "No Swine Flu Reported Here, but Virginia Declares Public Health > Emergency"--headline,Roanoke Times, April 27 > • "Wash. State Health Officials Find No Swine Flu"--headline,Seattle Times, > April 27 > • "West Virginia Should Not Worry About Swine Flu > Yet"--headline,Parthenon(Marshall University), April 28 > • "No Swine Flu Here"--headline,Wisconsin Radio NetworkWeb site, April 27 > > > > > At Least There's Some Silver Lining > "Swine Flu Leaves Mexican Soccer Stadiums Empty"--headline, Associated Press, > April 27 > > > > Life Imitates 'South Park' > > • Al Gore:"I'm here to educate you about the single biggest threat to our > planet. You see, there is something out there which threatens our very > existence and may be the end of the human race as we know it. I'm talking of > course about Manbearpig."--from "Manbearpig," originally aired April 26, 2006 > • "Virus Has Bird, Pig, Human Components: Watchdog"--headline,Agence > France-Presse, April 27 > > > > > 'I Hate My Boss.' 'Who Do You Work For?' 'I'm Self-Employed' > "UAW Said to Get 55% of Chrysler Ownership, Board Seats"--headline, > Bloomberg, April 28 > > > > The War Comes Home > "Marines Prepare for War in an Afghan Village in North Carolina"--headline, > FoxNews.com, April 27 > > > > Nothing Gets Past Those Cynics > "Layoff Fever: As Pink Slips Pile Up, Cynics Wonder if Companies Are Caught > Up in a Firing Frenzy"--headline, Wisconsin State Journal (Madison), April 27 > > > > They Must've Been Famished > "Ducks Finish Sharks"--headline, WGRZ-TV Web site (Buffalo, N.Y.), April 28 > > > > Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control > > • "Prince Charles Warns of 'Dark Age' "--headline,Daily Telegraph(London), > April 28 > • "Mexico City Watch Thieves Hide Behind Flu Masks"--headline,Reuters, > April 27 > • "Thirsty Swede Jailed Over Snot Attack"--headline,Local(Sweden), April 24 > > > > > News of the Tautological > "Pakistani Leader: Bin Laden 'May Be Dead'--or Not"--headline, Associated > Press, April 27 > > > > News You Can Use > > • "Australia's Tropical Islands for Sale at Half Price as Financial > Hits"--headline,Daily Telegraph(London), April 28 > • "Say Goodbye to Soggy Tomato Sandwiches"--headline,News.com.au, April 28 > > > > > Bottom Stories of the Day > > • "NASCAR Won't Make Changes at Talladega After Crash"--headline,Associated > Press, April 27 > • "Bulgaria PM Gets Cool Reception at Moscow Gas Talks"--headline,Reuters, > April 27 > • "Swine Flu Creates Controversy on Twitter"--headline,CNN.com, April 28 > • "Quebec Gets Most Funds for Canada Day"--headline,CanWest News Service, > April 27 > > > > > Stop the Presses > This is why USA Today is indispensable. Columnist DeWayne Wickham travels to > Berlin, where he discovers that Barack Obama is popular in Germany. Who knew? > It also turns out that "Obama is especially popular among this country's > small but culturally influential population of people of African descent": > > Of course, if Obama's popularity in a nation not easily moved to adulation of > foreign leaders was just a matter of race pride, his first 100 days in the > White House might be seen differently. > > We seem to recall from the history books that the Germans were once moved to > adulation of a foreign leader--a guy from Austria, as we recall. And come to > think of it, that was a matter of racial pride, and it was seen differently. > DeWayne Wickham hits another one out of the park! > > > > Click here to view or search the Best of the Web Today archives. > > > > (Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Steve > Prestegard, John Williamson, Jim Orheim, Jeff Baird, Abe Beyda, Paul Dyck, > John Eremic, Greg Lindenberg, Michael Ellard, Curtis Frantz, Sean McPhail, > Ethel Fenig, Robert LaFleur, Jerome Marcus, Chas. Hamilton, Rob Slocum, > Dennis Giangreco, Dan O'Shea, Eric Weissman, Marc Young, William Glomb, Ray > Hendel, Jim Miller, Nicholas Felten, Rod Pennington, Jeffrey Johnson, Skip > Gillikin, Andrew Strada, Brady Kiel, Tim Willis, Bruce Goldman, John Sanders, > Joe Perez, Doug Jeffreys and Joel Smith. If you have a tip, write us > [email protected], and please include the URL.) > > ALSO ON THE EDITORIAL PAGE > > • Mr. King and His Courtiers• Stephens: The Politics of Liberal > Amnesia• Henry I. Miller: Understanding Swine Flu > > advertisement > > > > OPINION VIDEO CENTER > > Specter Switches Sides > > Republican Senator Arlen Specter announces he will switch to the Democratic... > > > > Swine Flu's Impact on Mexico > > Mary Anastasia O'Grady discusses what effects the swine flu outbreak might > have... > > > > See all Opinion Videos > > TODAY'S MOST POPULAR: OPINION1. Opinion: Stephens: The Politics of Liberal > Amnesia2. Opinion: Henry I. Miller: Understanding Swine Flu3. Opinion: Mr. > King and His Courtiers4. Opinion: The Idiot 's Bible5. Opinion: McGurn: > Torture and the Truth CommissionMORE > > > > See all of today's editorials and op-eds, video interviews and commentary > onOpinion Journal.FORMAT TODAY'S COLUMN FOR PRINTING > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE DIRECTLY from this list, clickhere. > Your request will take effect within 48 hours. > > > > TO VIEW OR CHANGE any of your e-mail settings, clickhere. > You are currently subscribed as [email protected] > > > > FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-JOURNAL > (1-800-568-7625) between the hours of 7 am - 10 pm Monday - Friday ET and 8 > am - 3 pm Saturday ET or [email protected]. > > Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Privacy > PolicyContact Us > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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