Yes, we will. Does this create an opening for Rick Santorum or is Santorum done?
CW ----- Original Message ----- From: "rigsy03" <[email protected]> To: "PoliticalForum" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 05:39 Subject: Re: [Fwd: Best of the Web Today - April 28, 2009] We'll see. On Apr 28, 4:36�pm, Cold Water <[email protected]> wrote: > Specter stated in his presser the date he was first elected to the Senate > is > the determining factor. > > CW > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "rigsy03" <[email protected]> > To: "PoliticalForum" <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 05:29 > Subject: Re: [Fwd: Best of the Web Today - April 28, 2009] > > 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 > > ... > > read more �- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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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