Last week, the Democrats (yay!) got an infusion of fresh new blood when Republican (boo!) Senator Arlen Specter jumped ship (yay!). This was, oh, about six weeks after he insisted that he’d never, ever do such a thing, and boasted that he was the only guy standing in the way of complete Democratic control of Congress.
Which prompted people with… what’s it called? Oh yeah: memories! It prompted people with memories to point out that when Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party and became an independent in 2001, Specter didn’t like it one bit. And it prompted people with even better memories to point out that Specter started off as a Democrat in the first place, before he jumped to the Republicans back in the ’60s. All that jumping. He’s pretty spry for an older gentleman!
Now, thanks to the miracles of YouTube, C-SPAN, and C-SPAN’s YouTube account, you can set the Wayback Machine to 2001 and watch Specter’s sincere, impassioned condemnation of the exact same thing he did in 1965 and would do again in 2009:
The money quote:
When I first heard last Tuesday that Senator Jeffords was considering this move, I told the news media: “It shouldn’t happen — it won’t happen — it can’t happen.” Well, I was wrong.
Yyyyup.
Is this what you call situational ethics? As in, ethics only matter in situations where Arlen Specter isn’t in danger of losing his power.
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The Democrats seem happy to have him, but Republicans seem to be happy to be rid of him. So can I just be content with continuing to hate both parties? Seems easier.
2009 != 2001
Different situations call for different courses of action. The Republican party is very different today than it was 8 years ago. It’s completely sensible of Specter to feel at home with the party in ‘01 but not today.
2009-2001, okay that may say some things, but what about 6 weeks ago versus today? What changed except for the fact that Obama himself promised to campaign for him if he jumped ship again. Reminds me of bribery a bit. And I say, glad to be rid of him but boo to the USA who will now suffer under the extensive changes the Messiah has for us.
Pasta, I’m with you. A plague on both their houses.
And six weeks ago != today. We get it.
Yeah, like when the situation is that you’re going to lose your next election, your course of action is to do exactly what you said you wouldn’t do yesterday.
Specter is like a drowning man grasping at anything to stay afloat. Too bad for him he better learn to breath water as he is going to go down for the count next election.
Gosh…I guess I learned the new meaning of honor. What about those poor saps who voted him into office. I guess they don’t require the honor of following what they elected him for.
6 of one, half dozen of the other……….the only change is the few pennies still in my pocket.
Oh shoot, better not mention those pennies….there’ll be a guvmint person here to get those, too.
This is a self serving move to continue his political career. Principles have nothing to do with it. If you are a voter in Pennsylvania, think about this, he has his best interests in mind, not yours.
I agree with MC Mom and Pasta – I HATE both parties. With a burning, fiery, hellish passion.
See, it’s untouchable as in intangible, because, y’know, his name is… never mind.
I think it would be awesome if he lost, just because I’m vindictive like that. Glad to be rid of him, but switching shouldn’t be allowed. What a slap in the face to your voters.
“This is a self serving move to continue his political career. Principles have nothing to do with it. If you are a voter in Pennsylvania, think about this, he has his best interests in mind, not yours.”
Actually, this was a very principled move by Specter (D-Specter).
His guiding principle is “get re-elected”.
“The Republican party is very different today than it was 8 years ago. It’s completely sensible of Specter to feel at home with the party in ‘01 but not today.”
True. The party have moved way left in the last eight years. Government expansion, spending off the charts. What does that have to with Specter?
Arlen Specter’s Honor is Unfindable. The man has none, never has, never will.
What is all this surprise about? He is a long serving politician. They have no honor in the sense that the average person has honor. Move on. All politicians lie all the time.
It works.
And, yes, it is better that the Republicans get rid of people like him. Much better to be more focused on the principles of your party than on just getting raw political power. That power undid the Republicans. It will undo the Democrats, too.
Hadn’t you people heard?
Perpetrating Fraud on the Voters is the new Black!
What do you expect? The guy was on the Warren Commission for Christ’s sake. Don’t any of you remember his shameless behavior during the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings?
As somebody else has already said: “this is the desperate act of a cornered man.”
The Dems will ride Arlen like a $10 whore until Fast Eddie Rendell clobbers him in the Dem primary in 2010.
like a diseased $10 whore I think, that’s our Arlen
The Democrats are far more different today than the Republicans. They’re more strongly dominated by the super-rich and the pretentious, which seems to be what appeals to Spector. They’re also even more arrogant, anti-intellectual and anti-science. After 9-11 the Democrats initially joined with Bush and supported a strong internationalist foreign policy. Now they have collective amnesia, and have seemingly knuckled under to Obama’s isolationism and love of foreign thug dictators.
To Brian of the 2009 2001 argument above:
The GOP didn’t have to move one inch to get this result. Specter stabbed too many people in the back, and PA GOP voters finally had enough.
In 2004, Bush and Santorum aggressively campaigned for Specter in the GOP primary. Specter beat Toomey 42-40. That fall, “Kerry Specter 2004″ lawn signs appeared all over metro PHL; no serious person thinks those signs were printed without Specter’s consent. Specter barely showed a pulse in support of Bush’s 2004 re-election (he lost PA) and Santorum’s failed 2006 re-election.
Add his vote for this year’s bloated budget, and who exactly can blame PA GOP voters for buyer’s remorse?
And let’s not forget: Toomey’s a Harvard grad, worked in finance before starting his own business, and was a 3-term GOP congressman in a then-Democrat district. He speaks fluent economics and entrepreneurship. Toomey might be capable of making up a 2% gap when his opponent no longer has political superstar endorsements.
Two words: term limits.
Specter on Coleman – he, Specter, forgot which team he is supposed to be rooting for – doofus.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003110567&parm1=5
I was always taught to dance with the one who brought you. Specter didn’t get that lecture, apparently. And winewife is spot-on: Term limits are one of the only ways to keep career politicians in line. (Whorish videographers are another, as was Lee H. Oswald, but that’s another discussion for another day.)
Well, kids, it looks like the Democrats went back on their promises to Specter and it’s all partisan BS as usual. Looks like Letalis Maximus was right, but they didn’t even wait for the 2010 primary.
(Not that I’m sorry for Specter the opportunist, but the Democratic leadership looks pretty rotten in throwing him to the wolves this fast. I guess they feel they don’t need to wait any time to make it look better.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/05/AR2009050504344.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR
MC Mom – Karma.
AAW, true. We’ll see how karma treats the Democrats when the Republicans get their next majority.
(Like a big ol’ beyotch, I’m thinking.)
Those would be two beautiful words, winewife.