Arlen, We Hardly Knew Ye

So, Arlen Specter has finally made the jump. He left the Republican Party this morning by announcing he would run for re-election as a Democrat. He has voted with the Democrats fairly consistantly since Obama was elected and the Dems have taken over the entire federal government. But the thing that bothers me the most is what he said about this possible switch just weeks ago. He knew full well that if he made this move it would mean that Obama and the liberals would be able to effectively ram through any legislation they wanted. And now he has shown his true colors. Here's what he said:

“I am staying a Republican because I think I have an important role — a more important role — to play there. I think the United States desparately needs a two party system. It is the basis of politics in America. I think each of the 41 Republican Senators, in a sense, and I don’t want to overstate this, is a national asset, because if one was gone you would only have 40. The Democrats would have 60 and they would control all of the mechanisms of government.”

This was just over a month ago in an interview with "The Hill" newspaper. He seemed genuinely worried about this takeover. Didn't seem to want it to happen. Then, suddenly, he forced it on us. Truth be told, Specter realized that he was going to lose to former Rep. Pat Toomey in the Republican primary next year. Toomey is a popular conservative who had been heading up The Club for Growth, which is an economic think tank. So now they can go head to head in a general election. I wonder if there is an outside chance that there are Pennsylvania democrats that would consider taking him out in a primary.

Specter has nobody to blame but himself. He put himself in the position of being challenged on the right when he sided with two other Republican senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, in voting for Obama's budget plan. There is some talk here in the Keystone State about recalling him. But, alas, it is not constitutional here. He would have to be impeached, and that's just not going to happen.