Toomey: Specter Was Against 60 Democrats Before He Became 60th Democrat
The Toomey campaign has weighed in on Sen. Arlen Specter's decision to become a Democrat (and, therefore, to drop out of the Pennsylvania Republican primary).
"Senator Specter's decision is in keeping with his record. He is more at home in the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. That has been true for decades, not just true today.
In recent weeks, Senator Specter has made numerous statements about how important it is to deny Democrats the 60th seat in the U.S. Senate and how he categorically intended to remain a Republican to prevent one-party dominance in Washington.
What Pennsylvanians must now ask themselves is whether Senator Specter is in fact devoted to any principle other than his own reelection.
Emphasis mine. And Toomey has a point. Just last month, Specter said, "I think each of the 41 Republican senators, in a sense -- and I don't want to overstate this -- is a national asset.... [I]f one was gone, you'd only have 40, the Democrats would have 60, and they would control all of the mechanisms of government."
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Brian
Specter's change of positions on this signals good things for EFCA. He'll either vote for it or vote for clocture. Either way, it's all good!
April 28, 2009 1:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Toomey is right that there's a conflict in Specter's statements, but it doesn't matter at all. Specter will absolutely crush Toomey in a general election.
April 28, 2009 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
The polls were saying Toomey was winning. But, IMO, it's too early. These same polls said Clinton would be in the WH, and we know ow that turned out!
April 28, 2009 5:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Another affirmation that Specter is in the right place by acknowledging he's more in line with the Democrats than the Republicans.
This and Steele's responces are the best thing Arlen could have hoped for from the GOP.
They've kicked him out and disowned him. He's free to vote his conscience, and more inclined to vote with Obama's agenda on healthcare, climate change and energy reform, etc...
I see this as only good for the country. The folks wishing for somebody else to run as a Democrat in 2010 are looking for 2 in the bush, when the 1 in hand can start helping NOW.
April 28, 2009 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, the loons have taken the gun from Specter and shot themselves in the foot, though I suspect Steele's overreaction may have had more to do with the fact that this yet another nail in his coffin.
April 28, 2009 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Specter has been a republican - since 1966 - longer than he's ever was a Democrat; what makes us think that he will not be another lieberman?
Personally, I don't trust him.
April 28, 2009 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Specter was in a bind; as a moderate he had to either appear to be veering towards the right wing of his party, stand his ground and be defeated by a fellow Republican or join the Dems.
He's probably said a lot of things in the past 8 years, that were a stretch for him at best.
While part of this decision was undeniably all about his political viability, he seems to be genuinely out of step with the rest of the GOP. And that's a good thing.
April 28, 2009 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
An excellent point that Democrats should consider before they get all loopy over this news.
April 28, 2009 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
60? Does this mean that the Republicans are conceding the MN race?
April 28, 2009 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
It would be interesting to know what Specter's position on health care reform is, and how much that played a role in the switch.
April 28, 2009 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Unless Specter steers left going forward, this might actually increase the chance that Toomey could win the general because a lot of Dems could stay home. Also this will allow Toomey to moderate himself for the general, instead of being the hard right boogeyman that would bring the Dems to the polls to vote against him, rather than for his opponent.
If Specter "didn't want his career judged by the ever shrinking Republican party in Penn" why didn't he just become an independent? That way there could have been a three horse race come 2010. His move to the Dems really stinks in that regard. Is it because he's lose his chairmanships? Or do independents have a tough time getting elected in Penn?
April 28, 2009 2:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Eh, your hyper-cynicism is showing. Toomey is going to get killed.
April 28, 2009 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's like asking me to pet a viper. This has nothing to do with ideology as you and I understand it. Specter's all about Specter, nothing else. And Stroszeks right. Toomey is the snowball in hell.
April 28, 2009 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Toomey is the reason for the switch.
Ha ha. Toomey, you P.O.S., you deserve this. You had to be an asshole and make a primary challenge for a GOP who has been there for decades.
Toomey won't win the general. PA is a traditional minded place, and they like what they know.
April 28, 2009 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Senator Specter is a major jerk, and always has been. Ah, but he's now our major jerk, a Dem major jerk. Not so bad. But is he a Progressive jerk? I expect that once he gets used to his new situation, his politics will migrate further to the left, more towards standard Democratic positions. It didn't take Kirstin Gillibrand too long to realize that she has a new constituency and needs revised political views. Same for Specter, who is not stupid. And he wants to get reelected.
I read Senator Snowe's expression of devastating abandonment. Her words, slightly out of context. Reads soft to me. I think she may be the next Republican senator to jump ship - rats do that - unless Collins jumps first. Maybe they'll hold hands and jump together.
April 28, 2009 4:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
So CFG is admitting Franken won in MN?
April 28, 2009 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink