BREAKING NEWS (as of a few hours ago anyway): Arlen Specter, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, has abandoned the Republican party and is now a Democrat!
Well, that was a shock,.. or not, depending on who you listen to regarding the announcement. One thing is certain, this changes everything... I think. Or was it that nothing has really changed? I don't know.
Senator Specter has long been accused of being a RINO (Republican in Name Only). My guess s that the true change is that he is now a DINO (Democrat yada yada yada). Well, in this day and age, DINO's are more powerful than RINO's, so I guess it could be a good career move for him. Besides, it wasn't looking like hw was going to win the nomination in the Republican primary this time around, so he may have had little choice. Switch parties or lose his seat. Granted, that could still happen, but I think he has a good chance of being re-elected as a Democrat.We'll all find that out next year together.
Will this mean we will see a brand new Arlen Specter? Can somene who has been a Republican for so long really change? I say no to the first question. I don't know about the second one. I think people in this country need to stop thinking that Republican or Democrat labels tell you all you need to know about a person. I'm a Democrat but I don't agree with every plank in their platform. Specter has been a Republican for years, but often voted at odds with the majority of his party. For quite a while now it has been obvious that Specter is not a "party player" for the Republicans. I'm sure the same will be true now that he is a Democrat.
While I haven't always agreed with Specter, I have respected him. Yes, I've even voted for him. Yes, I will likely do so again. Welcome to the party Arlen, you should have come around sooner!
