Pennsylvania Senator Arlen “Defector” Specter has announced that he is switching parties to run as a Democrat in 2010 and he will begin caucusing with them giving Democrats a filibuster proof 60 votes in the Senate.
Specter’s defection is a blockbuster win for Democrats as it enables the majority to more easily cram through legislation with absolutely zero input from the GOP. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Vice President Joe Biden have been working to get Defector Specter to switch sides for a while now. Their victory means that what little hope there was for any bipartisanship in the Senate is now completely and totally out the window.
Defector Specter’s decision has to be a reaction, at least in part, to his poor numbers in recent polls for his primary reelection contest versus former Congressman Pat Toomey. NRSC Chairman John Cornyn’s recent support for Specter over Toomey, now means that the Texas Republican has lent his support to a Democrat. Senator Cornyn must come out today and issue an immediate and complete retraction of his support for the now traitorous Specter, and ensure that he is supporting Pat Toomey as the next Senator from Pennsylvania. Cornyn and the NRSC will have to invest heavily in this race to win. To show the sincereness of his support for Toomey in this tough battle, Cornyn should have the NRSC transfer funds to Toomey’s campaign today and promise to begin helping the former Congressman raise the money needed to defeat Defector Specter in the general election.
Stay tuned to The New Ledger for continuing coverage on Defector Specter’s switch to the Democrat party and its implications on his 2010 campaign and the business of the Senate.
UPDATE: NRSC Chairman John Cornyn has issued a statement about Defector Specter:
TNL“Senator Specter’s decision today represents the height of political self-preservation. While this presents a short-term disappointment, voters next year will have a clear choice to cast their ballots for a potentially unbridled Democrat super-majority versus the system of checks-and-balances that Americans deserve.”