Ridge Is Out

Looks like its going to be Pat Toomey as the Republican nominee in the general election in Pennsylvania.

An Admission Of Guilt

After Arlen Specter announced that he was switching over to the Democratic Party he said part of the reason why he was doing so was because of the radicalization of the Repubican Party in his home state of Pennsylvania. Basically because so many Republicans left the party last year, what was left of the party was the fringe uber conservative, uber religious right wingnuts. In his own words Specter said he wasn't willing to have that group judge his years of service. Because the republicans in Pennsylvania are now mostly wingnuts all of the polling shows former leader of the Club For Growth, Pat Toomey leading Specter by around 20 points in a Republican primary. And he went through and talked about how the Club For Growth has ruined the Republican party by running far right candidates in primaries and beating sitting GOP members of Congress only to have their far right candidate get destroyed in general elections. He ended up by saying that the Republican party should rise up against the Club For Growth if they ever wanted to change their minority status.

Now soon after Specter's announcement several high profile Republicans came out to slam the move and dispute his characterization of the party. According to them he was just running from the fight and Toomey was a mainstream candidate who could win not only the primary but also the general election. There was all kinds of fantasy based happy talk saying that Specter leaving the party was a great development for the GOP. This was supposedly the first step in the resurgence of the party they said.

Well it seems like since those proclamations some lightbulbs have come on with other people in the Republican party and they are starting to see the truth of Specter's words.

Still stunned by Arlen Specter's party switch, Republican senators are pessimistic about the chances for conservative GOP hopeful Pat Toomey in the Pennsylvania Senate race.

"I don't think there is anybody in the world who believes he can get elected senator there," said Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the vice chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Asked if the NRSC would back Toomey, Hatch said, "I don't think so" and that the party should look for "someone who can win there."

Now think about what Hatch is saying here. He is saying that a guy who is up 20 pts over Specter in a Republican primary has absolutely no chance in hell of beating Specter in a general election. That is about as close to an admission that the party is now dominated by the fringe of not only the GOP but also the fringe of Pennsylvania in general as you will probably ever see. But that is the state of the Republican party today and as Olympia Snowe pointed out in her op-ed Pennsylvania is just a microcosm of what is going on in that party nationwide. And what makes it worse is that some leaders in the Republican party seem to think this is a good thing.

Arlen Specter PWNED Pat Toomey And The Club For Growth

I just want to take time out to thank Pat Toomey for doing so much to help run the Republican Party right off the rails!

Arlen Specter Willingly Kisses The Ring

I guess Arlen Specter fears losing his seat more than anything else in the world. First he came out against voting for cloture for EFCA which he had previously supported and then just last week he voted for John McCain's "alternative budget" which would have rescinded almost all of the stimulus spending that Specter had just voted for a little over a month ago all in an effort to burnish his conservative cred. But to bend over and kiss Rush Limbaugh's fat ass just to try to win a primary is fucking disgusting. At this point I am rooting for Pat Toomey to beat the shit out of his wishy washy ass in the primary so a Democrat can take the seat hands down in the general.

Specter: Do I like Rush Limbaugh? … Yeah, I like him […]

Stern: He’s a crackpot? He’s an enemy of the country.

Specter: (laughing) Uh, no, he’s not. He’s expressing his opinion.

Stern: Senator, wait a second. In all seriousness. He wants the president to do poorly? Listen, I never voted for Bush, but I always wanted to see him do well. I’m an American. I want my president to be successful. Who says ‘I don’t want my president to do well?’ That’s anti-American!

Specter: Well I haven’t heard Rush Limbaugh say that. But there’s a lot of talk which is provocative.

It’s puzzling that Specter hasn’t heard about Limbaugh’s statement that he hopes Obama fails. The issue has been covered by blogs and the front pages of national newspapers for months. It even earned Limbaugh a spot on the cover of Newsweek. Or perhaps Specter is learning from the others who have criticized Boss Limbaugh and have then apologized to him.

You know the best part of this sickening episode is that it turns out that Republicans might just be fed up with Rush Limbaugh anyway. Good luck with that Senator Specter