Ridge Is Out

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

Cloture

Every since Arlen Specter crossed the aisle last week I have been trying to point out the advantages of the move for Democrats. The biggest plus as I saw it was that Specter would become a reliable vote to invoke cloture and overcome filibuster attempts by the GOP. I know that a lot of people on the left are pissed off by the things he have said since then but I steadily maintain that if Specter votes for cloture on big issues then him switching sides will be well worth it. Now I have also pointed out that Democrats in the Senate really didn't give up anything to have Specter cross the aisle and that if he doesn't get with the program he will probably get the brakes beat off him in a Democratic primary. But I digress.

The reason why I bring this up yet again is because of something Harry Reid said today on MSNBC. Check out the video.



Did you catch it? If not go back to about the 1:20 mark.

When speaking on Arlen Specter, Harry Reid made this statement.

“On procedural votes he will be with us all the time”

Do you know what "procedural vote" means? Cloture, thats what. Now considering the amount of weaksauce Harry Reid exhibits on a regular basis you of course have to take this with a grain of salt. Still Reid made the statement with a confidence that seems to belie a deal having been made. Arlen Specter is no doubt a weasel and he has taken saying one thing and doing another to an artform. Still I don't care if he votes against certain measures as long as he votes for cloture and then as long as they get passed with a simple majority. This shouldn't make people jump up and shout but it should temper at least some of the dissappointment expressed thus far by the lefty blogosphere.

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.

"What The Hell Does That Mean?"

Don't hold back Rick Sanchez, tell Jim DeMint how you really feel!

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!

Time To Watch The FoxNews Freakout

I have officially turned my Tee Vee for the rest of the day, I suggest you pop some popcorn and do the same!

Specter Switches Parties

Arlen Specter is now a Democrat. I wrote a diary on dailykos awhile back saying that Democratic leadership should have been trying to get him to cross the aisle after the stimulus vote. Per a statement read on MSNBC Senator Spector claims that he won't be an automatic 60th vote for cloture and that his vote on EFCA won't change. Well I am calling bullshit on that. He had to give up something for the Democratic leadership to allow him to cross the aisle instead of getting trounced in a Republican primary by uber wingnut Pat Toomey. We could have picked up the seat next year easily so there is no reason to allow him out of that blood bath unless some kind of compromise was made. I can tell you this much, if there ISN'T a compromise in place then Harry Reid should have his ass kicked. What's the use of allowing him to caucus with the Dems if he will still vote Republican? I will be optomistic for now, but if Specter is true to his word Harry Reid has GOT to go.