A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.
Arlen Specter becoming a democrat on paper does little, if anything, in regards to the balance of power on the Hill. Much like Joseph Lieberman becoming an Independent did little to change the balance of power when he made the switch. Specter will vote the same as he always has, especially on major issues where a Senator is responsible more to his constituents than his party. If there is an effect it will be on small issues in which he is whipped into voting with the party.
The real significance of the move is that it means that Democrats are now completely responsible for what happens over the next few years. They will reap the rewards or take the blame. There is nowhere left to hide. Republicans can no longer be blamed for obstructing "progress". Democrats, and liberals by and large, will now live and die by the value of their own ideas.
Republicans should be excited about this idea. The last time that liberals had this much control was in 1978. It was a miserable failure and gave birth to the Reagan Revolution. With the success of the Tea Parties and Obama's falling approval rating, it is fairly likely that Republicans will gain seats in the House and Senate in 2010, at least until you look at the numbers.
The House is wide open and if the Republicans are to make an serious movement, then it will be in the House. The Senate is not nearly as favorable. There are likely to be 10 Senate seats that will be seriously contested. Only four of those seats belong to Democrats. Two of the seats belong to Harry Reid and Chris Dodd. As unpopular as those two are amongst conservatives, they will probably be re-elected in their home states of Nevada and Connecticut. The third seat is Burris in Illinois, and I don't see Republicans picking up that seat in Obama's backyard. The only seat that Republicans can reasonably pick up is the seat in Colorado, and only if Ryan Frazier stays an "it" guy.
The problem is that the six contested Republican seats could all possibly fall. There are open seats in Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Ohio. Florida and Ohio are toss ups, but both states voted Obama and neither state has a real solid Republican candidate. New Hampshire is very blue and will likely vote in a Democrat, and the Democratic candidate in Missouri has a very well known and respected family name, Robin Carnahan (she is Secretary of State in MO, her dad was governor, her mom was a Senator, and her brother is a Congressman).
Other problem seats for Republicans are in Louisiana and North Carolina. The Republican Senator in Louisiana, David Vitter, will have an uphill fight due to his involvement in a sex scandal. Sen. Richard Burr (R) will have a tough time in North Carolina. North Carolina voted for Obama, ousted Elizabeth Dole (R) in the last election, and voted in a Democrat as governor.
While it may be conventional logic, and the hopes of Republicans, that Americans will tire of Democratic control of Capitol Hill and the White House and vote in Republicans in 2010, the breakdown of the actual races does not match up with the logic, at least in the Senate.
In order for Republicans to not lose even more control of the Senate in 2010, there is going to have to be a dramatic shift to the right by Americans. Democrats are going to have to fail, and that fail is going to have to be epic. So epic that it will cause a real political shift in currently blue states. Democrats are going to have to prove completely inept while in power to cause such a dramatic shift, much like they did in 1978 and 1979.
Oh yeah, Republicans also have to find a charasmatic leader. Luckily, the last time Democrats were in total control, Republicans found that leader.
-The Banker
Showing posts with label Arlen Specter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arlen Specter. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Arlen Specter's New "Affiliation" Should Come as No Real Surprise.
So if you've been paying attention to the news today, you may have noticed that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has switched his affiliation from Republican to Democrat (so I guess now D-PA). This is important because assuming that Al Franken takes the Senate seat in Minnesota (which he most likely will), it gives Democrats at 60 person majority, and makes them filibuster proof.
There are a few ways to look at this sort of thing. The first way is to realize that this won't change Specter's voting record. He probably would have voted with the Democrats anyway, as it has been his common philosophy. I've been angry as Specter for quite some time, as he doesn't typically act like someone from his party. He is a moderate, a Repube-lican, if you will. He is one of these people that leans sharply to the left, yet for some reason or another, claims an affiliation with the Republican party. While Republicans everywhere should be angry at Arlen Specter for this decision, it's important for the party that we realize it's a good idea to oust these sort of people from the party anyway. Specter (along with Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins) makes his agenda clear as day. Therefore, it is good for the Republicans as a party that we do away with the "moderates" and replace them instead with people who look more towards our ideals. Arlen Specter is not a Republican. He does not act like a Republican. He does not vote like a Republican. He would probably vote with the Democrats anyway.
That being said, the truth remains that Republicans should not only be angry, but fired up. With this supermajority in Congress we (as Americans) should be scared. The leftists are going to try to push every single piece of liberal legislation that has ever come to light. Therefore, what we look at here is a loss of liberty, a loss of freedom, bigger government control, government owned healthcare, and all of the like. Esssentially, here's what we have going on: a soft tyranny headed by the Obama administration, and a bunch of leftists controlling Congress. It's not a pretty thing. However, given the current state of affairs, there's nothing that can be done about it at this time. Therefore, what the Republican party needs to do is concentrate on having sharp people run for the 2010 Senate and House elections, and we need stronger candidates in the 2012 Presidential election. This year, we ran a bumbling old man (J Mac), and a strong woman who was unfortunately an easy target for the Obama loving lib media (Sarah Palin). While I do like Palin, I think the Republican party needs some strong backbone in there. Mark my words: run her in 2012, and we will lose the election. Keep in mind, I like Sarah Palin...a lot. But the Republican party really needs to get it together.
So yes, Arlen Specter changed sides. Screw him. He's a piece of trash, has been a piece of trash, and will continue to be a piece of trash. He is irrelevant. What Republicans need to do is get their act together. We have to stop being so soft skinned. I know plenty of well educated people out there. It should be easy to defend the things that we stand for (or are supposed to stand for): smaller government, a broader emphasis on personal liberty, national security, and tax issues that do not screw hard working Americans over (ie - a "progressive" tax or those proposed by the liberals - which are not fair, and do not ever work). The Republican party needs to return to the values upon which it should have been embracing the entire time. We've done it to ourselves, and need to return back to it. The Republicans should learn their lesson - they ran like Republicans in 2004, and immediately started acting like Democrats once they got into office. They expanded the government and turned their backs on some of these founding principles.
It is time to take back what should be rightfully ours in 2010. So good riddance, Arlen Specter. We hope you nothing but a loss in 2010. You're a worthless, bumbling, old man. I will raise my middle finger in the air, and laugh at your disgrace. For the rest of you real Americans out there, let's take this chance to sit back, contemplate, and understand what must be done in order to revilatize the party. Let's start running the right candidates, and start embracing the ideals that we should stand for in the first place. Let this be a lesson to us all. Go listen to some Reagan speeches and listen to what a real leader sounds like. Read the Constitution. Embrace liberty. Embrace freedom. Let's bring it back in 2010.We must take the leftists out.
-The Rocker-
There are a few ways to look at this sort of thing. The first way is to realize that this won't change Specter's voting record. He probably would have voted with the Democrats anyway, as it has been his common philosophy. I've been angry as Specter for quite some time, as he doesn't typically act like someone from his party. He is a moderate, a Repube-lican, if you will. He is one of these people that leans sharply to the left, yet for some reason or another, claims an affiliation with the Republican party. While Republicans everywhere should be angry at Arlen Specter for this decision, it's important for the party that we realize it's a good idea to oust these sort of people from the party anyway. Specter (along with Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins) makes his agenda clear as day. Therefore, it is good for the Republicans as a party that we do away with the "moderates" and replace them instead with people who look more towards our ideals. Arlen Specter is not a Republican. He does not act like a Republican. He does not vote like a Republican. He would probably vote with the Democrats anyway.
That being said, the truth remains that Republicans should not only be angry, but fired up. With this supermajority in Congress we (as Americans) should be scared. The leftists are going to try to push every single piece of liberal legislation that has ever come to light. Therefore, what we look at here is a loss of liberty, a loss of freedom, bigger government control, government owned healthcare, and all of the like. Esssentially, here's what we have going on: a soft tyranny headed by the Obama administration, and a bunch of leftists controlling Congress. It's not a pretty thing. However, given the current state of affairs, there's nothing that can be done about it at this time. Therefore, what the Republican party needs to do is concentrate on having sharp people run for the 2010 Senate and House elections, and we need stronger candidates in the 2012 Presidential election. This year, we ran a bumbling old man (J Mac), and a strong woman who was unfortunately an easy target for the Obama loving lib media (Sarah Palin). While I do like Palin, I think the Republican party needs some strong backbone in there. Mark my words: run her in 2012, and we will lose the election. Keep in mind, I like Sarah Palin...a lot. But the Republican party really needs to get it together.
So yes, Arlen Specter changed sides. Screw him. He's a piece of trash, has been a piece of trash, and will continue to be a piece of trash. He is irrelevant. What Republicans need to do is get their act together. We have to stop being so soft skinned. I know plenty of well educated people out there. It should be easy to defend the things that we stand for (or are supposed to stand for): smaller government, a broader emphasis on personal liberty, national security, and tax issues that do not screw hard working Americans over (ie - a "progressive" tax or those proposed by the liberals - which are not fair, and do not ever work). The Republican party needs to return to the values upon which it should have been embracing the entire time. We've done it to ourselves, and need to return back to it. The Republicans should learn their lesson - they ran like Republicans in 2004, and immediately started acting like Democrats once they got into office. They expanded the government and turned their backs on some of these founding principles.
It is time to take back what should be rightfully ours in 2010. So good riddance, Arlen Specter. We hope you nothing but a loss in 2010. You're a worthless, bumbling, old man. I will raise my middle finger in the air, and laugh at your disgrace. For the rest of you real Americans out there, let's take this chance to sit back, contemplate, and understand what must be done in order to revilatize the party. Let's start running the right candidates, and start embracing the ideals that we should stand for in the first place. Let this be a lesson to us all. Go listen to some Reagan speeches and listen to what a real leader sounds like. Read the Constitution. Embrace liberty. Embrace freedom. Let's bring it back in 2010.We must take the leftists out.
-The Rocker-
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