I still don't know why Obama/Biden got involved with Specter switching parties.
Well, yes, I do. Arlen Specter has been Joe Biden's friend for years, but how this went down just don't feel right with Democratic voters.
The switcheroo of Specter is documented, he was a Democrat in the 60's (he has done this before) and switched parties to the Republicans. Now, for the senate vote sake and a very tough Republican primary coming up, he was convinced to switch back to the Democratic Party with plenty of Obama covering.
I don't care about anyone switching parties for whatever the reasons, but Specter outright said he was switching because of the possibility of losing in the Republican Primary. See, the Republicans are fighting amongst themselves on who is more conservative, which means the right winged fringe have out weighed the moderates in the Republican Party.
“I’m not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate, not prepared to have that record decided by that jury,” Mr. Specter declared in a rather defiant tone at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
And the polls are continuing to show Congressman Joe Sestak closing the gap on Specter. Remember, Specter must get through the Democratic Primary, the same dilemma that Hillary Clinton faced with Barack Obama. Yes, President Obama can swope in and say, "Vote for a know quantity, Arlen Specter", but Pennsylvanians already know this quantity and the Republicans don't like him and the Democrats don't like being told that they must vote for a turn coat Republican. That is Specter's dilemma.
Barack Obama and Ed Rendell were delighted when they convinced Sen. Arlen Specter to switch parties earlier this year. But now that coup falls into the category of "be careful what you wish for," because the president and the governor of Pennyslvania have a problem on their hands: Arlen Specter. Here's the problem: Specter is up for re-election next year, and he was promised the full campaign backing of Obama and Rendell--not just in the general election but in the primary next May, if there was one. Well, there is one, and it is shaping up as a fierce one, against Rep. Joe Sestak, who represents the Philly suburbs. Specter, a notoriously tough and nasty campaigner, will expect his two big backers to support him to the hilt. And Specter, a 79-year-old cancer survivor with enough fortitude for the three of them, has leverage: he's the "60th vote" in the Senate. Read one way, Specter has no choice but to support Obama down the line; read another, Specter has the power, should things get ugly, to snarl the president's legislative agenda.
This is the primary to watch.
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