From Practical Vision: The Spectre of Specter

[Political Heretic]

The Spectre of Specter
Political Heretic
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On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter announced that he was leaving the Republican Party and joining the Democratic Party. Specter had been under tremendous criticism from the GOP for holding moderate positions on many issues. His vote for the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (being one of the key Republican votes needed for cloture on the bill) prompted threats of a Republican primary challenge for his Senate seat in the next election.

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So, what are some of the implications of this defection?

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But there is some really good news in this announcement, and that is what the news tells us about the state of the Republican Party. At a time when the GOP should be moving to the center to reach out to moderate and independent Americans, they are doing the exact opposite. Despite poll after poll showing an American population drifting leftward politically, despite the overwhelming mandate of the 2008 national election (Democrats won Virginia for heaven's sake,) and despite the fact that last weeks FoxNews poll on Obama's first 100 days had a staggering 82% of respondents stating that Obama was meeting or exceeding their expectations - despite all of this, the GOP continues to run to the fanatical right.


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http://practical-vision.blogspot.com/2009/04/spectre-of-specter.html