Huffington Post: Specter Faces Price of Betrayal: Angry Dems, Workers, Primary Challenge

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/specter-faces-price-of-be_b_200555.html

Art LevineContributing editor of The Washington Monthly
Posted May 8, 2009 | 06:32 PM (EST)

Sen. Arlen Specter's political deathbed conversion to the Democratic Party isn't turning out so well after all. He now finds himself isolated from his new Democratic colleagues , branded as a turncoat who won't support key parts of Obama's agenda, a betrayer of his longtime union supporters over the Employee Free Choice Act -- and he's been stripped of his seniority on committees. Real Clear Politics sums it up:

The White House's "full support." The backing of Senate leadership. The promise to retain his rank. Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter appeared to gain a new political world for leaving the party that brought him to national politics. One week later, that world is gone.

Specter now stands alone. Stripped of his rank by Democrats. Scorned by Republicans. Specter's flash of strength has turned to weakness.


That weakness was thrown into stark relief Wednesday night, as Rep. Joe Sestak said in an interview that he was "very seriously" considering challenging Specter in the Democratic primary. There was a renewed energy to Sestak, repeating the phrase "very seriously" as he drove from Washington DC to Pittsburgh.


It was only last week that Sestak appeared blindsided. "You know," Sestak told MSNBC's Chris Matthews Friday with a pang of resignation, "I was thinking of getting in. And I haven't made my final decision."


For many Democratic voters, Specter's flip-flop on the Employee Free Choice Act he once co-sponsored appears to be fueling outrage from union members and their progressive allies. These include not just civil rights organizations, environmentalists and others but netroot activists who met today at AFL-CIO headquarters, vowing to supplement the unions' own grass-roots and online organizing with added efforts from their ranks.

FULL story at link.

[robinlynne]

1. works for me. I prefer a DEMOCRAT, a real Democrat.

[saltpoint]

2. Recommended.

First because the points raised in this piece are worth wrangling over as voters in Pennsylvania decide which candidate to support.

And also because Specter's switch to the blue side of the aisle appears so far to have come with few benefits. If you're invited to a gathering, for god's sake bring a bottle of wine.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

5. Simply, yet elegantly stated...

"If you're invited to a gathering, for god's sake bring a bottle of wine.":patriot:

[spooky3]

6. and in this case, he requested the "invitation"

very rude to spill his drink and food all over the host's carpet.

[tblue37]

8. Spilling is accidental. He took a piss on the carpet--not so accidental. nt

[spooky3]

9. good one!!

[pleah]

3. K&R

[Earth Bound Misfit]

4. Specter, along with Di-Fi are attempting to appear as the

"heroes" who, after flip-flopping on their flip flop on EFCA, are at the front of the latest "card-check compromise" they are attempting to sell. I'm not fooled. I know who these people are beholden to.

ETA: Off to the greatest...K & R.

[cascadiance]

7. This should be a warning to other Republicans. to become a Democrat, you have to BE a Democrat!

And not just expect to come over here as a DINO and be expected to be welcomed with open arms. Hopefully we can also extend this warning to other DINOS as well that are in the party now.

[lib2DaBone]

10. Oh Man.. we're trying to get our president to go left of center..."hope"

.. now we are supposed to worry about Arlen Specter? The man who knows who killed JFK? Give me a big M F BREAK..

Put Arlen in handcuffs and find out what he knows about the lies he told the Warren Commission.

Single Bullet.. My aching ass......

[Canuckistanian]

11. K&R