Michael Steele says Spector's move was political

[Enrique]

ya think?

http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2009/04/dont_let_the_do_1.php

RNC Chairman Michael S. Steele says Sen. Arlen Specter's decision is a purely political move.

"Some in the Republican Party are happy about this. I am not. Let's be honest-Senator Specter didn't leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don't do it first."

[NightWatcher]

1. file under: NO Shit Sherlock

[Subdivisions]

3. Beat me to it. n/t

[JonLP24]

2. Well he is a politician

Nearly all of politician's actions are political.

[tridim]

4. Michael Steele.. Su-per Gen-ius.

Not.

[JonLP24]

12. My favorite Michael Steele statement is global warming doesn't exist because

"They called Greenland for a reason, right?"

Stupid, Greenland is further NORTH then Canada and based on his logic global warming exists because they called Iceland for a reason, right? For those who never visited Iceland, Iceland is VERY green.

[KamaAina]

39. Iceland is spelled "Island" in Icelandic

the 's' is pronounced, unlike the English cognate, but that's what it means: "Island". It has not a thing to do with ice.

[JonLP24]

41. I know Iceland has nothing to do with Ice

I was trying to use Michael Steele's logic against him.

[Occam Bandage]

42. That's a bit off.

The similarity between the Icelandic Island and the English "island" is simple coincidence. Icelandic for "island" is eyja.

[Bolo Boffin]

5. Somebody check if the Pope is still a Catholic.

Is there bear feces in the woods yet?

[TheWraith]

6. This is probably Steele's death warrant.

Losing the NY-20th and now a Senator is probably going to do him in as the RNC chair.

[sharp_stick]

7. I wonder if Steele saw this one coming

Being as Michael Steel says that he knows everything that's happening in his increasingly constricted sphere of influence I'll bet this came as a real kick in the nuts.

I think we're seeing a reverse Newt revolution, remember all those dems that jumped party lines to sign onto the sham "contract with America" shit?

[monmouth]

8. Boy, he's just an enormous fount of knowledge isn't he?...Dumbass....n/t

[Fleshdancer]

9. A politician making a political move?? You don't say?

I am shocked I tell you!

[dem629]

10. ALERT! A politician who is in politics did something political!

:eyes:

[Catshrink]

11. I'm shocked, shocked that there are politics in Congress.

http://www.oceancountypolitics.com/inhouse/Images/Renault,%20Louis%20copy.jpg

[onehandle]

13. Steele is history. Boss Limbaugh will fire his ass any minute now. nt

[stillcool]

14. sharp as a tack..

[jobycom]

15. Umm, so he's not switching on principles, but because his voting record is so "left-wing"

that his party won't reelect him...

They aren't even logical when they are being logical.

[Occam Bandage]

19. He's not switching on principle, he's switching because we'll kill him for his principles.

:crazy:

[TahitiNut]

31. Specter neatly eliminated any chance for a true progressive to get his seat in 2010.

After a fashion, he's done the conservatives a favor ... even if that's not the same as doing the GOP a favor. (The GOP is its own worst enemy.)

[Occam Bandage]

34. Not necessarily.

He eliminated that chance, assuming he votes with us to the extent that PA Dems don't vote for a primary challenger. I don't expect him to change his positions on up-or-down votes, but with 60, that's beside the point. What matters is cloture votes, and whether he gets a challenger or not will depend on his cloture votes.

If he votes against us on cloture, we don't fund him, direct our donors to his challenger, and he loses his primary race handily. If he votes with us on cloture, we've effectively traded the possible six years of maybe having a progressive after 2010 for two years of breaking Republican filibusters starting now, with six years of him most likely voting generally with us after that (as membership or lack of membership in a party does make a real difference in voting record, as Jim Jeffords showed). Given that we have no idea what the makeup of the Senate will be in 2011, that it isn't certain that Specter would lose in 2010 (two years in politics is long enough for a second act), that we have no idea what the issues in 2011 will be, and that it's critical that we win on the issues of today, I'm comfortable with taking the bird in the hand instead of the two in the bush.

[TahitiNut]

37. An expectation is a premeditated resentment.

Up until now, Spector's votes WITH the Democrats have been viewed as "heroic" and a BONUS ... but now we'll see the flip-side and, along with Nelson, Nelson, Landrieu, and Lieberman, he'll be playing leverage power games and fucking over the left.

[Occam Bandage]

40. Yes. Shallow people who treat politics as a game of team loyalty will probably bitch more.

I don't think that's really that important.

[Garbo 2004]

16. Next up, Michael Steele announces water is wet. nt

[L. Coyote]

17. Don't we all? !!!! "Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010"

[Occam Bandage]

18. So you're admitting that he left because you forced him out? Great leadership, Mikey. nt

[TahitiNut]

20. Only an asshat GOPher would claim Specter has a "left-wing voting record."

Fucking unreal. Anything left of total and utter fascism is "left-wing"?? Assholes!

[Occam Bandage]

21. Steele is completely justifying Specter's claims about the Republican party.

He says, 'my God, they're all right-wing nutsos now, with no room for a moderate conservative. They left me, so I am now a Dem.'
Steele says, 'He voted for Obama's stimulus package after forcing billions of dollars in concessions! LIBERAL SOCIALIST WE WILL DESTROY HIM WE'RE GLAD HE'S GONE THAT LIBERAL."

[TahitiNut]

25. At the same time, the Democrats clutch their pearls and try hard NOT to be 'lihbruls.'

God forbid they justify the name-calling. :eyes:

[Occam Bandage]

26. Except for the fact that this year they're pushing the most

liberal agenda they have since at least the Carter years, and possibly back to the LBJ years, yeah, sure.

[TahitiNut]

33. It's still not as liberal as the Eisenhower GOP. (I have a longer memory.)

:shrug:

Both Carter AND Johnson came from that "Southern Democrat" background ... NOT 'liberal' in the sense of FDR, Truman, and JFK.

[Occam Bandage]

35. I suppose I'll agree that this is not the absolute most liberal political environment in history.

The fact that you have to stretch back to Eisenhower to find a comparable one makes your claim of pearl-clutching laughable.

[TahitiNut]

36. National Democrats have been clutching their pearls ever since RFK was assassinated.

McGovern, McCarthy, Brown, and a host of decent liberals (including Kucinich, Wellstone, Cuomo, and others) have been back-stabbed and marginalized by the Democrites (hypocritical democrats) for 40 years. It's been part and parcel of the corporatization of our politics. Along with Nixon's "Southern Strategy" the Democrats have become almost solely the "Southern Democrats" ... LBJ, Carter, and Clinton all come from the conservative southern Democratic backdrop.

Like I've said repeatedly, I'm glad to be an INDEPENDENT liberal. Partisan power inside fighting disgusts me.

[TimesSquareCowboy]

22. and then Stele validates Spector as a Democrat.

What an idiot.

[FlyByNight]

23. Nothing gets past Michael, does it?

Mr. Steele has a knack for the obvious. I hope he occupies his current position for a long, long time.

:dunce:

[Occam Bandage]

24. I agree. Maybe he can force Collins and Snowe out, too.

But even if he doesn't, I'll settle for having him simply continue to blow elections in what should be surefire GOP districts.

[Enrique]

28. they don't call him Steele Trap for nothing n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. File this under... and your point is?

Jesus age... there are days

Hand Steele a clue stick

[Jim Pivonka]

29. Political? LMAO, as they say on the internets...

Do you think basic disagreements with the policies and strategies of the Senate Republican leadership with regard to the HHS and DOJ nominations are political, or matters of "principle".

Since when, Mr Steel, are principles not political, and politics not matters of principle? Don't be more of a jackass than you have already proven yourself to be.

[Bozita]

30. "his left-wing voting record"?? - Hey Ma, Mikey's smoking your good stuff again!

[BirminghamExaminer]

32. well he is a politician...and Michael Steel is never political of course

[Bill McBlueState]

38. when a political figure changes political parties,

yep, that's political.