Alan Spector, Republican US Senator for Pennsylvania, Switches to the Democrats

As it stands now the Republicans stand to pick-up a few Senate seats. But they will not be able to retake the Senate.

Looking back on the Reagan Presidency, it really wasn't too much of a revolution. The House was controlled by the Democrats and 25% of the Reagan prseidency the Democrats controlled the Senate.

The interesting thing is that the Republicans during the 1980s were able to gain the Senate Seats in the inner West. The main issue out there is land use and environmental regulation.

 

@ Bogart:

In subsequent reading I discovered that there are several GOP seats that are significantly vulnerable. It is very early vis a vis 2010.

As to the state of the GOP nationally and in Pennsylvania, this latest Pew Research Poll identifies a significant problem:

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1207/re...-slips-nationwide-pennsylvania-specter-switch

Large annual polls and smaller monthly polls indicate that voters identify themselves as members of the GOP at only around 22-23%. That is minimal.

Democratic identification is in the 33-35% range. Voters who identify themselves as members of the GOP also self identify themselves as Conservative. To a lesser degree voters who identify themselves as Dems identify themselves as Liberal.

To the extent parties are capturing people with an independent nature...it is the Dems who are capturing people in the middle.

At the extremes the GOP is a mess. Two vocal leaders (Limbaugh and Cheney) want Colin Powell out of the party. So much for any effort at picking up more people. These vocal leaders see the party as a very narrow very conservative party. Meanwhile to further amplify the restrictionist/ narrow incredibly unrealistic/ and extremist view...members of the Republican National Party were calling for a resolution to have Dems rename their party.

How out of touch, extremist and disconnected from reality are these extremist Republicans? Their form of the GOP is losing voters hands over fist. They loudly want to purge the party of anyone with a modicum of moderation. Then, after not focusing on either their own outrageous and obvious shortcomings nor focusing on real issues with regard to the nation...they come up with the stupidist idea possible....demanding that the other party change its name.

These numbskulls are losing elections, driving people out of their own party, preaching a form of extremism that is repugnant to a majority of the nation, and somehow come up with the idea that the other party is extreme.

How utterly nonsensical. By the way...they were in power as the largest recession in 70 years occurred.

Its no wonder Arlen Spector doesn't want to run in a Republican primary that is comprised of a narrow minority of extremist GOP folks who are disconnected from reality.

 

@ Earl:

The Republican Party needs to focus on its platform. Somehow over that last 30 years the South became Republican and people have started to equate Republicans as evangelical christains. In the last election there was a shift of the younger evangelical vote to Obama. I think that the Republican Party will come back. The base of the Republican Party is the Midwest/North Central States (NY, PA and New Jersey).

It will be interesting to see what happens in PA. Should Joe Sestak(D) defeat Arlen Specter in the PA primary, there's a 50-50 shot that Pat Toomey (R) could win the general election.

 

In the past I've supported and voted for Republicans. Even recently.

I'm big on fiscal responsibility. But at the current GOP extreme, its not that at all, IMHO. It is a radical twist into No Tax pledges. How stupid is that for government, which is there to deal with societal problems.

The guys who scream for NO taxes at all...have to then take responsibility to cut programs. You can't just scream on one side and take no responsibility on the other side....and just scream. That isn't problem solving....its just loud screaming political BS.



That is a deal killer for dealing with complex new issues that arise. It boxes governments in where options are removed and taken off the table.

In the last 5 national general elections the Dems have outpolled the GOP in the popular vote 4 out of 5 times. The GOP is losing voters and supporters in most age brackets, its driving out the Hispanic voters, its losing amongst the young, etc. etc. etc.

The radical far right wing of combo religeous fanatics, screaming NO TAX people, and groups that basically say if you aren't a White Male you lose are simply making the party narrower and more extreme.

The party turned wierd and myopic over many years.

 

With views like that, we in the Democrats dont want you. We have big problems that only government can solve, and that means spending a LOT more than we have. You need to get on board or get out!!!

 

LOL: Abomination of a bs personna: I am obviously on the opposite of any side you take.

 

The way it's going now. The country is in crisis. The public wants less taxes and more services. The only way to pay for the spending is to borrow.

On the local level, taxes are already sky high.

The Hispanic voters are a case where some are Republicans especially the Cubans. Many Hispanic voters are working poor and want more social services to supplement their low pay. At the same time illegal immigration is depressing wages further and illegal aliens are collecting many of the same benefits.

I would be more inclined to favor some increased taxes to pay for essential services if the government was making an effort to cut waste. I think that the earned income credit should be eliminated as well. The money would be better spent on health care.

 

I'm very pleased that Specter is on board with the "public option." I'm not saying that alone will be enough for him to win the Dem. primary... but I am very pleased with it regardless.