Republicans are getting pretty predictable these days, and a couple of hot news stories prove that: the news that U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter has come out of the cold and joined the Democratic Party and the Swine Flu epidemic.
Shortly after the long-time Pennsylvania Senator made the painful, personal decision to leave a party he had spent a lifetime supporting, the attacks from the Republicans began in earnest. Instead of placing the blame where it belongs - for their lack of relevance - they attacked Specter.
Gee, who could have predicted that?
RNC Chair Michael Steele issues a statement to party faithful shortly after the news saying, Specter “…committed a purely political and self-serving act today. He simply believes he has a better chance of saving his political hide and his job as a Democrat.”
The latter part of that statement is true, he does have a better chance of getting elected as a Democrat, but Steele fails to explain why that is. That is the same reason many former loyal Republicans voted for Democrats last November: the hard right turn of the GOP. The fact is party left them, they didn’t leave the party.
Steele gets even further unhinged saying, “Arlen Specter handed Barack Obama and his band of radical leftists nearly absolute power in the United States Senate.” “Radical leftists?” Is he serious?
I have heard some people say – taking a Faux News line – that Democrats shouldn’t be so gleeful because if you look at Specter’s voting record, he is really a Republicans, but he will be just wearing Democrat's clothing.
You might want to tell Steele that because he claims Specter has a “left-wing voting record.” I wish I had a dollar every time Steele used the word “leftist” in his rant. The good news is Democrats have a big tent, and when Sen. Al Franken is finally seated we will have a filibuster proof majority.
Rightwing hatemongers like Ann Coulter-wannabe Michelle Malkin are blaming illegal immigrants for the Swine Flu pandemic, much like the plague was blamed on the Jews. “I've blogged for years about the spread of contagious diseases from around the world into the U.S. as a result of uncontrolled immigration,” Malkin wrote. She ignores, of course, that the biggest group carrying the virus to the U.S. has been a group of prep school students in New York after vesting Mexico.
I wish the weather was this easy to predict.
3 comments:
Don't make me have to start agreeing with you. That will be creepy for both of us.
Agreed that the Repubs are shouting out of control. Specter can't both be a radical leftist and a Republican in Democrat's clothing. This is a PR and numbers win for the Democrats. But it isn't a slam dunk. Specter is still a Republican. In next November's U.S. Senate election, Pennsylvania voters will likely have to choose between a conservative and a far-right conservative. If you heard Specter's speech, he said one of the things that bothered him about the far-right cause was that it cost the confirmation of several Bush candidates for judge. Specter likes Bush judges a lot more than he likes expected Obama nominees. That's the "Democrat" you are getting in Pa., if he wins.
The blame-the-swine-flu epidimic on immigrants is breathtakingly stupid, xenophobic and wrong. We are in agreement on that.
I’m not sure what you mean by a slam dunk, but I’m happy Specter switched and I hope more follow suit. I see it as more than a PR and numbers win. There are lots of Democrats I don’t agree with on some issues, but I do agree with them on a majority of issues. For instance, there are a lot of pro-life Democrats, but I am pro-choice and anti-abortion. I have and will vote for a pro-life Democrat. I’ll take someone who is moderate anytime, including Specter, Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Olympia Snowe.
Guru you heard the Republicans are using robo calls against Specter? Ironically they're using what Bush said about Specter to turn Democrats against Specter. Which is funny if Specter lose in the Democratic primary the Democrat that beats Specter would have no problem beating the "Club for Growth" Republican in the election.
To me the Republicans know they have to appeal to moderates and sane people but more vocal right wing of the party still believes fear and hate is the best way to win. I had a right wing roommate that told me he believes the Republicans had to purge the party of moderates because they don't hold conservative principals.
But hey if the Republicans want to be lead by people like Hannity, Coulter, Limbaugh and the actors on Fox News I say let them. I won't shred a tear when they become the 30 year minority party.
Post a Comment