Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced today that he was switching his party affiliation from the Republican to the Democratic Party, therefore returning to the party he originally was in before switching to the GOP in the mid 1960s, when he was a young ambitious district attorney in Philadelphia, beginning his political career.
Obviously, Senator Specter, having switched parties twice now, at the beginning and near the end of his political career, cannot be praised for party loyalty, but despite that, it must be said that Senator Specter has had a long, distinguished career and has often shown principle and courage in tough political moments, including his decision to back President Obama’s Economic Stimulus bill , one of only three Republican senators ( the other two being the two women Senators from Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins) to do so, which allowed the bill to get through the Senate, instead of being filibustered by the Republican minority. The action by Specter likely assures him another six year term in the Senate as he nears 80 years of age in 2010.Â
His addition to the Democratic caucus now makes that a 59 member majority, and eventually when Al Franken takes the Minnesota Senate seat still being contested by former Senator Norm Coleman in state supreme court, the Democrats will have reached the magic number of 60, therefore creating a filibuster proof Senate, assuming of course that all Democrats stay loyal on every piece of legislation promoted by the Obama Administration. As a result, Obama should be able to accomplish his goals on health care, the environment, education, as well as other initiatives.
With Specter switching his party affiliation this gives the Democrats complete control in the Senate. They will now have the 60 seats needed to cloture a filibuster (as soon as the Senate seat from Minnesota is resolved, which Al Franken won that seat fair and square, enough is enough!). Honestly, now is the time and place for the Democrats to push along legislation and get as much through as possible, if they do and the programs the Dems push work, then that will be yet another jab to the Republican party.