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blogs.princeton.edu - 4/29/2009
The Specter of a Filibuster-proof Majority
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Arlen Specter's relationship with the right-wing of his party never been good.  But he's managed to keep the conservatives sufficiently at bay to win five Republican Senate primaries.   But as the Republican Party becomes more conservative and retreats from...
Reid's Specter deal stirs senior Dems' anger
thehill.com - 4/29/2009
Reid's Specter deal stirs senior Dems' anger
— thehill.com — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) deal to allow Sen. Arlen Specter to retain his seniority after... he switches to the Democratic Conference has not been received well by senior senators in the party. Several Democrats are furious with Reid ... (more) Reid's Specter deal stirs senior Dems' anger

Comments vote down Hot Air » Top Picks found this 4/29/2009found this
Inhofe: Specter's Switch Is "First Visible Evidence" Of GOP Comeback!
tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com - 4/29/2009
Inhofe: Specter's Switch Is "First Visible Evidence" Of GOP Comeback!
— tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com — Now here's an interesting spin on the Arlen Specter switch. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) appeared on Fox... News today, where he presented the case that Specter's switch is the first evidence that people are rebelling against Obama, and that the Republican ... (more) Inhofe: Specter's Switch Is "First Visible Evidence" Of ...

Comments vote down Talking Points Memo found this 4/29/2009found this
John Cornyn: What the Specter Switch Means
powerlineblog.com - 4/29/2009
John Cornyn: What the Specter Switch Means
— powerlineblog.com — Senator John Cornyn of Texas wrote these observations on the significance of Arlen Specter's defection for Power... Line: During the last 24 hours, much has been written about U.S. Senator Arlen Specter's (D-PA) defection to the Democrat Party. ... (more) John Cornyn: What the Specter Switch Means

Comments vote down Ben Smith's Blog found this 4/29/2009found this

Blog Reactions

The Monkey Cage:  How Liberal Will Specter Be?

PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts:  Specter Effect

Comments
Blog Reactions

How Liberal Will Specter Be?
The Monkey Cage — Simon Jackman shows that Specter was the 3rd most liberal Republican in the 111th Congress — although his estimated position on the ideological continuum isn’t much different than Snowe’s or Collins’ (or Nelson’s, for that matter). So now what happens? Yesterday I posted on how much members of Congress change their voting behavior once they switch parties. Nolan McCarty also weighs in, citing this paper (which I neglected to discuss yesterday): We found that on average party switchers moved 28 ...

Specter Effect
PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts — Nolan McCarthy ponders the The Specter of a Filibuster-proof Majority and notes: Keith, Howard, and I once published a paper that among other things estimated how much party switchers shifted on the liberal-conservative continuum. >We found that on average party switchers moved 28 percentile ranks on a liberalism scale. Thus, a Democrat at the 40th percentile on liberalism would move to the 68th percentile.In the 110th Congress, Specter was the 55th most liberal member of the Senate.With the addition of ...

Clearing the Field in Pennsylvania
The Monkey Cage — ... , simply switching parties does not by definition mean he has to vote differently on any particular issue than he would have previously. Nevertheless, there are of course reasons - Specter’s protestations to the contrary - why we might expect Specter the Democrat to vote differently from Specter the Republican. As both Nolan McCarty and ...

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Specter to let Specter be Specter
powerlineblog.com 4/29/2009 — Arlen Specter, having concluded that he likely will not win the Republican primary next year, will switch to the Democratic party. As he explained: It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences ...
President, Vice President Bask in "Specter" of 60-Vote Majority Senate
blogs.abcnews.com 4/29/2009 — ABC News' Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller report: One of the newest members of the Democratic party, Sen. Arlen Specter of blue-trending Pennsylvania, appeared in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House with President Obama and Vice President ...
On Arlen Specter's Committee Assignments
boomantribune.com 4/29/2009 — Arlen Specter ranks 12th in Senate seniority and now with his switch, 8th in the Democratic caucus. Harry Reid is going to respect Specter's seniority, but he won't immediately be eligible for any committee chairs. I won't try to get too complicated ...
Arlen Specter: I am a Republican
pennlive.com 3/19/2009 — It is time for yet another update on the status of Sen. Arlen Specter . The Pennsylvania senior senator is not considering running as an Independent, as had been "reported" earlier Wednesday in The Hill. "To eliminate any doubt, I am a Republican and ...
Why Specter Did It -- And Had To Do It
tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com 4/28/2009 — So why exactly has Sen. Arlen Specter ( R-PA D-PA) switched parties? It really comes down to electability -- specifically electability as a Republican. Specter's own statement acknowledged that his support for the stimulus bill has made his ...
Was it worth it for Specter?
washingtonmonthly.com 3/25/2009 — WAS IT WORTH IT FOR SPECTER?..... It's pretty obvious that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) flipped on the Employee Free Choice Act because he wants to win his Republican primary next year. If continued to support EFCA, as he did in...
www.washingtonexaminer.com >> Politics >> - Senator Specter, meet your new friends
washingtonexaminer.com 5/1/2009 — What does the future hold for Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter? A lot of uncertainty, soured relationships, and possible disaster. And that's just with his new-found friends in the Democratic Party. There's no doubt Senate Democrats wanted ...
Specter: ‘I Did Not Say I Am A Loyal Democrat’
thinkprogress.org 5/3/2009 — Shortly after news leaked that Sen. Arlen Specter would be switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party, media reports quoted Specter telling President Obama he would be a “ loyal Democrat ” who would support his agenda: At ...
F&M Politics Center: The Specter Toomey Race: Why So Close?…
GrassrootsPA.com 4/14/2009 — F&M Politics Center: The Specter Toomey Race: Why So Close?… 4/9/2009 – Why did Arlen Specter defeat Pat Toomey in 2004? The analysis that appears below provides some clues and is based in part on the last Keystone Poll (now the Franklin & Marshall College Poll) before the ...
Senate Guru: Cancer Research Website Really Arlen Specter Campaign Fundraiser
huffingtonpost.com 5/8/2009 — { Originally posted at my blog Senate Guru . } Arlen Specter has been promoting his new website - www.SpecterForTheCure.com - which appears to be an effort to raise money for medical research. Take a look at the website for yourself and get a ...
Analysis: GOP learning to be opposition party — CNN.com - Politics 4/29/2009
Just when it seemed as if the Republican Party's political standing couldn't get any worse, Sen. Arlen Specter decides to ditch the GOP and join the Democratic Party.
Feehery: Specter defection a wake-up call to GOP — CNN.com - Politics 4/29/2009
The departure of Arlen Specter from the Republican Party puts an exclamation point on a rough first hundred days for the national GOP in the Obama era.
Specter: Party switch driven partly by desire to keep seat — CNN.com - Politics 4/29/2009
Arlen Specter, the longtime Republican senator who switched parties Tuesday, admitted Wednesday the move was driven partly by a desire to keep his seat.
Analysis: GOP learning to be opposition party — CNN Political Ticker 4/29/2009
Sen. Arlen Specter didn't jump, he was pushed, observes one former GOP lawmaker of the party switch. (CNN) — Just when it seemed as if the Republican Party's political standing couldn't get any worse, Sen. Arlen Specter decides to ditch ...
Snowe: Moderate Republicans like 'Survivor' cast members — CNN Political Ticker 4/29/2009
Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe likened moderate Republicans to participants on a reality television show known for isolating its members and picking them off one-by-one. (CNN) - Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe called fellow colleague Sen. Arlen Specter's party ...