Against Dawn Johnson, against EFCA and cloture on it, against reconciliation

[cali]

for health legislation. Tell me again what's the point of welcoming snarlin' into the party?

[jsamuel]

1. it makes the other team feel bad

[ErinBerin84]

2. I know.

PA deserves a better "Democrat" than this, this sucks (I'm not from PA, but wth. Basically the whole press conference was "Yes, I did this to save my ass, and I'm still suchhhh an "independent", my votes will be the same).

[Beetwasher]

3. Let's See

He's saying that now. He's an opportunist, let's see what happens.

I suspect his positions may soften. I could be wrong, but let's see.

For now, I'll take the PR coup as the net gain, w/ options on future votes.

He's got everything to gain by supporting the popular President's agenda, especially now that he's a Dem.

[Dogmudgeon]

4. How does this hurt us?

It doesn't.

"Snarlin'" also brings a sizable chunk of the remaining PA Republicans into the Democratic Party. This will wreck the once-supreme PA GOP.

So we don't get a perfect Democrat. But we DO get a Democrat. In fact, we get a lot of them.

--d!

[Occam Bandage]

5. I don't see a downside.

If he plays ball and votes for cloture when we ask him to, great. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and we've just shut down a few dozen filibusters on important issues in the critical next two years.

If he doesn't, then we don't fund him in the primary, he loses, and it'll be the exact same situation as it would be had he never switched parties: Toomey with the Republican endorsement, the Democrat with the most support, and Specter without a party, without a donor base, and fighting for the scraps.

And either way we just got a PR coup far, far greater than Lieberman ever was for the Repukes. Lieberman, after all, ended up sticking with us, proving we're a big tent. Specter is a long-standing GOP moderate who just said that the GOP was a party of shallow hyperpartisans.

[cali]

6. here's a prediction: he won't play ball and dems won't punish him

for it.

the pr coup is the only good thing about this.

[Occam Bandage]

7. Here's another prediction: he'll throw a pie in Obama's face, then tie Sasha to some train tracks

and cackle as he twirls his mustache.

[cali]

11. mine would seem to be rooted in the reality of arlen's history

and the dems. look at what he's already said today. and remember anita hill and his long support of wingnut judges.

[DireStrike]

8. Sounds about par for the course. nt

[Truth2Tell]

9. Who are you?

And what have you done with Cali?

Edit: K&R

[Political Heretic]

10. Okay.... you're scaring me now. I agree with you and have the same question.

That's been like twice in a month that this has happened.

STOP IT!!

:scared:

[backscatter712]

12. He doesn't have to be for reconciliation.

Reconciliation for health care reform is already going to happen, which means we only need 51.

You've got a point on EFCA and Dawn Johnson, though I'll bet that he'll get arm-twisted into softening his positions pretty soon...

[WI_DEM]

13. As long as they got an agreement that he won't support a fillibuster it's fine with me.

[Bluerthanblue]

14. he's open to prosecution for TORTURE- but alas, maybe that's too yesterday-

:shrug: