Reid talked to Specter
It's not at all surprising that Sen Majority leader Harry Reid tried to convince Arlen Specter to flip parties to get the Dems to 60. It's also not surprising that Specter didn't do so considering the walloping he would have received from national Republicans leading into his re election year.
What is interesting is that Harry Reid decided to make that offer/those discussions public. This is sure to cause some difficulty when they're courting Specter for his vote, but it also completely kneecaps Specter in his very tough reelection primary fight. ("My opponent is so liberal that the Dems wanted him....")
What is interesting is that Harry Reid decided to make that offer/those discussions public. This is sure to cause some difficulty when they're courting Specter for his vote, but it also completely kneecaps Specter in his very tough reelection primary fight. ("My opponent is so liberal that the Dems wanted him....")
posted by mikevotes at
7:41 AM
4 Comments:
The way that the GOP is going, I doubt that Specter will get a lot of "national support". He's screwed either way. The Party could change by 2010, but I don't see it happening. The primary fight will be bitter and fractious, and Specter will emerge from it wounded, conflicted, and broke.
I'm glad Reid failed. "60" doesn't mean much unless it is solid, and Specter would have been very wishy-washy as a Democrat. In purely partisan terms, I'd rather gamble on the Republicans losing a very high-ranking figure and the Democrats gaining a reliable ally than settling for a marginal ally that would suck up campaign funds better invested elsewhere.
By
Todd Dugdale , at 12:16 PM
Just as a broader answer, I think Specter is screwed, but having the more popular (with the base) figures blasting him will not help either.
He's gonna have to do something to win a primary he looks to be losing, and then win a general where he's probably not favored, all without national support and with limited money.
By
mikevotes, at 1:48 PM
"He's gonna have to do something to win a primary he looks to be losing,"
He could go down as being the first major Republican figure who called for a return to sanity in his Party.
By
Todd Dugdale , at 8:58 AM
Yeah. But I still think he might lose a Pa. primary, unless such a call becomes a cause and draws out irregular, moderate primary voters.
By
mikevotes, at 10:21 AM
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