libertarian dad

A couple days ago, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced that he was leaving the Republican Party and joining the Democrat Party.  Specter says that the views of the Republican Party no longer reflect his views and he will seek re-election in 2010 as a Democrat.  That may in fact be part of the reasoning in his switch.  However, I think one part of his announcement is particularly telling:

 I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate. I have not represented the Republican Party. I have represented the people of Pennsylvania

I have had a couple days to think about Specter’s announcement.  While some will see this as a blow to any chance that the Republicans would have to block or delay any of the Democrat programs without a fight, I see the switch in a different light.  I see it as more indicative of the general problem with politics inside the Beltway as a whole.

A few weeks ago, Specter talked about how important it was for him to stay in the GOP.  He said there was no intention on his part to switch to the Democrats.  So what changed in the last couple weeks that would cause such a change of heart?

Specter was going to be challenged in the Republican primaries for the 2010 Senate campaign.  Former Congressman Pat Toomey announced that he would run against Specter for the nomination.  Polls showed that Specter was significantly behind Toomey and would likely lose the nomination.  Rather than let the electorate decide, Specter made the jump.

The politicians in DC have become more about getting and keeping their power instead of doing what is truly best for the country.  Specter has exhibited this behavior before when he first switched from the Democrats to the Republicans in order to get elected as District Attorney.  Now when it seems like his best bet to be able to run for re-election is with the Democrats rather than the GOP, he makes the switch again.