Specter is everything that is wrong with Washington -- putting his career ahead of his country.

Arlen, you are a total disgrace.

the last sentence of this post makes no sense.

Isn't this the guy who cares about the Eagles losing to the Patriots in the Super Bowl more than he cares about the economy or foreign policy?

Arlen Spector was a Republican?

elie, nobody cares about your politics. so stop making this chat blog a forum for them.

Are we sure we want to give more power to an administration that approved a 747 flyover of Lower Manhattan, and forbid notifying anyone, for a photo op?

Isn't this the same guy who came up with the JFK "magic bullet" theory?

Great work, Specter. It's not his fault the Republicans have become the party of pseudo-economic nonsense and general intolerance to minorities. Another reason why conservatism is the biggest joke of all.

He's been a RINO for a while now, along with Sens. McCain, Snowe, and Collins. Blows.

Specter may not be a sure vote for a filibuster-proof majority. His statement specifically said he wasn't switching his position on card-check and that he wouldn't be an automatic vote for cloture.

Isn't this the guy who just got convicted for murder? What happened to his hair?

I hate that guy

I wish the worst on you arlen specter you disingenuous fraud...you are a disgrace and the people of penn will speak to you soon when they vote you out..

Typical Washington bullshit.

Great work, Specter. Way to join the party of economic nonsense and anti-white, anti-male bigotry Another reason why left-wing, social-welfarism is the biggest joke of all

Great work, Specter. Way to join the party of economic nonsense and anti-white, anti-male bigotry Another reason why left-wing, social-welfarism is the biggest joke of all.

Oh, boy, this has Restatement 90 written all over it. I'm surprised Specter would do this, since he's an accomplished lawyer. The GOP is going to sue him big time for relying on his promise to run as a Republican. He's toast.

I still haven't forgiven him for what he did to Bork.

There's nothing more amusing or pathetic than white male conservatives who grew up privileged and able to access every opportunity shitting on social welfare programs or the ethical system underlying them.

4 Principles of Conservatism

1. Low Taxes
2. Limited Government
3. Strong National Defense
4. Personal Responsibility

The only racism is the constant insufferable race-baiting engaged in by so-called liberals who are hell-bent on dividing, dividing, dividing the country in order to gain and keep power in their relentless drive to create a Soviet-style one-party Government.

12, LOL. That's a proper comment for this subject on ATL. I'm dancing in the streets over this, but I dont come here to discuss politics.

20, not more amusing or pathetic than those systems themselves? Methinks not.

Let the Democrats have their specter of ineptitude to go with their collapsed economy, swine epidemic, and loser candidate who can't even recite 30+ words in the Constitution correctly. Clowns.

Arlen Specter, you sir, are no Robert C. Byrd.

Nice, 18.

The End of Moderate Republicanism:
http://aglasner.blogspot.com/2009/04/end-of-moderate-republicanism.html

So the Senate is filibuster proof now? That's great. I just love one party rule - especially because that's my party. Republicans, this is payback time for screwing with America!

16 >>> 9 >>> 20
20 = minority lesbian or skinny latte drinking socialist

20,
You liberal bigot. You just presume that because someone is white, male, and conservative that they grew up in privilege.
Nothing and no one is more pathetic than you.

4 Principles of Conservatism:

1. Not caring about people who are not able to help themselves.
2. Abandoning principles that have made America safe and free in favor of a national security state that will torture anyone as long as there's valuable information at stake.
3. Intolerance towards gays, black people who aren't yet satisfied with the progress of a race that has been subjugated for the first 180 years of the U.S.'s existence, Hispanics who won't shut up and leave the country if they're undocumented, and women who want to be able to control their reproductive choices.
4. Ignorance of and hostility towards anything and everything that has to do with public goods.

In the words of Billy Madison: "Now you're all in big, big trouble."

MWWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Also, second 28.

Arlen Spector shot a woman in the face once just because she wouldn't let him pound her in the ass.

This blog is a disgrace. Why is this on a blog about the LEGAL PROFESSION. Mystal will take any excuse he can get to spew his far-left nonsense.

33: Cheney did the same thing to a hunting buddy.

The Democratic Party is the party of treason, the Confederacy, Jim Crow, segregation, and discrimination. Without perpetuating class warfare in America, the Democratic Party would have no platform because it thrives on broken promises to help the poor and middle class. If the Democratic Party really helped the poor and middle class, its officials would be out of jobs! Just like Specter will be soon!

Looks like the dems will have the filibuster-proof majority. Now that the democrats run two wings of the federal government, it's all on them. If the country STILL sucks in 2-4 years, they'll have no one to blame.

4 Principles of Conservatism

1. Regressive Taxes
2. Limited Government Oversight of Corporate Corruption.
3. Bloated, Impractical Military
4. No Social Safety Net

FTFY

good point, 36

good point, 36

36: Um, the Democrats who did those things switch parties after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. Unless you really think Alabama, South Carolina, and Mississippi are still safe Democrat states.

Doh, that was addessed to 35.

--41

Nobody cares about your politics you fat fucking pig.

Specter in an interview with Newsweek two weeks ago:

Newsweek: Would you consider running as an independent.

Specter: No.

Newsweek: No? Definitely not?

Specter: I'm a Republican and I'm going to run in the Republican primary and on the Republican ticket.

Newsweek: We talked to Governor Rendell who said that the running joke is that you could easily become a Democrat and if you did, the framework in the state would make things very easy for you.

Specter: I'm not considering it. Rendell said he would help me raise money. He said that publicly a few weeks ago and I responded publicly that if I became a Democrat I wouldn't need to raise money.

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/04/09/specter-will-not-run-as-an-independent.aspx?

"Addressed." I give up.

--41

@36 - Cheney tried to pound a hunting buddy in the ass? I know he is evil, but jeesy chreesy....

44...That's because Republican lies. After Specter switches party to Democrat, he won't lie anymore.

4 principles of contemporary liberalism

1, spend more and create more bloated regulatory apparatuses that do not remedy, but only perpetuate social issues (in order to create bureaucratic jobs)
2, rape the constitution to make it say what you want it to say
3, undermine people's traditional values via the courts, since the democratically elected legislatures won't effectuate your values
4, help create a new underclass by disregarding the law and standing up for illegal aliens' "rights" so you can get more future voters.

I wish he'd announced this a long time ago, because he only nominally voted with his party for decades.

Now Toomey can crush him in the general election, instead of Toomey having to run against a moderate Democrat.

"The Republican party seems to be listing right and Kyl has been out in front of that movement."

FALSE. The party is turning into the party of big government with No Child Left Behind, huge increases in federal spending, and deficits. This is anything but "right" on the political spectrum.

36's comment is hysterical. Nixon capitalized on the "Democrats" who were racists and bigots to bring them into the Republican party. It was always conservatives who were the racists, bigots and homophobes. Not the liberals, you moron.

41:

Um, Truman's integration of the troops prompted the shift, you moron. Thus began the long process of enfranchising racial minorities into the Democratic party, leading up to the 2008 election, during which every racial minority, both living and deceased for over 100 years, voted, along with inanimate objects and pets, for the change we can belie in.

24, of course, the Chief Justice screwed that up, but why let the facts get in the way of your argument? Good thing that God is on the side of the GOP; otherwise, they might need to start questioning why fewer and fewer people like them.

51: 36 probably believes the GOP is still "the party of Lincoln."

You know. Good for Specter, Republicans are bad...baby killing bad...oh no...that's Democrats.

Just what you'd expect from a graduate of UPenn State.

Good. Now the average level of integrity and intelligence of both parties will increase.

34--because he is ranking member of the judiciary committee. you freaking idiot.

51,

The unions are all racist, and they're solid liberals and democrats.

If Arlen Inspectored my ass, would I be gay?

Vote Libertarian.

53 His Obamaness jumped the gun during his oath. Just like he jumped the gun (his exact word) yesterday duirng this science speech. It's the same thing. He repeats what he is told, either from the chief justice, or teleprompters.

All this switch shows is that there is really no difference between the two parties. Both may "stand" for different things, but in practice both are driven by the goal of retaining power. Whether it's the anti-worker Employee Free Choice Act or the GOP's massive spending, when the government acts, it's all of us who get screwed.

Yes, 63, when the government acts to prepare itself for global flu pandemics, it's all of us who get screwed. Especially us who live in NYC.

Bitch move.

Not saying I don't understand, but a total bitch move.

I'm just excited to get this damn RINO out of my party. Now the numbers are a little closer to reflecting how people actually vote. It was really pissing me off that Specter could agree with the Dems and then they could say that they had bipartisan support. Call it what it is, all of the Dems plus Specter does not make something bipartisan. Now at least the party affiliations reflect this.

PE = Lat

51- The racists were DixieCRATS not DixieCANS. Learn some f'ing history you moron.

63 What global pandemics? we don't have HHS secretary, no CDC director, no surgeon general. And we are doing fine. We are in good hands.

44 is on point. Specter switched for purely selfish reasons. If he lost the Republican primary in PA (which is very possible, he almost did last time to the same guy challenging him now), the Democratic nominee likely goes on to win the PA Senate seat. So he takes the easy way out, switch parties to avoid a tough primary battle and increase your chances at winning the general election.

Specter has consistently been on the look out for himself, why would this be any different?

64 - yes, when everyone is standing around waiting for their government-provided cure (and neglecting taking responsibility for their own health and welfare) you will get screwed by swine flu.

It's like those people who are still waiting for their FEMA trailers in New Orleans... dumbass.

Bye Bye Arlen, you're going to lose the Democratic primary too.

Bye Bye Arlen, you're going to lose the Democratic primary too.

Interesting... if you believe the country should be represented by 60 Dem Senators then this is a good move. If you feel like I do that this country is much more moderate centerist (which Specter generally is) then the Dems were just handed the knife to slit their own throat.

Now, they can't make a claim of GOP obstructionists in any argument. I wouldn't want to be a Dem Senator in a moderate state or in a close race in 2010 b/c the political ad writes itself.

For all the Replubican losers trying to sum up liberals in 4 points- suck on it losers....years of pain ahead of you....years of filibuster proof pain.

mwhahahahaha

But go on- pour out your frustrations annonymously on a blog as you look over your shoulders to see if anyone is watching you type, that is all you can do anyways....

Don't worry in 2012/2016 there is always Piyush ( I am too afraid to say my name in front of the bigots in my party) Bobby Jindal to save you.

And you have to be dumb as fuck or incredibly dirty to be seriously worried about Swine Flu... which are you, 64?

Enjoy the wilderness folks. The Republican Party and its shitty ideas will official become irrelevant when Franken is seated in June. The political debate in this country is now between Democrats and conservative Democrats. Suck it.

6, 34 : Really? Really? Wowser.

62-no, Roberts said "execute faithfully" rather than "faithfully execute," and Obama was waiting for him to correct himself because he knew that you GOP jackasses have nothing left to argue and would use that screw-up by Roberts (or was it a screw-up?) to challenge the legality of his presidency down the road. Wake up, dude, 22% of people identify themselves as Republicans according to a CNN poll (but they're probably biased because they aren't Fox, right?). Your party isn't going to exist in 20 years unless you guys (e.g., Rick Santorum) learn that the rest of America is moving on without you.

74, that is the best part, now the Dems have no excuses for not getting things done. They can do whatever they want, whenever they want, and everyone knows it. All we have to do is hang on until 2010 and hope that they don't completely destroy the country until then. Essentially they already had his vote anyway, now it is just official. Also I think that we should start blaming Obama for the swine flu. I don't have a causal connection but something bad happened, and he is president, so it must be his fault, right? At least that is what I learned from the left over the last 8 years.

48,
you are awesome (awesomely fucking retarded that is)
You said...
4 principles of contemporary liberalism
1, spend more and create more bloated regulatory apparatuses that do not remedy, but only perpetuate social issues (in order to create bureaucratic jobs)
That's interesting, because (1) if we're focused on spending, what the fuck do you think has happened over the past 8 years and (2) if we're focused on remedying social issues, can you point to a few that were remedied in the past 8 years? (that's a rhetorical question in case you're too stupid to understand that)
2, rape the constitution to make it say what you want it to say
hmmm... are you talking about liberals or conservatives? (again, a rhetorical question dumb ass)
3, undermine people's traditional values via the courts, since the democratically elected legislatures won't effectuate your values
First, because values are traditional does not mean they are fair, just, or right in any way, shape or form. The notion that traditional=good is simply one that is ignorant. That is not to say that all traditional values are bad. It is to say that whether a value is a good/just/fair one, should be analyzed by considering whether the value is good/just/fair and NOT by considering whether it is traditional!
Second, when you say "your values," who are you talking about? We'll just see whose values the legislature elected legislature effects now biotch!
4, help create a new underclass by disregarding the law and standing up for illegal aliens' "rights" so you can get more future voters.
Really, I didn't realize the underclass was a "new one." Do you really think conservative policies have not created an (if not many) "underclasses?"

In conclusion, suck it.
I look forward to hearing nonsensical responses that equate to more false, illusory, unfounded, and simply stupid criticisms that, in actuality, are nothing more than a way to vent bitterness that they are aligned with the party that fucked us all repeatedly and significantly over the past 8 years.
Again, suck it!

There once was a RINO named Spectre,
Who became just a shameless defector
He knew he would lose
Without votes from the Jews
Or from poor blacks in the welfare sector.

--Sir Frederick B. Limerick
(circa 2009)

79...OMG...you still trust polls? And I am an Independent.

19 - What did he do to Bjork? Did they have a rough break up?

36 is right. The Democrats have a vested interest in keeping their own supporters poor and miserable. DC is a classic example, a den of crushing poverty perpetuated by decades of corrupt Democratic politicans and the looters staffing the Office of Tax & Revenue. The voters there can't even put 2 and 2 together to finally figure it out and vote Republican because the Democrats have so thoroughly torpedoed the school system. But what's truly diabolical about it is that the Democrats then engage in voter fraud on a massive scale by basically promising money handouts to anyone who votes for them (as opposed to Republicans, who simply allow you to EARN more based on your efforts, through lower taxes). They simultaneously use the self-inflicted desperation of their own supporters against them while taxing Republicans to pay for it! In Democratic parlance, giving their supporters a token handout (while taking it back through increased taxes on unavoidable expenses like energy or fuel or imaginary "carbon credits") and simultaneously sticking it to Republican high earners is a classic "win-win". By the time Obama slinks off over the horizon in 2012 our military will be gutted, our taxpayer-supported courts will be awash with habeas corpus suits by terrorist non-citizens, 40 million illegal aliens will have special non-citizen Democrat voter cards, we'll have nationwide healthcare staffed by 3rd world doctors and 6 month waits for basic MRI services, and every newborn will immediately owe $40,000 on the national debt. But hey - at least we'll all be miserable together equally. That's the Democratic way!

I had my arlen spectered in Bangkok once. Those teenage whores really know some tricks.

I say this purely without malice towards conservatives, but all conservatives have going for them now is some vague urge to either secede or foment a revolution against the "tyranny" of the kind of country that a majority of Americans wish to see in place. When Glenn Beck, cries of "socialism!" and Rush Limbaugh control the mood and message of your party, you know you are destined to wander around in the political wilderness for a while.

After that period of irrelevance, when a third party (Libertarian? Constitution?) picks up some seats in state legislatures and then finally in Congress, and moderate Republicans retrench and banish all the right-wingers and finally win back some seats against Democrats in conservative states, we'll have more of a balance of power.

So we now have what was the most liberal Senator in power as President and a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate? Add to that a media bias that is more deferential to the President than any time in recent memory and an academic environment that is openly hostile to conservative viewpoints. If four years of this isn't enough to motivate GOP voters to get out in 2012, nothing will. David Petraeus, where are you? Michael Bloomberg, where are you?

GOP>Soon only the (few) true believers will remain.

Guy from Iowa

80...His Obamaness will blame Bush. "Bush makes me do it. Bush doesn't know photoshop, so he told me if I want to update the AF1 photo, I have to actually send AF1 and two fighter jets to scare the living hell of people in NYC."

All this talk about Arlan Spectoring is making me horny. Anyone up for some sex in the lobby with Kash?

Conservatism good. Current GOP bad.

I hereby nominate #82 as the Post of the Day. Witty, insightful and above all made me laugh at work about something that frankly doesn't mean jack shit to 99% of the people in this country.

Hey guys, just thinking out loud here, but do you think the Republicans have a claim for reliance- i.e. promissory estoppel- against Specter. When they nominated him to run as the Republican candidate, they relied on the belief that he would vote for Republican causes. Now that he is switching sides, they lost that republican vote. Doesn't section 90 of the restatement cover this exact scenario?

I want to start a new party called The Post-GOP.

It would have as its tenants:
1. Low Taxes
2. Limited Government
3. Strong National Defense
4. Personal Responsibility

But Also:
5. Freedom of Choice
6. Gay Marriage
7. A complete divorce from morality issues.

Who is with me?

I really get annoyed when idiots like 38 talk about regressive taxes. Do you realize that only those in the top 20% actually pay income taxes (as opposed to FICA taxes)? How is that regressive, jack ass. Obama can only got to the well so often, Most tax experts now expect a national sales tax to pay for the massive spending Obama proposes.

95 - As a liberal on most issues, I would possibly vote for a candidate of the Post-GOP party against a special interest-laden Democrat.

For people who (rightly) railed against the Bushies large government spying apparatus peering into their private lives, Obama progressives seem eerily joyful to allow the all knowing government complete scrutiny and control over all other aspects of their lives (e.g. government run health care, government run finance, ad infinitum). You are all sheep being led to the slaughter.

95 - It's called the mike bloomberg campaign

93 - You're totally right, except that it's not very insightful (I'm guessing that Specter never really counted on those constituencies when he was a Republican, and they aren't the votes that would have killed him in the GOP primary) and the rhyming structure seemed forced.

A sad attempt during these, the waning days of National Poetry Month.

95 - I'm in.

What's worse? Entitled law students or republicans? Or, are they really all the same kind of person anyway?

It is going to take at least 8 years of Obama change to undue all the problems created by the Bush administration.

68 - Yeah, and then they left the republican party and became Republicans. Or were you not paying attention to Strom Thurmond, the Dixiecrat who turned Republican back in the 1980s?

68 - Yeah, and then they left the democratic party and became Republicans. Or were you not paying attention to Strom Thurmond, the Dixiecrat who turned Republican back in the 1980s?

102-

you sound like you go to American.

95 -
Good ideas, sounds familiar to the LIBERTARIAN message.

104 You forgot Robert KKK Byrd

95 - It is interesting that you include "Gay Marriage" on your list. You recognize that you're proposing a policy stance that doesn't have the support of either major political party, right? That doesn't make your position wrong. But 1-5 and 7 are stances that arguably fall within the platform of a major party; #6 doesn't.

96,

I think 38 meant that he would like to see a change from a progressive tax structure to a regressive tax structure, where the people who benefit from the state-run programs are required to contribute more to the state's coffers. As it stands, the rich in this country pay for programs that almost exclusively benefit the poor. Only in this Obamanation would that ever be considered "fair."

And yes, I would vote for the Post-GOP party. Just tell the Christian Coalition that they are not invited.

108 - It's because he's trying to create a political party that will appeal to those under 40.

Everybody has to agree with gay marriage, otherwise you are a dumb b*tch, and Perez Hilton will C U Next Tuesday.

"Above the Law - A Legal Tabloid." Or a fat democrat's political soapbox.

95 = Arnond Schwartzenheger (sp?) Republican

Too bad we cannot change the Constitution.

109 "As it stands, the rich in this country pay for programs that almost exclusively benefit the poor."

In my upper middle class neighborhood, it gets pretty bad across the "railroad tracks." I don't mind paying the higher taxes when I see a squad car sitting at the junction on Friday nights.

Who is John Galt?

114 - except only about 5% of your taxes are going to that squad car. it's the other 95% that people are concerned about.

81 is an embarrassment to the legal profession. I think he was in my Con Law class...

115...last I heard - Andrew Lloyd Webber is going John Galt

Elie has shown noticeably less bias in his political stories lately. Kudos

95, given your theme of limited government, I propose we change #6 to "no marriage." If religious groups want to recognize unions between adults, let them choose for themselves how to do it.

To the extent households are given preferential treatment for taxation, etc., we can certainly define "household" in a non-discriminatory fashion.

@31 Save me the BS about conservatives not caring about people. Conservatives care more about the less fortunate than liberals, as evidenced by the fact that conservatives donate more time and money to charities. It is disgusting that you liberal shitheads think that you care so much about the poor and defenseless because you vote for government programs to take taxpayer money and give it to others.

Specter hasn't been a real republican for years.

At least now we'll have a reliable voice on the judiciary cmte.

Wow, who knew ATL was read by so many numb-nutted conservatives? Is it possible there is a link between the pervasive elitism found in the comments and your incessant, sobering stupidity?

79,

Under what rock have you been living? King Hussein I of America screwed up the oath when he jumped the gun. Anything that occurred thereafter directly related back to that gaffe. Consider it his Highness's own rhetorical flourish.

In the meantime, CNN conducted a poll and determined that 100% of those polled participated in a CNN poll. Get a life, moron.

Democrats are the PARTY OF THE ELITE.

Let's see... The bluest areas are SanFran and Manhattan...

Now which cities are the most expensive places to live in the United States.....?

In addition to being the party of the elites, the Dem Party is the party of morons.

123 I bet you are still in law school

Sure, conservatives give to private charities, as do liberals. The point is, as throughout history, charities are not enough to ensure a social safety net for the neediest among us. Liberals believe and will fight for such a social safety net, warts and all. Conservatives are largely indifferent to its disappearance and resulting harm.

Top Three Principles of Republicanism, circa 2009

1. Try to win elections by marginalizing minority groups, a la Hitler, 1930s.

2. Pretend like you are religious even though all of your views are about as unChristlike as possible.

3. Pretend that you are patriots even though you stand for things that are blatantly unAmerican, such as torture of enemies.

123 - Well considering this board is populated by folks whose average salary puts them in the top 1% of earners in the US, it would be shocking if their wasn't a conservative tilt. Don't worry, they will be the first ones to have their backs against the wall when the structural changes in this country take root.

123 - Well considering this board is populated by folks whose average salary puts them in the top 1% of earners in the US, it would be shocking if there wasn't a conservative tilt. Don't worry, they will be the first ones to have their backs against the wall when the structural changes in this country take root.

Liberals do not care about anything other than getting elected. Do you realize that if liberals actually accomplished anything they have on their campaign platforms that they'd run themselves out of jobs? You know what? That Great Society for which LBJ advocated so strongly....here it is, swine flu and all, illegal immigrants collecting social security checks, idiots like Blama in the White House apologizing to terrorists for the fact that we are a civil society.

127 "Sure, conservatives give to private charities, as do liberals"

My AGI last year is about the same as VP Joe Biden's, yet I donated more to charity then Biden (3 times more). Worse yet, liberal democrats like to tax people, but they don't pay tax themselves.

♫ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/R?r107:FLD001:S05769 I intend to propose a rule change which would preclude a future recurrence of a Senator's change in parties, in midsession, organizing with the opposition, to cause the upheaval which is now resulting. I take second place to no one on independence voting. But, it is my view that the organizational vote belongs to the party which supported the election of a particular Senator. I believe that is the expectation. - Senator Hypocrite 2001.

124:

Dude--you're so right. King Hussein isn't really president because he messed up the oath. Also, the dude has a fake birth certificate, is Muslim and is the Anti-Christ.

Dude, as long as we Republicans focus on important issues like these, we are sure to be a majority party again some day. Good strategy!

Thx Specter. You ruined my day.

Someone wake me in 2012. I can't stand to watch.

Why am I not surprised by this post and the time it took for Elie to post it. Some non-ATL related news about the Democrats and Elie adds a full posting immediately. This is called a Non Sequitur and should be posted (if at all) at the end of the day. We all know Elie likes to lick Obama's big black salty balls. Either leave ATL and start blogging for MoveOn.org, or keep on topic.

Looking forward to seeing if this liberal can help the other liberals bring about the end of the United States of America.

Obama's and Biden's tax returns.
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2009/04/obama-and-biden-release-tax-returns.html

Joe Biden gave 0.06% to 0.31% of his gross income to charity for a decade, until he decided to run for office and gave a whopping 0.7% in 2008. How convenient and generous.

Barack Obama did a little better, by giving 0.4 to 1.4% of his gross income to charity, until he decided to run for office and his contributions conveniently skyrocketed to highs of 4.7% to 6.5% (well, high for a liberal). In 2004, he made $1.6 million and managed to give $77k to charity. Wowee. Of course, some of his donations turned out to be to the Congressional Black Caucus, which is not a tax-deductible organization.

127 is right. Charities do not have enough money to provide for everyone, but that is because liberals do not give any money to them. It's hard for charitable organizations to do everything they can, when they are only supported by the Republican of the public, plus the few Democrats who are running for office. Besides, how motivated are you by charitable inclinations, if you're giving simply in order to show off?

Who is this dude Broke Oblahmuh and why is he relevant?

135: You looking forward to the Obama celebration party too?

138,

Evangelical Christians are overwhelmingly conservative. They give tons of money to their respective religious institution (i.e. the "charity") because it's part of their religious ethos and because they'd get bad looks at church if they didn't. This skews the balance. Not saying that churches don't function as charitable institutions, but it's not exactly as simple as you cut it out to be. In fact, the latest data I found is that conservatives give slight more than $300 a year more on average ($1,600 to $1,275) as compared to liberals.

"Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible."

Remember 2004? Bush won 2nd term, and Majority leader Daschle got humiliated, and Rove was talking about permanent GOP majority. That's only 5 years ago.

GOP = Gone. Over. Past.

The party of no ideas is no more. Now go cry to Jesus...oh but Jesus hates torturers. Ask the Romans.

Go cry to James Dobson...oops retired.

Go cry to J Falwell. Oops...dead.

Go cry to T. Tancredo...nope he's a European immigrant.

Go cry to Rev. Harggerd.

Go cry to Senator Craig....Senator Vitter....Mark Foley? Abramoff? Ney? Jerry Lewis? Duke Cunningham?

Yeah...the GOP rules.

136,

See Also http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/04/28/specter-had-disavowed-a-switch/

141, Barack Obama and Joe Biden regularly go to church too. Those are the only two individuals mentioned in my post, so I'm not sure why you're bringing up evangelical Christians or implying that churches are not charities.
By your reasoning, not only are the two short-changing their churches, but they don't seem to have much money left for non-church charities.
Or maybe you think a charitable contribution of $120 when Joe Biden was making $210,000 is the norm, even excluding church contributions?

133,

See Also http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/04/28/specter-had-disavowed-a-switch/

Typical Washington worm writhing to save his own tenure. Maybe now he can get a nice book advance...

@127 - the neediest among us? Really? Just like this "poor" guy with a cell phone.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/michelle-obama.html

Conservatives support a safety net for those who are truly needy but liberals support an entitlement system that discourages personal responsibility and productivity.

So Joe Biden is a selfish bastard. Big whoop. Let's see the amount that Mitch McConnell, John Boener, Tom Coburn, Jon Kyl and others gave to charity.

Also, most people in the public interest world and helping professions are liberals. They earn a commensurately lower salary. Most business types are not liberals. They earn a much larger salary and work no harder than anyone else.

Has anyone noticed how big Barry's ears are? Do you think he can hear things that normal people can't?

150...About His Obamaness' ears, I don't think so. He is mostly ignorant about everything.

Dear Conservative Republicans,

Jesus has forsaken you.

Which do you think he liked less, the war mongering or the pandering to the superrich over the poor?

"Joe Biden is a selfish bastard," and he loves himself some icecream.

I personally think the Republicans have been electorally destroyed because they did not pander enough to Christian nuts and gun nuts.

America is all about shooting each other and proselytizing.

Sure, the Republicans bent over and took it in the butt from those two groups for eight years, but if they had just blown them a little more, they'd have America back.

152 - The im-ing dirty messages to Congressional pages

or cheating on your wife with prositutes

or cheating on your wife with male prostitutes and meth

or cheating on your wife with the guy in bathroom stall next to yours in the airport

or killing civilians in Iraq

or just being hypocrtical douchebags in general?

I'd say all of the above.

Time to pop champagne on my seastead.

-Pop Bottles

Principles of the Democratic party:

(1) Get someone else to pay for your political capital. You need your own funds to pay for "awareness".

(2) Policy differences are cooked down to (choose one): (a) "bigotry" (b) "racism" (c) "ignorance". Or, if flabbergasted, simply refer to opponents as (choose one): (a) Hitler (b) Hitler (c) Hitler

(3) Get the most bang for the litigation buck--take the shortcut by claiming civil rights. It's not like money grows on non-profit trees.

149, we only have public the tax returns of people who were running for President/VP. John McCain gave 27-28% of his gross income to charity. Cindy McCain was not running for president, but we know her charitable foundation gave several million dollars to educational institutions. Bush gives about 10% of his income to charity. Cheney earned $9 million from stock options in 2005 and gave about $7 million to charity. That's slightly more than 0.7%.
Nice try though.

Principles of the Democratic party:

(1) Get someone else to pay for your political capital. You need your own funds to pay for "awareness".

(2) Policy differences are cooked down to (choose one): (a) "bigotry" (b) "racism" (c) "ignorance". Or, if flabbergasted, simply refer to opponents as (choose one): (a) Hitler (b) Hitler (c) Hitler

(3) Get the most bang for the litigation buck--take the shortcut by claiming civil rights. It's not like money grows on non-profit trees.

Dear Pro-Republican Posters,

Why does 70% of your party still not believe in evolution? (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/12/politics/main2917719.shtml)

How ashamed are you of your co-intellectuals?

Be honest. You're VERY ashamed.

160-

You stupid Democrats and your "evolution."

Everyone knows that Jesus created the earth 5,000 years ago. The fossil record is a bunch of hooey that he created to test our faith.

Jesus also insisted that all people own guns, so 10,000 innocent women and children could be shot by accidental gun violence. This is common sense.

Love,
70% of the Republican Party

@160 yes most republicans and stupid, but guess what...most democrats are stupid too AND you are stupid for making that some sort of argument against conservatism.

160, the same study shows 40% of Democrats don't believe in evolution so I'm not sure you want to brag too much about your scientific superiority.

81,

Nice answer for part 3: screw democratic accountability until we're in the legislature. Way to prove 48's point, you moron.

Democrats are really stupid. They beleeve in homosexuals, people who dont beleeve in God and that we originally were monkeys or gorillas. I dont it why your so dumb!

I have pity for my friends who worked with him and are now jobless; hopefully they get picked up by the new ranking member.

Regardless, Specter has been a RINO for years. So stop your whining, he wasn't a sure vote for the republicans, ever.

And I agree with several moderate republican senators, and McCain's former campaign manager, if the Republican party doesn't watch out they will become the christian party. Hands down. They've lost their way.

Lower taxes? Look at 2000-06 spending to figure out that taxes would have to be raised eventually to pay for it.
Smaller government? Look at the same time period and see government expand more than it ever did under Clinton.
Personal Responsibility? When has one republican ever admitted a mistake in the past 8 years? And I'm sure Larry Craig & every sexually pervert reverend and mega-church minister has not apologized for being massive hypocrites.
Better National Defense? Yet somehow most republicans can't understand that defense is more than a big military. Improving economies in other countries is needed to. As the old saying goes, armies don't cross borders where money does.

What's funny about iberals who believe in evolution is that they somehow still think all people are equal, especially evolutionary dead-ends like homosexuals.

What's funny about liberals who believe in evolution is that they somehow still think all people are equal, especially evolutionary dead-ends like homosexuals.

What's funny about liberals who believe in evolution is that they somehow still think all people are equal, especially evolutionary dead-ends like homosexuals.

160-61

Why doesn't concern for innocent women and children extend to protecting life in the womb?

A society in which women are forced to carry any and all pregnancies to term is not a civilized society. Women should not be subjugated like that in a civilized society - it's a repulsive and monstrous thought to believe in such a thing.

A pregnancy resulting from rape or a pregnancy that will kill the mother is not one that is entitled to the full protections we give life outside the womb. Other than that, whether the mother's decision should be subject to the whims of the legislative process or be encoded as a fundamental right is a tough choice.

But I have no tolerance for those who would deny women the ability in certain circumstances (rape, possible death) to obtain an abortion. That belief is antithetical to any sense of decency and equal protection.

170: A society in which women are forced to carry any and all pregnancies to term is not a civilized society. Women should not be subjugated like that in a civilized society - it's a repulsive and monstrous thought to believe in such a thing.

A pregnancy resulting from rape or a pregnancy that will kill the mother is not one that is entitled to the full protections we give life outside the womb. Other than that, whether the mother's decision should be subject to the whims of the legislative process or be encoded as a fundamental right is a tough choice.

But I have no tolerance for those who would deny women the ability in certain circumstances (rape, possible death) to obtain an abortion. That belief is antithetical to any sense of decency and equal protection.

murdering babies is the mark of being civilized

170: Also, cause I'm jewish and my teachings are that life in the womb is protected only when the baby could live on its own outside the mother (roughly).

Man, I thought the Republicans were irrelevant *before*. We should start digging their plot in the political graveyard, right next to the Whigs and the No-Nothings.

More change we can deceive in.

To summarize: Republicans/conservatives, elections matter. When your candidates lose them, the people who you didn't vote for may well do things you don't like. This is what you used to refer to as "the will of the people," back when your cadidates were winning elections.

"Know-nothings". I guess we can also bury proper spelling.

"Know-Nothings". I guess we can also bury proper spelling.

And single posts.

"Know-Nothings". I guess we can also bury proper spelling.

177 -- huh? Isn't the question here about Specter, who was elected as a republican? If anything, he's kind of turned his back on the people who elected him based on his party affiliation. Also, where were you from 2000 to 2008?!?! The nation could have really used your great insight about the fact that "elections matter" then too.

Anyway, my view is that Specter's switching doesn't matter much from a practical standpoint -- he's an unreliable vote either way (and maybe that's a good thing). But it's clear he has switched parties solely for personal considerations in the hopes of holding onto his job.

I don't think anyone can say with a straight face that this was an honorable or principled decision.

John Cornyn (R-TX) was a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court for seven years. His name was up there to replace O'Connor or Rehnquist. He worked with Priscilla Owen and witnessed firsthand the political railroading that occurred during her confirmation.

Contrary to 175,

One in three Americans is an Independent because both parties have failed the country over the last 40 years. Neither party really has America's best interests at heart, e.g., both been compromised by special interests. Further, engaging in a dispassionate view of the Senate's composition, one cannot fail to see a plutocratic trend.

Maybe it is time to resurrect the Whigs?

178, 179, 181,

175 here. I feel annoyed I spelled Know-Nothing wrong. But I take solace in imagining your pained expression as you keep hitting the "post comment" button, desperate to undermine my idiotic liberal agenda by pointing to my spelling error. I think it will hasten the day when you keel over of a heart attack while watching the country's first gay latino president taking the presidential oath of office in, let's say, 2024.

178 et al here.

I'm a liberal.

184,

Well, that's a cute attempt to split the difference, but actually " When asked about their own political affiliations, the biggest response (as it has been for years) was "independent," at 38 percent. "Democrat" was second, at 35 percent. But "Republican" is down to a scant 21 percent -- down four points from just last month, and the lowest response in over a year."

Those numbers are from a poll done this April:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_042609.html

Game over, freak.

Specter finally passed the IQ Test!

Congratulations Harlan! You can now come sit at the grown-ups' table!

187, you're going to take the polls of the last few months to cover a period of decades? Are you retarded?

Regarding the comments debating the relative stupidity of portions of the Democrat versus Republican electorates, I don't think there's any comparison. "Stupid" Republican voters tend to be relatively stable wage earners or small-business-types of average to slightly below-average educational attainment who are characterized as such by self-annointed elites based on the real or perceived religious underpinnings of their voting patterns. "Stupid" Democrats, on the other hand, tend, in my experience, to be almost completely uneducated government-reliant train wrecks. Of course, intelligent people can and and do run the left-right gamut, but I believe the stupidity floor is much lower on the Democrat side. This is why it's almost always Democrats complaining about ballot designs, voting procedures and the like.

182: Yes, but my comment was in response to all of the bitching going on here and elsewhere.

--177

Hah, hilarious, 190.

Good example of stupid conservative = http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12228215

190: You need to spend some time in "real America" and meet some real stupid conservatives.

193, why do conservatives tend not to complain about how voting ballots are too hard to use, or that they can't get any private-sector job even during the boom years, or that a 10th grade reading level test is too hard for firefighter management?

Politics 101:

Absolute power corruptes absolutely.

This is equally true of Democrats and Republicans, Conservatives and Liberals. Politicians get a taste for the power and prestige and myriad perks of their position, and then they will, by and large, DO ANYTHING TO STAY IN OFFICE. I can not fathom how this isn't obvious to more of the population. The vast majority of politicians are essentially actors/salesmen - you can have zero assurance of what their actual convictions are, or what they will or won't do.

Which is why, to end with another classic platitude, Democracy is the worst form of government, aside from all the others.

170 - Why doesn't concern for life in the womb continue after birth?

196, there is a difference between intentional killings and accidental killings/self-killings.

196, it does. That is why you can't just kill your kids because they are inconvenient. Although that seems like a perfectly good reason to kill them in the womb.

clarification to my 197 post:

there is a difference between intentional killings (of babies before and after birth), and accidental killings/self-killings (of people who misuse guns) or intentional killings of people convicted with due process in a court of law.

This may be a rightward shift in the Democratic party and in Pennsylvania. Time will tell.

171/172:

Genetics, biology and medicine all recognize the incontrovertible fact that the fetus is a separate human being.

Genetics informs us that its DNA is unique from both mother and father (a fact true from the moment of conception), the condition for individuated existence by the standards of genetics.

Biology tells us that fetal physiology is wholly separate from that of the pregnant mother (i.e., its circulatory, digestive, endocrine, immune, lymphatic, muscular, nervous, reproductive, respiratory, skeletal, and urinary systems all belong to it as an individual, not as part of the mother's systems).

Medicine tells us that it is capable of having diseases and conditions separate from that of the mother, a fact unique to separate human life. Medicine also tells us that the fetus is capable of feeling pain very early on - a baby forms pain receptors in its 7th week, and journal-published studies on the subject demonstrate that a fetal child feels pain much more than an ex utero child, because the hormones that limit the brain's response to pain are not at that point capable of being fully deployed by the fetal child's body.

I could go on, but the point is simple: fetal life is, by any standard, separate human existence. Separate human existence is the defining feature of personhood. Personhood, in turn, is the trigger for the full protections of the 14th Amendment, most particularly the protection against laws depriving a "person" of "life."

So, "decency" and "equal protection" actually demand that the state unequivocally protect fetal life from termination by the mother. Just as there is no "compelling interest" in letting a mother deciding whether or not to raise her ex utero infant child (sorry, but you can't murder your 2-month-old because you're sick of nursing it and changing its diapers), so is there no "compelling interest" in letting a mother decide to terminate life in the womb, since it cannot rationally be distinguished, by genetics, biology, medicine, philosophy or any other rationale, from life outside the womb.

I can understand the pro-abortion stance if the fetus is NOT a human person. I totally get it. In fact, I don't see how that result would NOT be compelled by that circumstance: the fetus not being a human person, the mother clearly has a strong interest in controlling her body. So, I'm not saying pro-abortion people are idiots. I just think they haven't thought about the personhood of the fetus.

But, since it so clearly IS a human person, the opposite result is equally necessary: the mother has no right, even in cases of rape or incest, to take the life of the fetus (for, that would be no different than permitting a mother to take the life of an ex utero child who was conceived in rape or incest).

[Postscript: Arguments that the fetus is an aggressor and the mother can act in self-defense are retarded and totally fail under any rational crim law analysis. Arguments that we should permit the mother to kill the fetus because it is drawing its sustenance from her are equally inane: ex utero children draw sustenance from the mother just as much, and dependence on another for life cannot possibly be justification for killing the dependent life - cf. also old people.]

Anyway, I hope that's food for thought.

It's Spectre!!!

95. It's TENETS!!!! TENETS!!! GAH!!! Are you a troll? Why do people do this? Tenets. NOT TENANTS. Tenants pay rent. They are not principles (we don't say principals around here, either, when we mean principles) to which anyone adheres. Also, you have pretty much just described the tenets of libertarian ideology, and you have described the worldview of a huge number of moderate Democrats and independents, and you have indicated the reasons why these people, including myself, choose the Democratic Party over the Republican Party as the lesser of two evils. (It's like how capitalism is the worst system, except for every other system.)

"Why doesn't concern for life in the womb continue after birth?"

-

I don't think you should be allowed to kill a baby when he's inside the womb and I don't think you should be allowed to kill him when he's crawled outside the womb--so my concern is pretty much the same.

However, I didn't realize my or 170's concern for people was the test for whether or not they should live or die.

201 - No one reads that shit. This is not your blog. Brief comments on someone else's blog is what the comments section is for...

Specter's principles are easily deduced. He is for whatever gives him or enhances his power. He is against whatever diminishes or eliminates his power.

The will to power is what modern lefties are all about. Specter was never anything else, irrespective of the various labels he wore.

Hey 185 - I'll gladly VOTE for the country's first gay latino president as long as he/she's not for printing untold sums of money that we don't have, raising taxes on working folks and redistributing wealth to keep the ignorant, shiftless leeches that comprise his/her voting base living off the government teat for their entire lives.

You see that's why liberals don't get it - you just don't see that we don't give a crap about a person's race, gender or sexual orientation - real Americans care about ISSUES. and when it comes battling issues in the arena of ideas, liberals lose the battle before they even begin.

...nice try tho.

In my experience, dumb republicans tend to be carnies and incestuous share-croppers who are more worried about "socialized medicine" than paying their medical bills.

193, 190 here again. I grew up in and currently live in "real America" and my post was based on my observations. My point was simply that the types of GOP and/or conservative voters characterized as "stupid" by Dems/libs tend to be, politics aside, fairly average working or middle class people who are generally able to manage their own lives, while the masses that make up the lowest common demoninator of the Democratic electorate tend to function on a much lower level, hence the need for "community organizers," union types and the like to register and herd them to the polls.

Rasmussen, Tuesday, April 28, 2009: "For just the second time in more than five years of daily or weekly tracking, Republicans now lead Democrats in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.

"A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 41% would vote for their district’s Republican candidate while 38% would choose the Democrat. Thirty-one percent (31%) of conservative Democrats said they would vote for their district’s Republican candidate."

Just come out and say it, 209, you racist fuck. The "masses that make up the lowest common denominator of the Democratic electorate" = (in my ignorant min) poor, inner-city blacks. Too bad your analysis is completely off base, you dolt. Or do you want to invoke the Reagan-style "welfare queen" again, too, you moron? Come back to reality and we'll talk.

Wow, 211, I guess I've touched a nerve, since you've resorted to the standard lefty trump card of calling anyone with whom you disagree a racist. I also like the word "fuck" as much as anyone, but have never understood why lefties tend to think it, or adhominim attacks, adds legitimacy to their arguments. FYI, when I was referencing my experience and observations in "real America," I was thinking primarily of the very white straight-ticket rural Democrats in my corner of the world who vote based on being told every cycle that the mean old GOP is going to take away the myriad of government benefits they receive (which often includes gov't. funded and highly addictive oxy/lortab prescriptions)--basically the people enlightened types like you would call hillbillies, rednecks, etc. Low functioning, government dependant types come from all races and collectively form a pretty reliable electorate for the Dems.

211, I guess I've made a point, since you've retreated to the standard lefty strategy of ad hominems and accusations of racism. I'll tell you that the low-functioning Dem voters I was primarily referencing from my own experiences are the types that an urbane sophisticate such as yourself would likely characterize as hillbillies or rednecks. I am very familiar with rural, uneducated (and white) people who vote based on being told every cycle that the mean old GOP is going to take away whatever government checks they get (which often includes Medicaid or other payment for addictive oxy contin or lortab prescriptions doled out like M&Ms by sketchy docs). This sort of thing cuts across racial boundaries (and yes, rural white people are also "assisted" in voting and registration by astroturf groups and unions). Maybe your assumption that I was referring to inner-city black people says a lot more about your racial attitudes than mine?

211 = another racist playing the race card