Wednesday, May 6, 2009

5/6/09 Link

Kind of relating to the blog post this week, here's a short article I found that talks about how Arlen Specter has tried to win the support of fellow Democrats since making the party switch. The article says that Specter recently withdrew his support for Minnesote Republican Norm Coleman, who is competing against Al Franken, who would give the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority of 60 seats in the Senate. The article also says that Specter was stripped of his seniority, which significantly limits his political influence
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3 comments:

  1. ninaareMay 6, 2009 at 11:11 AM

    I think having his seniority influence taken away was a good decision and well deserved. Switching parties in the Senate is much like switching sports teams to play for a rival team. How much can you trust a flip-flopper?

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  2. HAndersonMay 6, 2009 at 4:11 PM

    Although unfortunate, Specter should be stripped of his seniority in the Senate. He will now have to earn the trust of his new-fellow Democrats.

    I do find it odd though that Sen. Reid said he would maintain his seniority, but then announced in the Senate that he wouldn't. Regardless, he will have to work his way up the ranks again, now within the Democratic Party.

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  3. ebeyerMay 8, 2009 at 10:15 AM

    Specter will eventually get his way on seniority. If not now, he will get it after the 2010 elections (assuming he gets re-elected). If Franken is seated, Specter can put them over the top on contoversial votes. So I think his bargaining position is a little stronger than the party's.

    I read this morning that Senator Durbin (who is the Majority WHIP) surrendered his chairmanship of a Judiciary subcommittee dealing with drugs and crime.

    The only thing I would ask is, was there not a deal worked out before Specter decided to switch parties?

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