The Purge

[blueduck37.livejournal.com]

I think Mr. Krugman sums it up best: "What strikes me, however, is the extent to which this is a self-inflicted wound. If Pat Toomey of the Club for Growth weren’t so diligent about enforcing supply-side purity; if Republicans hadn’t made Rush Limbaugh the effective head of the party; Specter might still be GOP, and the Obama agenda much more limited.

Instead, though, we have a party that seems to be in a death spiral: the smaller it gets, the more it’s dominated by the hard right, which makes it even smaller. In the long run, this is not good for American democracy– we really do need two major parties in competition. But I’ll settle for getting that back after we get universal health care and cap-and-trade."

(With that said, let's not celebrate too soon... Specter is still Specter.)

Comments

[blueduck37.livejournal.com]

I think Krugman is using the term in a vague, general sense... he doesn't mean a single-payer system, but probably rather the type of compromise plan that Obama is more favorable to. Not great, but probably better than what we have now, and a good first step to build on for the future.

[latenightapathy.livejournal.com]

When he spoke at my school, he promised that within four years every single American would have at least the same health care plan as members of Congress. Maybe your definition of "universal health care" is different, but that sounds more or less like it to me.

[latenightapathy.livejournal.com]

All the definitions I've seen have called universal health care health coverage extended to everyone. Not that I pay a whole lot of attention because I just don't care that much. But what's the difference?

[latenightapathy.livejournal.com]

Thanks for repeating everything brucenstein said just to have a subtle dig at me for "misunderstanding" (aka, not giving a shit). Very helpful.

[latenightapathy.livejournal.com]

Actually, I do. And I'm totally lost in where I "gave shit." I made a note that Obama said something. Someone else explained the difference when I said I didn't know what it was. Then you were an ass about it. Perhaps you misinterpreted my asking your definition of universal health care as "giving shit," which I could understand. I didn't phrase it the best way. But you're still being a douche, so have a nice fuckin' day.

[latenightapathy.livejournal.com]

Asshole, I'll freely admit I am. And will happily call you. Troll, I am not.

[latenightapathy.livejournal.com]

Also, now that I think about it outside of irritation, way to back up your accusation of me giving you shit.

[hoboclown.livejournal.com]

From Specter's web page (http://www.specter2010.com/news6.html): "Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

Basically, "I'm more likely to get reelected if I say I'm a Democrat." There's a lot of fluff about serving the people rather than the party, but it's pretty transparent what he's doing here.

[xforge.livejournal.com]

That speaks more of the idiots who knee-jerkily vote party line instead of actually figuring out which candidate is closest to what they want.

[pacotelic.livejournal.com]

How has it not worked with Sulfur dioxide?

[tridus.livejournal.com]

I'm not that worried about a one party state. If the Republicans do go into a death spiral and die off, another party will form to replace them. It's happened before.

It's just the political equivalent of a bankrupcy: painful in the short term, but necessary in the long term.

[donkeyjon.livejournal.com]

I would like to see more Republicans stand up and take charge of the party. We've been overrun by people who are NOT for smaller government, NOT for free market capitalism, and NOT for real Constitutional Federalism. Unfortunately, the party leadership has the rest so cowed that even the good ones won't stand up for what they believe in.

That having been said, this move was solely based on getting elected. Specter was getting kicked to the curb by his Republican constituents, and he doesn't want to lose his job, so he'll run as a Democrat and hope that somehow that will get him elected.

[weswilson]

I look forward to voting for some members of the new Republican party.

But if I were a senator, a representative of the people, and the people changed their mind about things, then I think I'd probably try to represent taht change in my words and actions. I sorta thought that's what being a representative was all about. The necessity of an announced party switch is questionable, but it seems to me a rather significant way to demonstrate your stances.