Open Thread: Specter to Become Democrat

April 28th, 2009 1:03 PM

Longtime Pennsylvania Republican Senator Arlen Specter has defected to the Democrat Party.

Assuming Al Franken staves off recount lawsuits by Minnesota's Norm Coleman, this will give the Democrats and Barack Obama a filibuster-proof Senate.

As reported by CNN.com moments ago:

Veteran Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party on Tuesday, Sen. Harry Reid said. [...]

Specter, a five-term Senate veteran, was expected to face a very tough primary challenge in 2010 from former Rep. Pat Toomey, who nearly defeated Specter in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary in 2004.

A Quinnipiac University survey of registered Pennsylvania voters released last month showed Specter trailing the more conservative Toomey in a hypothetical primary matchup, 41 to 27 percent.

Does this really mean much given Specter's leftward tilt the past decade, or does this now make it much easier for Obama to move his socialist agenda quickly through Congress?