Adam Schwartzbaum's Blog

The In-Specter

Specter Switching Sides? In your dreams…

An editorial by Dan Simpson in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praises Senator Arlen Specter for his statesman-like career, and urges him to switch sides to the Democrats else he lose his primary challenge to Toomey and be relegated to political obsolescence.

There are several reasons why this far-fetched scenario certainly won’t occur. In addition to the points made by Simpson himself—that Specter himself has stated he ain’t switching, because he sees himself as a Republican and believes in the two party system—I also think that it would be politically unwise. There is no guarantee that state Democrats would just roll over to give Specter the Democratic nomination; indeed, there’s every reason to believe his primary fight in the Democratic party could be just as difficult as it currently is in the Republican party.

Moreover, Simpson’s pipe dream that President Obama would even consider appointing the 79 year old Specter to the Supreme Court is truly laughable. Take it from me: When the next vacancy opens up on the court, as it inevitably will, Obama will appoint a young, liberal jurist in line with his own ideological views, one who will be on the court for many decades to come, and who will most likely be a female, if not a racial minority.

Editorials like Simpson’s make for some interesting imagining, but they are nowhere in line with political reality.

Bottom Line: Specter’s in this Republican primary race for the long haul. He ain’t goin’ anywhere.