“People will never come around to Specter because there’s nothing there to come around to.”

Amen, Michael. Just when I was beginning to believe that you and I would never agree on anything! How can anyone with an open mind not realize that Specter has his feet firmly planted in shifting sands?

Amen Michael

I can also agree with Micheal’s sensibilities,
Thank-you, for pointing out the truth about these
individuals, you can only hope people inform themselves follow the issues and do not go out to vote based on the premise that either one is representative of a moderate or a moderate conservative, whatever that is? Let’s look to
principled leadership!

Michael-
People will never come around to Toomey, because he is too far of the mainstream.

If Smerconish was an opportunist, he would have climbed aboard for the McCain/Palin reenactment of the Titanic, and locked himself in as a loyal right-wing, neocon conservative. Instead, he correctly identified Obama as the responsible grownup, and supported him.

In the world of right-wing orthodoxy (that’s your home-planet), moderate conservative viewpoints are blasphemy.

Smerconish is popular with the moderate conservatives. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being liberal and 10 being conservative, Toomey is 11.
Smerconsish is around 7 or 8.

In a general election, Specter’s going to get everyone from 1 to 6 and beat Toomey 60% to 40%.

Smerconish made a calculation that Obama was going to win and maybe there is a place for a moderate conservative on the radio dial. He used his endorsement to gain favor and exposure.

Unless you have a complete change of heart politically, which Smerconish doesn’t seem to have had, you can’t go from liking Ronald Reagan to voting for Obama. That is why he is a fraud.

And by liking Ronald Reagan to voting for Barack Obama, you must be referring to the so-called “Reagan Democrats.” Oh yeah… those working men and women without whom Obama would have never carried Pennsylvania, much less Ohio. But I’m sure they also made a unprincipled, political calculation, and hitched on to Obama-express.

As far as Specter is concerned, would you have made any different of a decision? The GOP base, esp after 2008, is radically conservative. If the train you’re on is going the wrong way, you switch trains. And the country, and the Democratic Party, is better for it. Period.

Kevin-
One of my friends is strong Democratic voter, but he’s much more conservative Dem than I am. He’s former military, a bit of a bigot on gay marriage and he’s pro-Israel, with more of a hard-line than diplomatic approach. He LOVES Smerconish because he feels Smerconish is a straight-talking conservative and thoughtful on his points (even when my friend doesn’t agree with those points).
Smerconish appeals to those with a conservative bent, but don’t want to bend over for the full-on neocon ritual with dark hooded robes, candles and a paddle. (see Animal House)

Colin-
Good points. The 100,000 Republicans that switched to Dem last year aren’t the Toomey crowd. They are much more likely to vote for Specter in the primary and the General election.

We have a two party system the last time I checked, I don’t know what use it is to put yourself in a box with labels. You say Toomey is too far right, this race does not seem to lining up behind social
issues. I see a broad contrast in fiscal issues with the incurring debt our Country is facing. Republican’s and Democrat’s alike will choose a
candidate who is not an opportunist, but one who
cares about the tax payer’s of this Great State and
mean’s it!

Toomey’s too far to the Right on fiscal. The “Club for Growth” is geared to lower taxes on the wealth and cut services for the poor.

If one is too right in your view and the other too left, voting for the stimulus, government run health care trillions of more debt for social programs such as Acorn (billions alotted in the recovery and reinvestment act) to ensure
everyone’s wealth is spread around equally. Which do you think the good people of Pa. will vote for?
It will be interesting to see.work

“If Smerconish was an opportunist, he would have climbed aboard for the McCain/Palin reenactment of the Titanic, and locked himself in as a loyal right-wing, neocon conservative. Instead, he correctly identified Obama as the responsible grownup, and supported him.”

Great point, David! At least Smerconish was his own man, sure.

Which ship did the other two people in the title of this article hop aboard?

I seem to have forgotten.

Micheal, I couldn’t agree with your analysis more, however I feel compelled to point out that there is nothing new about the bromance between Specter and Smerconish–those two have a long history beginning in the mid-eighties. I used to be a regular listener of Smerconish’s (back when he was on drive time) but it was Smerconish’s trip with Arlen Specter to Cuba immediately after 9/11 (wherein Smerconish and Specter gave Fidel Castro an NYPD hat in exchange for some Cuban cigars) that was the impetus for me to stop listening to his radio program. That he now continues to openly support the most radical liberal President in the history of this country and STILL bills himself as a conservative, or better a “centrist”, is laughable. You nailed it; he and Specter are cut from the same opportunist cloth.

Smerconish said his No. 1 issue in the presidential election was Bin Laden.
McCain said he’d chase him to the gates of hell. Obama? He didn’t even have answer during Smerc’s recent one-on-one.
Smerc’s an opportunist, pure and simple.
His column last week in the Daily News was more of the same. He’s O’s favorite “right-wing” smooch artist.

Bill-
Voting for the stimulus wasn’t “too far left”. Government won’t be “running” healthcare, just making the insurance affordable and changing the incentives for better outcomes. Big difference.
Billions were not allocated for Acorn. This is a twist and spin by the Right. There was money allocated for various efforts for Acorn and hundreds of other organization. The false talking point assumes that Acorn would win every single grant over the hundreds of other community organizations. It’s simply ridiculous. Acorn’s goal isn’t to “spread the wealth around equally”. They do help with registration so the politicians will stop ignoring the poor by making them into voters.

The wealth is already being distributed to the wealthy. With the current system, if there are 10 hungry people and 1 pie, the wealth person gets 9/10 of the pie and then lobbies the government so he can sell the other 1/10 to the 9 other people and avoid paying taxes on it.

Why do you think the tax code is so long? It’s for all the loopholes for the rich. The rich make billions off their “capital gains” and pay 15% taxes, while the middle class pays 25%-30%. How’s that fair?

Jack-
Santorum’s been sailing on the USS I-live-in-Virgina for a long time. Specter decided to skip the cruise and make votes that represented liberals, moderates and conservatives that make up Pennsylvania’s electorate.
BTW, Joe boarded the USS Fundraiser-for-Congress then jumped ship to ride the USS Fruitless-Effort with a $6 million ticket.

Kingston-
McCain did “say” he would follow bin Laden to the “gates of hell”. However, he also said he wouldn’t go after bin Laden in Pakistan, when pressed on this point. He looked like a fool spouting hollow rhetoric.

wait… Toomey is too far right, because he believes in capitalism..but the stimulus is
not to far left. Why? because the monetary rewards of hard work are not justified in your view. WOW!

Bill-
No. What Toomey believes in is not capitalism. Having the rich and corporations operated in an unregulated fashion, rape the natural resources, polluted the environment and avoid their fair share of taxes is not “capitalism”.
Making a buck while benefiting society is capitalism, but stealing a buck and hurting society isn’t (though that’s the kind of capitalism the right-wing supports, with offshore tax havens, gutting environmental regulations, opposing cap and trade, etc.)
Burglars work hard too, but I’m not in favor of rewarding them either. However, the idle rich in the top 1% do very little actual work. They get their money from investments of their vast wealth, and fight to pay only 15% on their taxes.