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Happy Holidays from the In-Specter!

As 2009 comes to a close, I want to thank all of our readers for not just following the news here at pa2010, but also for being engaged in a dynamic discussion about the subtleties of these races.  It has been an exciting year for the In-Specter, in which we saw Pennsylvania’s senior senator switch parties to avoid a loss in the Republican primary and transform into one of President Obama’s most reliable votes.  Covering Specter’s race for the Democratic nomination has been both interesting and fun, and I look forward to continue delivering relevant news and analysis about it in the months ahead.

2009 was a year of fresh starts and some early stumbles, in which a new Administration forged a bold new path, both domestically and abroad.  At home, the health care debate sucked most of the oxygen out of the room and has become a pivotal benchmark for the success of the Obama presidency.  Though it appears the bill will pass the Senate on Christmas Eve, much work remains to be done in conference committee before this bill can hit the President’s desk.  2009 also marked the nadir of the recession, and the beginnings of the first “green shoots” of an economic recovery — though high levels of unemployment continue to plague the nation.  Abroad, a young president strengthened old alliances, reached out to the Muslim world, and won a Nobel Prize for Peace, yet many of his most significant goals — containing the Iranian nuclear threat, nuclear disarmament, Israeli-Palestinian peace, a binding agreement on climate change — remain unfulfilled.  Hopes of unity and bipartisanship were sadly dashed in one of the most toxic political environments in recent memory, with Republicans proving preternaturally intransigent on nearly every issue.

2010 promises to be a politically electrifying battleground.  The Specter-Sestak primary remains an exciting battle that will pit Specter’s experience and new-found progressive leanings against the fresh liberal face of Joe Sestak, who will continue to raise questions about his opponent’s trustworthiness and reliability.  Moreover, the showdown between  Democrats and Republicans in the midterms nationwide will be a crucial test for the Obama Administration.  If history is any indicator, Democrats will almost certainly lose some seats in this cycle.  If they can emerge with strong majorities still intact in both chambers of Congress, it will bode well for the President’s agenda going forward.  A loss of the majority in either house of Congress will be a devastating blow to the Democrats, particularly in an electoral climate that still isn’t particularly good for the inheritors of the Bush legacy.

Happy Holidays to you and your families, and a very happy new year!  Make sure to come back in 2010 for the epic conclusion of PA’s exciting primary battles, and the main event — the 2010 midterm elections.

December 23, 2009 at 1:57 pm

--Adam Schwartzbaum

Tags: 2010 elections, Arlen Specter, Joe Sestak, President Obama

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