Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter is either a great statesman or the most unprincipled politician who ever lived, depending on what editorial you are reading.
But whatever he is, and the truth is probably a little bit of both, his decision to leave the Republican Party and join the Democrats is less importantly about him and more about the party he forsakes.
Will the last moderate Republican please close the door? Once upon a time, liberal Republicans were a visible presence and a civilizing influence on the party. The dominate right-wing ideologues have pretty much hunted the moderates to extinction. As much as they rail against Specter for leaving, it was they who made his enduring presence intolerable. It was either leave or be kicked out and he chose to leave.
(Full disclosure: I am a liberal still registered as a Republican, although in truth I have always thought party labels pretty much ridiculous. Still, I am thinking of applying for protection under the Endangered Species Act).
This long-term vendetta against liberals and moderates is an act of political suicide by what Specter himself has called the party's cannibals - those wild-eyed folks who like to feed on their own. Their obsession does not change a political fact of life: The party that holds the middle political ground has the better shot of winning everywhere with a few exceptions, mostly in the South.
But the right-wingers would rather be right than bright. Too bad - because what is good for the Democrats isn't necessarily good for America. Someone has to keep the Democrats honest and the party that can do it is fast going down the drain hole of history, all soaped up and steaming in its quest for purity.
Posted
Apr 28 2009, 07:13 PM
by
Reg Henry