Arlen Spector Just Switched Parties

[hblask 1]

Okay vote for I guess was the wrong terminology. Support with more than a vote I guess would be the more correct term here. I've only once supported a political candidate with more than my vote. And that turned out to have a somewhat disappointing outcome considering his Senate record so far. But as was demonstrated by Ron Paul, a candidate can have a great grassroots fund-raising campaign and still not get on the national radar. It takes someone with the street smarts and charisma to take on the big boys. Ross Perot, before he chose an alzheimer patient for a VP, was an example of such a person. He had enough seed money to start with and enough clout with the media to get their attention. The Libertarian Party needs such a candidate without the paranoia.

Ah, got it, that's a much more difficult question. I don't generally financially support candidates of any stripe, so yeah, there has to be some compelling reason for me to do so. So I guess that makes me part of the problem -- if everyone is waiting for them to reach a critical threshold, they will never reach a critical threshold. But I do support causes -- for example, anyone who believes in liberty and justice could certainly support the Institute for Jusice (www.ij.org) and know their money is going to a good cause rather than a hopeless longshot.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

Shrewd Move...WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Democratic leader in the Senate promised Sen. Arlen Specter he would retain his seniority when he jumped from the Republican to the Democratic Party, Specter told CNN on Wednesday, but faced "pushback" from other Democratic senators.Sen. Arlen Specter has said that Pennsylvania "has a big interest" in his seniority. "Sen. [Harry] Reid said that I would maintain my committee assignments and that my seniority would be established as if I'd been elected in 1980 as a Democrat," the long-serving Pennsylvania senator told CNN's Dana Bash. The full Senate voted Tuesday to strip Specter of his seniority, dropping him to the bottom of the pile on every committee he sits on. The action came on a resolution -- passed on a unanimous voice vote -- that set out committee assignments for the entire Senate. Back in 2005, the Pennsylvania senator was in the driver's seat when the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled the two newest Supreme Court justices.But now, when the Judiciary Committee questions President Obama's yet-to-be-named nominee to replace Justice David Souter, Specter will be the very last to speak -- after even Sen. Ted Kaufman of Delaware, who has been a senator for all of four months.In fact, only two of the 18 other senators on the committee have been in the upper house longer than Specter -- and he has been in the Senate longer than seven other committee members put together.But there is more at stake than Specter's ego or bragging rights.The old saw "rank hath its privileges" holds true in the U.S. Senate as in few other places. With seniority comes the ability to influence legislation.Specter lost his seniority on other committees as well, including the powerful Appropriations Committee -- the one that doles out money. He's now junior to Montana's Sen. Jon Tester, who has been in the Senate since 2007.Specter has been citing his seniority on the Appropriations Committee as he hits the campaign trail as a Democrat."My senior position on Appropriations has enabled me to bring a lot of jobs and a lot of federal funding to this state," Specter said at a town hall meeting on Monday.Over and over, he made a point of telling an auditorium filled with medical faculty and staff about the hundreds of millions of dollars he delivered to the Keystone State, thanks to the power he's accumulated in his 29 years in the Senate."Pennsylvania has a big interest in my seniority, a big interest," he said

[CaneBrain 95]

Shrewd Move...WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Democratic leader in the Senate promised Sen. Arlen Specter he would retain his seniority when he jumped from the Republican to the Democratic Party, Specter told CNN on Wednesday, but faced "pushback" from other Democratic senators.Sen. Arlen Specter has said that Pennsylvania "has a big interest" in his seniority. "Sen. [Harry] Reid said that I would maintain my committee assignments and that my seniority would be established as if I'd been elected in 1980 as a Democrat," the long-serving Pennsylvania senator told CNN's Dana Bash. The full Senate voted Tuesday to strip Specter of his seniority, dropping him to the bottom of the pile on every committee he sits on. The action came on a resolution -- passed on a unanimous voice vote -- that set out committee assignments for the entire Senate. Back in 2005, the Pennsylvania senator was in the driver's seat when the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled the two newest Supreme Court justices.But now, when the Judiciary Committee questions President Obama's yet-to-be-named nominee to replace Justice David Souter, Specter will be the very last to speak -- after even Sen. Ted Kaufman of Delaware, who has been a senator for all of four months.In fact, only two of the 18 other senators on the committee have been in the upper house longer than Specter -- and he has been in the Senate longer than seven other committee members put together.But there is more at stake than Specter's ego or bragging rights.The old saw "rank hath its privileges" holds true in the U.S. Senate as in few other places. With seniority comes the ability to influence legislation.Specter lost his seniority on other committees as well, including the powerful Appropriations Committee -- the one that doles out money. He's now junior to Montana's Sen. Jon Tester, who has been in the Senate since 2007.Specter has been citing his seniority on the Appropriations Committee as he hits the campaign trail as a Democrat."My senior position on Appropriations has enabled me to bring a lot of jobs and a lot of federal funding to this state," Specter said at a town hall meeting on Monday.Over and over, he made a point of telling an auditorium filled with medical faculty and staff about the hundreds of millions of dollars he delivered to the Keystone State, thanks to the power he's accumulated in his 29 years in the Senate."Pennsylvania has a big interest in my seniority, a big interest," he said

there are going to be consequences for your actions. you switched parties so you have a shot of still being a senator in 2010. It was the right move because you are basically a moderate Democrat at this point. the price was losing your seniority. deal with it.