Senior Republican Senator Arlen Specter has announced today that he will become a Democrat, a switch that has many people wondering what is going on in the Senate.
Senator Specter said:
"I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."
With Senator Specter becoming a Democrat, this would allow him to run for re-election as a Democrat in 2010. He states that many of his constituents have switched parties as more and more Pennsylvanians turn away from the far right stand the Republican party has taken.
The swine flu outbreak has brought to the forefront the fact that the Republican Senate's filibuster (or just lack of voting) has left the confirmation of an HHS Secretary up in the air when we need that person the most. The Secretary of Homeland Security should not be having to do the work of the Health and Human Services Secretary.
Specter's switch would also raise the stakes for the outcome of the disputed Senate race in Minnesota. His decision would give Democrats a 60-seat majority in the Senate, assuming Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next Senator of Minnesota, a margin that would allow Democrats to break Republican filibusters.
Maybe the Senate could get a little more work done then.
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