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Arlen Specter (D-PA)

A staple among the republican party since joining the senate in 1980, Alren Specter has unleashed a devastating blow upon the republican party today by switching teams and adding a “D” after his name.

While Specter (and staff) are putting their best spin on his decision to stress that it has to do with Democrats being more aligned with his personal philosophies, it’s hard to dismiss the accepted truth that as a republican Specter has almost zero chance of being re-elected this cycle in his home state of Pennsylvania.

PA republicans have been working overtime to oust Specter at the primary level, and even had Specter survived that things simply don’t look promising for any name on the republican ticket in Pennsylvania right now.

So, today Specter has become a Democrat and given the Dem’s an almost fillibuster proof majority in the senate at 59 - 40. If Minnesota gets it together and finally seats Al Franken in June then Democrats will have a locked majority of 60 - 40 that will prevent the republicans from blocking legislation through fillibusters.

This is big news, but if the “win at all costs” attitude of American politics has shown us anything it’s our prediction that the real story will be how this impacts the fiasco in Minnesota. My guess is republicans will attempt to thwart the courts completely in deciding that seat and push for Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty to delay the certification of Franken as long as possible. It would be a last-ditch play, but could buy them some time until the next election cycle. Though if public opinion is an indicator it could be a futile move. Everything can change on a moment in politics, but right now the people seem to still feel very favorable towards President Obama,and the direction we’re heading in overall now, despite the lingering economic struggles.

arlen specter headlines from Yahoo! News

GOP Sen. Arlen Specter Will Become a Democrat (Time Magazine)
Several officials say veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania intends to switch parties, pushing Democrats one step closer to a 60-vote filibuster-resistant majority  read full story...

Longtime GOP Sen. Arlen Specter becomes Democrat (CNN)
Veteran Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party on Tuesday, saying he has found himself increasingly "at odds with the Republican philosophy."  read full story...

Republican Arlen Specter switching to Democratic Party (Chicago Tribune)
The moderate Pennsylvania senator says the GOP 'has moved far to the right.' The move means that Democrats will likely be able to block any Senate filibuster. Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced today that he is switching parties and plans to seek reelection next year as a Democrat, in the meantime likely handing the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.  read full story...

arlen specter headlines from Google News

New York Times

RAW DATA: Biography of Sen. Arlen Specter FOXNews Arlen Specter's five terms have made him the longest-serving US Senator in Pennsylvania's history. The following is a biography of Sen. Arlen Specter: Since first elected in 1980, Arlen Specter has brought rugged individualism and fierce independence ... Video: Senator Arlen Specter on Switching Parties C-SPAN CNN shines in instant coverage of Arlen Specter story Baltimore Sun Specter: Move to Democratic Party a 'Painful Decision' Washington Post San Francisco Chronicle - Huffington Post all 2,425 news articles

arlen specter videos from YouTube
Bloomberg's Reaction to Arlen Specter's News		CNN Interviews Sen. Jim DeMint on Arlen Specter Defection		Joe Lieberman Comments On Arlen Specter's Party Switch
The Specter Switch!		John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Sen. Arlen Specter		Arlen Specter's Statement About Switching to the Democratic Party

arlen specter discussions on FriendFeed

The Real Reason Dems Wanted Arlen Specter On Their Side? The Jokes (VIDEO)
Posted by riglo via The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com  

Arlen Specter to join the Wu-Tang Clan (via @anamariecox) http://bit.ly/4aoysM
Posted by daviddeyoung via Twitter  

Penn. Sen. Arlen Specter to Switch to Democratic Party - washingtonpost.com
Posted by patrickmalatack via Facebook  

I want a Republican Party that has people like Daniel Hannan, not Arlen Specter. #tcot
Posted by stickeehands via Twitter  

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Related articles around the Web

• GOP Senator Specter’s Party Switch Gives Obama a 100-Day Gift (time.com)
• Specter: ‘The disappointment runs in both directions’ (cnn.com)
• GOP Sen. Arlen Specter Will Become a Democrat (time.com)
• Statement from Sen. Arlen Specter (time.com)
• Arlen Specter is getting crushed by Pat Toomey in PA’s GOP Senate primary (americablog.com)
• MN-Sen: Two New Polls Say Minnesotans Want Coleman to Concede Already (mydd.com)
• Is The GOP Too Conservative For Arlen Specter? For Its Own Good? (alan.com)

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