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Arlen Specter wants to join your party

by: Rosi Efthim

Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 12:51:06 PM EDT

On the top of the page at Blue Jersey, as I write this, is a banner ad that revolves with a few others at the top of our front page. The ad calls out Senator Arlen Specter, who is a Republican, for working against union labor, support the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).

Here's the ad:

Just a few minutes ago, news broke that Arlen Specter is switching parties, and running as a Democrat in 2010. And that means that labor unions fighting for EFCA are going to have another opponent to deal with: Democrat Arlen Specter. Specter's jump saves him from a primary challenge next year from former Rep. Pat Toomey, who he almost lost to in 2004. Pennsylvania politics shifts on this jump, and Toomey, freed from the primary competition with Specter, will almost certainly be the Republican nominee. And given how far-right he is, he has very little chance of winning that Senate seat.

That makes Arlen Specter ... our issue now. And why I'm writing about it, even though he's not New Jersey's Senator.

This should be slam-dunk great news. After all, when we finally wear out Norm Coleman's endless legal challenges to Al Franken's legitimate win of the Minnesota Senate seat, we should have our filibuster-proof Senate. Right? Well, not exactly. Because Specter made it known right from the start that party-switching isn't going to change his mind - even in union-strong Pennsylvania - about EFCA. That's a huge issue. And that may make Arlen Specter this year's Joe Lieberman.

From Specter's statement:

My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats that I have been for the Republicans. Unlike Senator Jeffords' switch which changed party control, I will not be an automatic 60th vote for cloture. For example, my position on Employees Free Choice (Card Check) will not change.

Specter's jump is very likely a mixed bag. He may caucus with the Democrats, and provided we get Franken seated in this century, that could be valuable. On the other hand, this move also raises the stakes for Norm Coleman in his increasingly desperate attempts to keep Franken from taking his rightful seat. Now, Coleman has even more reason to flail on. And there's more for the Republicans - who have moved so far-right that Specter's actually a Democrat - to lose.

Incidentally, something should be said here about the SEIU ad, above. It isn't easy - particularly in this economy - to keep progressive political blogs supported financially. A long-running ad, like the one SEIU has on Blue Jersey and other progressive blogs right now, is a statement of how fully unions like SEIU stand behind the work we do here, and how important it is to them that people like those in the Blue Jersey community hear their message. That's how I'm seeing Arlen Specter's switch from Republican to Democrat: I want real Democrats.

Here's a couple good things you can do, inside of 2 minutes each:

Tell Arlen Specter you support EFCA, no matter what party he's in.

Join Progressive Change Committee and DFA and throw in a buck a day to make Norm Coleman go away.

Rosi Efthim :: Arlen Specter wants to join your party

Tags: Arlen Specter, Senate, SEIU, EFCA, Employee Free Choice Act, (All Tags)

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Arlen Specter wants to join your party | 5 comments

two good ideas plus (0.00 / 0)

There are a few Democrats (Nelson of NE and Feinstein of CA) who aren't supportive of EFCA. I wonder if after we get Franken in if it would be possible to pass an EFCA without card check but put in the other labor law reforms that have been wilting on the vine.

However, don't be so sure that Specter will never vote for card check. He has a history of "changing his mind."

by: Creed Pogue @ Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 17:32:10 PM UTC

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Pressure (0.00 / 0)

I don't know if he'll change his mind. I guess it depends on how much pressure the Democratic Party puts on him to do that.

And that's going to be an indication of how much integrity the Party has.

I think I'll leave that question open.

It's not a particularly snappy signature, but here's what I think we need in the next NJ Democratic State Chair.

by: Rosi Efthim @ Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 17:57:04 PM UTC

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the unions, not the Party (0.00 / 0)

Rendell wasn't going to help a Democratic challenger to Specter running as a Republican, so I know he won't help a Democrat running to the left of Specter in a primary.

by: Creed Pogue @ Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 18:30:41 PM UTC

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Multiple Dems oppose EFCA (0.00 / 0)

Democrats are not unified in their support of this bill. The card check provision and government arbitration provision are highly controversial and I think EFCA is unlikely to pass as long as they remain in there. I myself oppose them, especially the latter. I think there is certainly a need for an easier way for employees to unionize, but I don't think that card check is it. I also don't think that government bureaucrats have any business writing binding contracts between management and labor when they can't agree.

As for Specter, I respect him for remaining true to his own positions and not voting a party line with his new party. I think it's a shame that our legislators so often feel the need to be unflinchingly liberal or conservative so as to convince voters that they aren't "Republicans in Name Only" or faux Democrats.

The list of Democratic senators opposing EFCA is actually a little longer than one might expect:
1) Tom Carper (D-Delaware)
2) Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas)
3) Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska)
4) Arlen Specter (D-Pennsylvania)

Dianne Feinstein (D-California) also seems to be less-than-supportive of the bill, stating that she would rather seek alternative legislation. And all forty Republicans are against the bill. 45 votes against cloture would be enough to stop EFCA in this 111th Congress -- so I doubt it will pass.

by: NJCentrist @ Wed Apr 29, 2009 at 00:30:10 AM UTC

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We parse pretty good out here on the prairie (0.00 / 0)

"I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats that I have been for the Republicans"

I think that says it all. Arlen will play ball.

We're all starting to get pretty fed up with Norm out here. We're too nice to say it much and we're a patient people, but once the MN Supreme Court gets finished with the case, whoever lost had better head down the road and not make any stops at the US Supreme Court, because we're not having it. We don't need a bunch of eastern lawyers telling us who our senator is. We have our own, upper midwestern lawyers to tell us. And that's what government is supposed to be: lawyers yelling at each other.

Right? Right?

Anyway, we'll hang in there and let the MN Supreme Court decide the case, but then it had better be good-bye to Norm or Al, one or the other, and no crying about it, either, because they both had plenty of time to cry it out already.

DBK

by: DBK @ Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 19:32:36 PM UTC

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Arlen Specter wants to join your party | 5 comments