Arlen Specter Switches Party

Heh.

US Republican Senator Arlen Specter is to switch sides and become a Democrat.

The move would give the Democrats 59 votes in the US Senate, just one short of the 60 needed to overturn Republican attempts to block legislation.

The reality is that he switched parties because he knew he would get creamed in the primary next year if he didn’t.  So… whatever.  He’s an unprincipled politician struggling to hold onto power.  There are a lot of those in office. 

As far as the 60 seat majority, it’s not that big a deal.  The 60 members of a party isn’t as important as the 60 votes it takes to end a filibuster.  I suspect that Specter will just become the unreliable thorn in the side of the Democrats as he has been for the Republicans for years. 

I’d LOVE to see him lose next year despite this.  It would just be poetic justice.