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Sen. Arlen Specter: GOP moved 'far to the right'
politico.com ^ | May 3, 2009 | Mike Allen

Posted on 05/03/2009 12:01:14 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) said Sunday in his first TV interview since becoming a Democrat last week he had not promised to be “a loyal Democrat” and would lead a filibuster against his new party if he felt strongly enough about an issue.

Specter told David Gregory on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he had determined “with polls and a lot of personal contact” that his reelection prospects as a Republican were “bleak.”

But he added: “There’s more than being reelected here. There’s the factor of principle. The Republican Party has gone far to the right since I joined it under Reagan’s big tent. … In recent times, I have diverged materially from the Republican line … As the picture has evolved, I felt a lot more comfortable – as a matter of principle – with Democrats than Republicans.”

Specter heatedly denied a Wall Street Journal report that he had told the White House that he would be “a loyal Democrat.”

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: gop; pa2010; rinos; specter; sphincter
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1 posted on 05/03/2009 12:01:15 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
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To: Free ThinkerNY

So instead he joined a party which is indistinguishable from Fascists.....makes a lot of sense Arlene.


2 posted on 05/03/2009 12:03:20 PM PDT by Always Right (Obama: more arrogant than Bill Clinton, more naive than Jimmy Carter, and more liberal than LBJ.)
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: Free ThinkerNY
"Specter heatedly denied a Wall Street Journal report that he had told the White House that he would be “a loyal Democrat.”

NEVER believe anything coming out of DC until it's been denied..

4 posted on 05/03/2009 12:04:32 PM PDT by GeorgiaDawg32 (I'm a Patriot Guard Rider..www.patriotguard.org for info..)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
The Republican Party has gone far to the right since I joined it under Reagan’s big tent.

A big HUH?

5 posted on 05/03/2009 12:04:52 PM PDT by Graybeard58 (Selah)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Laughable.

Today’s GOP is anything but “far right.”

Today’s Democrats are anything but Mom and Dad’s Democrats. They are so far to the left I’d be embarrassed to be one, and have felt that way for decades.

They’ve only gotten worse since McGovern.

Even Mom and Dad came around.


6 posted on 05/03/2009 12:05:10 PM PDT by A_Former_Democrat
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Most of the political cartoons on this were some variation of “Arlen Spector is changing parties.” “Oh, you mean he’s turning Republican?”

Or worse, that he reads he will lose and then switches, which is the absolute truth. No one wants to leave the gravy train that “representing the people” has turned into.


7 posted on 05/03/2009 12:06:31 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Always Right
Fact is, it's not even true. The republican party has actually moved quite far to the left...it's just that the democrat party as moved an even greater distance to the left. There is now a large gulf to the right of the republican party that is made up of constitutional conservatives.
8 posted on 05/03/2009 12:07:06 PM PDT by highlander_UW (The only difference between the MSM and the DNC is the MSM sells ad space in their propaganda)
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To: A_Former_Democrat

“The Republican Party has gone far to the right”

Oh yes.. opposing a trillion dollar generation theft porkfest is extreme. Reagan wouldn’t have had any objections.

Shut up Arlen, get out.


9 posted on 05/03/2009 12:08:36 PM PDT by y6162
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To: Always Right

The party didn’t drift right, he drifted left across that aisle.
They better drift right unless they want another destruction in the midterm elections!


10 posted on 05/03/2009 12:09:15 PM PDT by omega4179 (Boycott government communist tractor factories!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

And coincidentally, on the very same day he learned he would lose the primary by 30 points, he decided it was a matter of principle to join the Democrats.


11 posted on 05/03/2009 12:09:39 PM PDT by Krankor (iT EMINDS ME)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

This rat is a true POS who would sell out his own mother to win an election.


12 posted on 05/03/2009 12:09:43 PM PDT by wastedyears (Iron Maiden's gonna get ya, no matter how far!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

The GOP didn’t move right at all. The Dems continued moving further left. Even my daughter understood that as a little girl.


(reprise, and change) DADDY, WHAT IS A RIGHT WINGER? — change to “Middle American”
dfu | 11-2004 | dfu

Posted on 11/08/2004 7:22:46 AM PST by doug from upland

NOTE: I am bringing this back for those who missed it. Unlike the DemocRATS, we are not afraid to let people know what we believe. The other side wants to fool people and are afraid that they will learn what the left believes. We are Middle Americans. Perhaps that is what we should be calling ourselves rather than their definitions like neo-con and right winger.


When my daughter was growing up she asked me that same question that your children probably asked you. The answer was given during the Clinton times, but today the issues seem pretty much the same.

Those on the so-called political right hold some general beliefs in common. Not all of those on the right hold all of the same views.

I began the explanation with an exercise. We went into the middle of our street in front of the house. I had her take three steps to the left, and I took three steps to the right. She understood that, in political terms, I was positioning myself on the right. She was positioning herself on the left. Then, I had her take three more steps to the left. And three more steps to the left. And three more steps to the left.

She noticed that I was pretty far to the right of her. Her comment made me proud when she said, “Dad, yeah, you are way to the right, but you didn’t move. You are where you were before. I have gone over the sidewalk and am on the front grass.” Point made.

We did more, however, than merely play in the street. We had some real discussion during her growing years, and I gave a general idea of some of the beliefs held by those on the political right. Welcome to the dreaded right wing.

1. We believe that it is the right of all men to live free and determine their own destiny.
2. We believe that we are ultimately answerable to God for what we do on this earth.
3. We believe that the Constitution is the greatest secular document ever created and that, although it is secular, the influence of God in its creation cannot be denied.
4. We believe that men and women are different and that children have a much better chance in life if they are raised by a mom and a dad.
5. We believe that America is the greatest nation in the world and the greatest force for advancing freedom in the history of this planet.
6. We believe that it is first the job of the family, the extended family, friends, neighbors, and your community to help people. We should not look to the federal government first. That was never intended by the Founders and is an enormous waste of money and resources.
7. We believe that people who do bad things deserve to be punished. We may feel badly that someone had a rough childhood, but that gives him no right to harm another innocent person.
8. We believe that a murderer should pay with that which he has taken from someone else.
9. We believe that the most innocent of all — the child developing in the womb — needs to be protected.
10. We believe in the dignity and ability of individuals, not of groups. We will judge everyone on what they do, not on the color of their skin.
11. We believe that people should be rewarded by their sacrifice and hard work, not because they are part of a favored group.
12. We believe that slavery was horrible, but there are no living slaves and no living slave owners. A white person can feel badly that slavery was in our history, but we have no reason to feel guilty. We didn’t do it.
13. We believe that the most important purpose of the federal government is the national defense of this country and maintaining a strong military.
14. We believe that if communists or Islamist terrorists want us dead, we need to take the strongest action possible to prevent it. We shouldn’t leave our security to the United Nations.
15. We believe that you don’t negotiate with evil. You destroy evil.
16. We believe that there are some bad policemen, but the overwhelming majority do a great job. We should be grateful that they are willing to put their lives on the line to protect us.
17. We believe in the right to own guns for our personal protection.
18. We believe that trial attorneys have run amok and are sucking the lifeblood out of business.
19. We believe that our schools have been taken over by leftists who care more about their agenda than teaching our children the skills they need to succeed — reading, writing, math, and science.
20. We believe that homosexuals should be left alone, but that marriage needs to be between a man and a woman, and that children should be adopted by a mom and dad.
21. We believe that the word “American” has no place in the American Civil Liberties Union.
22. We believe that people should be able to smoke in a restaurant if that is the way the entrepreneur wants to run his business.
23. We believe that the excessive confiscation by the government of the money we earn is both immoral and hurts our economy.
24. We believe that an able-bodied person who receives money from the government (from us) should do something productive to get that money.
25. We believe that the free expression of faith does not violate any provision in our Constitution. In addition, we believe that the attack on religion and decency is doing great damage to our nation.
26. We believe that immigrants should obey our laws and wait their turn in line to come into this nation.
27. We believe that Ronald Wilson Reagan is the greatest president of the 20th century and that Bill Clinton is even worse than Jimmy Carter.

28. I believe that Islamist terrorists and Hillary Rodham Clinton pose the greatest dangers to this republic.

(NOTE: No. 28 should have named Islamists, Hillary, and Obama. In 2004 we had no idea of what was to come out of Chicago.)


13 posted on 05/03/2009 12:10:00 PM PDT by doug from upland (10 million views of .HILLARY! UNCENSORED - put some ice on it, witch)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
The Republican Party has gone far to the right since I joined it under Reagan’s big tent.

The strongest marijuana in the world couldn't make someone that delusional! The Republican party has done everything BUT move to the right over the last decade or so.

14 posted on 05/03/2009 12:10:20 PM PDT by meyer (Obama is to the USA as Mugabe is to Zimbabwe.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Sen. Arlen Specter: GOP moved 'far to the right'...of my political agenda.
15 posted on 05/03/2009 12:11:21 PM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, Question everyone else)
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To: Graybeard58

Really! I must have been taking a shower. Then did you get the part about him having principles? ROFLMAO!!!


16 posted on 05/03/2009 12:12:08 PM PDT by houeto (Defang the FEDGOV. Repeal the 17th!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
"The Republican Party has gone far to the right since I joined it under Reagan’s big tent. … "

I'd like to know what Specter believes is "far right." Pro-life? Smaller government? Strong military and national security? Not giving in to Socialist policies? Come on Arlen, explain.

17 posted on 05/03/2009 12:12:34 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Specter is already shooting himself in the foot with Democrats ...

I don’t know Pennsylvania politics, but my guess is that Dems in Pennsylvania won’t give him a win in the Democratic primary.


18 posted on 05/03/2009 12:15:25 PM PDT by OldNavyVet
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To: Always Right

He can’t win; so he switched parties to try and save his job.


19 posted on 05/03/2009 12:15:27 PM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

20 posted on 05/03/2009 12:17:16 PM PDT by Zakeet (Thou Shalt Not Steal -- Unless thou art the government)
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