# Democrats strip Arlen Specter of his seniority **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 6, 2009, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530 "2009-05-06T11:59:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/41 "2009-05-07T12:40:57Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > YMMV, of course, depending on which end of the political spectrum you’re observing from, but Specter is FAR from having a history of voting like a Democrat. Like a very moderate Republican, perhaps, but like a Democrat? No fucking way. You’re forgetting the new Republican strategy: 1. Call everyone to the left of Rush Limbaugh a liberal 2. Remove all said liberals from the party 3. Use this much smaller party to win a majority in elections What could go wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/42 "2009-05-07T15:53:26Z")
Compromise reached, apparnetly: [Specter will become chair of the Crime and Drugs subcommittee.](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/07/durbin-to-give-up-subcommittee-chairmanship-in-favor-of-specter/) Dick Durbin takes one for the team. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/43 "2009-05-07T16:02:22Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Dick Durbin takes one for the team. [Not really](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/05/07/new_deal_specter_gets_a_subcom.html?hpid=topnews). They’re reviving the human rights subcommittee for Durbin to chair. > [@](#): > > Durbin would take over a newly restored human rights subcommittee, which was dissolved at the beginning of the current 111th Congress because none of the committee members were available to run it. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/44 "2009-05-07T16:04:23Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > You’re forgetting the new Republican strategy: > > 1. Call everyone to the left of Rush Limbaugh a liberal > 2. Remove all said liberals from the party > 3. Use this much smaller party to win a majority in elections > > What could go wrong? You left off: 4) Profit! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/45 "2009-05-07T16:43:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Compromise reached, apparnetly: [Specter will become chair of the Crime and Drugs subcommittee.](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/07/durbin-to-give-up-subcommittee-chairmanship-in-favor-of-specter/) Dick Durbin takes one for the team. I just wouldn’t know what to do if I lived in PA. Generally I’m in favor of drugs, and therefor many drug-related crimes, but I’m less well-disposed to other forms of crime. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/46 "2009-05-07T19:07:34Z")
According to Mark Steyn filling in for Limbaugh this afternoon, Tom Ridge announced that he won’t run for the Pennsylvania Senate seat. I think he was supposed to be the hopeful GOP counter to Specter-as-Democrat (as opposed to “no chance in Hell” Toomey"). Edit: [Christian Science Monitor](http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/05/07/ridge-says-no-specter-could-retain-powerless-senate-seat/) says the same. > [@](#): > > Why isn’t he interested? > > He really didn’t say. Ridge just said after conversations with friends and family he decided against it. > > “After careful consideration and many conversations with friends and family and the leadership of my party, I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Senate,” he said in a statement. “The 2010 race has significant implications for my party, and that required thoughtful reflection. All of the above made my decision a difficult and deeply personal conclusion to reach.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/47 "2009-05-07T19:11:16Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > According to Mark Steyn filling in for Limbaugh this afternoon, Tom Ridge announced that he won’t run for the Pennsylvania Senate seat. I think he was supposed to be the hopeful GOP counter to Specter-as-Democrat (as opposed to “no chance in Hell” Toomey"). > > Edit: [Christian Science Monitor](http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/05/07/ridge-says-no-specter-could-retain-powerless-senate-seat/) says the same. Things keep getting better for Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/48 "2009-05-07T19:19:41Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > According to Mark Steyn filling in for Limbaugh this afternoon, Tom Ridge announced that he won’t run for the Pennsylvania Senate seat. I think he was supposed to be the hopeful GOP counter to Specter-as-Democrat (as opposed to “no chance in Hell” Toomey"). > > Edit: [Christian Science Monitor](http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/05/07/ridge-says-no-specter-could-retain-powerless-senate-seat/) says the same. I’m guessing he figures that he would be attacked more severely by the right of his own party during the primary than he would by the Dems in the general, should he get that far. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/49 "2009-05-07T19:41:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Specter’s already getting a lot out of this deal: he’s a lot less likely to be primaried out, he has a better chance at the general election, plus Obama and others are supporting him. All that is for a vote they don’t really need in the first place. Basically they’re giving up a a shot at getting a more reliable Democratic vote in the hope of preventing a moderate from losing to a more conservative challenger, in Toomey, who might not have the ability to win a statewide election anyhow. Well they don’t really have much choice in the matter as to which party he assumes, and he IS the actually elected official from PA. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/50 "2009-05-08T19:55:46Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Specter’s already getting a lot out of this deal: he’s a lot less likely to be primaried out, he has a better chance at the general election, plus Obama and others are supporting him. All that is for a vote they don’t really need in the first place. Basically they’re giving up a a shot at getting a more reliable Democratic vote in the hope of preventing a moderate from losing to a more conservative challenger, in Toomey, who might not have the ability to win a statewide election anyhow. So really, it’s suboptimal for Specter _and_ for the Democratic Party. Oh boy. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530/51 "2009-05-09T00:23:22Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Well they don’t really have much choice in the matter as to which party he assumes, and he IS the actually elected official from PA. They do have the choice as to allowing him to caucus with them, and they do have a choice as to whether or not he can cut to the front of the line. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-strip-arlen-specter-of-his-seniority/495530.md?page=2)