GOP's Sen. Specter Switches Parties -- And yes, he will still vote against the Employee Free Choice Act!!
From The Wall Street Journal:
Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, increasingly isolated from his party, said Tuesday he is switching parties and will run for re-election in 2010 as a Democrat.
The move gives Democrats control of 59 votes in the Senate, leaving them one shy of 60 needed for procedural control of the chamber. One senate seat remains unfilled, in Minnesota, where a close recount remains tied up in court. But analysts say Democrat Al Franken is favored to win that legal battle in the coming weeks, giving Democrats the majority they are seeking.
But Mr. Specter cautioned that he wouldn't be an "automatic 60th vote" in the Senate for Democrats. To back that assertion, he said he wouldn't be changing his position against the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to unionize. Earlier this year, Mr. Specter said he would vote against the legislation if it were brought to the Senate floor.
Mr. Specter, who provided President Barack Obama the critical vote for his $787 billion stimulus plan, faced a powerful challenge in 2010 from former Rep. Pat Toomey, who hoped to unseat Mr. Specter in a Republican primary.
Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, increasingly isolated from his party, said Tuesday he is switching parties and will run for re-election in 2010 as a Democrat.
The move gives Democrats control of 59 votes in the Senate, leaving them one shy of 60 needed for procedural control of the chamber. One senate seat remains unfilled, in Minnesota, where a close recount remains tied up in court. But analysts say Democrat Al Franken is favored to win that legal battle in the coming weeks, giving Democrats the majority they are seeking.
But Mr. Specter cautioned that he wouldn't be an "automatic 60th vote" in the Senate for Democrats. To back that assertion, he said he wouldn't be changing his position against the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to unionize. Earlier this year, Mr. Specter said he would vote against the legislation if it were brought to the Senate floor.
Mr. Specter, who provided President Barack Obama the critical vote for his $787 billion stimulus plan, faced a powerful challenge in 2010 from former Rep. Pat Toomey, who hoped to unseat Mr. Specter in a Republican primary.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 4:36 PM
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