I always liked him

[Sheherezade]

Specter joins Democratic Party.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2...er=rss&emc=rss

[DCJenn]

Well, he just saved his political arse is what he did. There's no way he would have been reelected as a Republican. The Rs are much more conservative than he is. He's been moderate forever.

Jenn

[oceanchild]

I was watching some of his press conference (because our in-house TV station was supposed to be covering Harold Koh's nomination hearing but was playing that instead... grumble...), and what struck me most noticeably was how *old* he is.

[Sheherezade]

Yes. He's like a billion years old. He did the "magic bullet" story for the Kennedy assassination. (Does assassination really have two "ass" es in it? That looks odd. )


I think it is interesting to watch the older Republicans. Voinovich (our senator) announced directly after the election that he wouldn't run again. He sent out a letter to everyone in the state telling us that he couldn't govern while thinking about re-election. I think we need more people like that. Maybe the old guys will lead the way. As for Specter, he'd be much more at home with the Blue Dog Dems than with the Brownback type Republicans.

[GrayMatterWife]

Well, he just saved his political arse is what he did. There's no way he would have been reelected as a Republican. The Rs are much more conservative than he is. He's been moderate forever.

Jenn

Yeah, this is hardly a credit to his character or a statement of his principles. He did it because he would have lost the PA Rep primary.

[GrayMatterWife]

I think it is interesting to watch the older Republicans. Voinovich (our senator) announced directly after the election that he wouldn't run again. He sent out a letter to everyone in the state telling us that he couldn't govern while thinking about re-election. I think we need more people like that. Maybe the old guys will lead the way. As for Specter, he'd be much more at home with the Blue Dog Dems than with the Brownback type Republicans.

I remember when Voinovich did that. If he did it genuinely, I admire it.

Oh, and don't even get me started on Brownback. He's a sell-out, at the moment. As of a couple of weeks ago, he is standing by his decision to vote for confirmation of Sebelius. Why? Not because he doesn't have fundamental problems with her, but because he wants to run for Governor of KS and this would get her out of the way. Thanks, buddy. You were one of the few conservative, faithful Catholic national politicians we could look up to. I am so irritated with him. But he wouldn't care--I don't live in KS!

[Sheherezade]

I think Voinovich was sincere. I was impressed by my dealings with him (as a complaining, whining voter ) pre-election. I'm not a Republican but I voted for him and my Republican congressman. Both men seem to have a commitment to finding answers over grandstanding. Both are also more centrist (as am I) than far right. I believed that Voinovich stepping away because times are serious and we need to have solutions and compromise was legit.

Hadn't heard the update on Brownback. Interesting. He is a quintessential politician. I guess that is the right *political* move.

[DCJenn]

This is going to sound ageist but I really think we need to limit the ages of Congress and the Supremes.

Seriously, some of these guys are in their late 80s - early 90s. If you have to be 35 to be President, you should have a rule on the other side, too- like 70.

Jenn

[Rapunzel]

I think maybe term limits for Senators and Congressmen would be appropriate. I think it helps things to get some fresh blood in there every few years. Would it really be so bad if we limited Senators to two terms and Congressmen (and women, of course) to three or four terms?

The Supreme thing isn't something I've actually thought about. I'll have to go and think about that one now!

[Sheherezade]

The week after the election? Very soon there after. You didn't get one? Maybe you were moving then? (Or he only sent them to PITA people that harrased him previously.)

[GrayMatterWife]

Hadn't heard the update on Brownback. Interesting. He is a quintessential politician. I guess that is the right *political* move.

He voted for her. She was confirmed today. On his website, he explained that it is tradition for Senators to give bipartisan support to confirmation candidates from their home state. What a load of crap.

I hope he does not have his sights set on something national. I won't support him.

This is EXACTLY why the Republican Party can't find its footing. They don't stand by their principles. They are either distracted by attempting to "broaden" their appeal or acting in pure self-interest. Most people are not super lefties any more than they are super righties (you know, the ones who claim that federal income taxes are unconstitutional, etc.). The majority of people believe in lower taxes but that everyone pay what they owe, smaller government but with a benevolent purpose, and self-reliance but personal charity (not taxes) as an obligation of success. Most people are proud to be Americans, don't like concillatory international politics, and don't really care if France thinks we're declasse. Most people welcome immigrants and are genuinely proud of the fact that people from all over the world want to live here--it's the best thing about America; we just want them to come in legally and not abuse our generosity when here illegally. And, on Sebelius, most people--even a lot pro-choice folks--grimmace at the thought of ninth-month abortions and have difficulty making a colorable argument that the "preference" of the mother at this point trumps the life of the baby on the weak premise that a 39-week old fetus isn't a person. And most people don't want confirmations of people who don't pay their taxes like the rest of us. Most Democratic voters don't reject these things. All Republicans have to do is actually stand for this and act accordingly. It's called having character.

This should have been an easy call for Brownback. Even if he didn't want to take a stand on her radical abortion rights support, he could have based it on her failure to pay her taxes.

I hope he does not have his sights set on something national. I won't support him.

.

Well, I've got your back on that one. I do live in KS and I won't support him, either.

[oceanchild]

This is going to sound ageist but I really think we need to limit the ages of Congress and the Supremes.

Seriously, some of these guys are in their late 80s - early 90s. If you have to be 35 to be President, you should have a rule on the other side, too- like 70.

Jenn

I like term limits in theory, but in practice (at least in California), they seem to just further entrench the staff. The actual legislators come and go, so their staffers become the institutional knowledge and become more powerful.

My dad always says that we have term limits: they're called elections. That's true, but it doesn't solve the problem of those gosh-darned voters.