Today, the huge political news was that REPUBLICAN SENATOR Arlen Specter "DEFECTED" today from the Republican Party, and, at the wooing of Vice President Joe Biden, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and (__?__) has joined the Democratic Senate Caucus.
But the single most informative tidbit we have seen or heard about the Specter defection was tonight on Chris Mathews' MSNBC "Slobber-Ball" talk show (sigh, "Hardball" 'news' show) - where they played a clip of Senator Specter announcing his defection today....
And specter said, that if REPUBLICAN PRIMARY VOTERS had not FORCED Repub. Senator Lincoln CHAFEE to SPEND A FORTUNE fighting a right-wing "CLUB FOR GROWTH" challenger in the GOP primary, Chafee could probably have WON his re-election bid in 2006... and the Republicans would STILL HAVE CONTROLED THE SENATE leading into the 2008 elections.
Whether the GOP would have retained a Senate Majority after the 2008 election, and Senator Specter would have retained his Senate Chairmanship after 2008, is conjecture, yet none-the-less Specter did rattle off a good exposition of INCUMBENT Republican Senators who were DEFEATED or FORCED TO SPEND A FORTUNE fighting off Right-Wing "CLUB FOR GROWTH, THERE IS NOT TOMORROW, MONEY is the ONLY Holy quantity in politics" lunacy.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT HERE, is that "CENTRIST" and "Blue-Dog" and "righty" "Democrats" CONTINUE TO TAKE THEIR ORDERS from the FAR-RIGHT "loony" WING... of the REPUBLICAN Party!
Including of course "Democrat" Senator MARY LANDRIEU, who today joins fellow "Dem" Senator EVAN BAYH... in "expressing deep skepticism" about the new BANKRUPTCY REFORM Bill working its way through Congress...
... WITH SENATOR LANDRIEU standing up for one of the most MISTRUSTED groups in America today, the BANKERS who are opposed to the bankruptcy reform bill!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/28/two-key-dems-express-pess_n_192400.html
WHY are Democrats - Landrieu & Bahy just the most obvious examples - STILL TAKING DICTATION from the disintigrating remnants of the KARL ROVE Right-Wing REPUBLICAN PROPAGANDA MACHINE??
- who, on ISSUE after ISSUE after ISSUE after ISSUE - banking deregulation and Stock-market oversight, the notion that "TOUGHER FUEL MILEAGE" requirements woud bankrupt the auto-companies, torture and surveillance and offshore tax-dodges for billionaires - hold positions that are DEEPLY UNPOPULAR and wrong for America.
