Snowe says GOP isn’t ‘encouraging’ of ‘moderates,’ will she follow Specter?
Snowe says GOP isn’t ‘encouraging’ of ‘moderates,’ will she follow Specter?
Following the surprising news that Sen. Arlen Specter is switching his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, Politico writes that one of the last Republican moderates, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), “didn’t seem surprised” by Specter’s announcement:
“I’m stunned … I’m very surprised. I had no idea this was coming,” said Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) “I’m stunned.” But Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) a fellow moderate, didn’t seem suprised. On the national level, she says, “you haven’t certainly heard warm encouraging words of how they [Republicans] view moderates. Either you are with us or against us.”
According to Politico, Specter made his “final move” to switch parties after “a recent poll showed him badly losing a Pennsylvania Republican primary next year.” Snowe was most recently elected in 2006, so she won’t face re-election until 2012.
Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, one of the few remaining moderate Republicans in the Senate, said Tuesday that Arlen Specter's abandonment of the GOP is "devastating," both "personally and I think for the party."
"I've always been deeply concerned about the views of the Republican Party nationally in terms of their exclusionary policies and views towards moderate Republicans," said Snowe, who has been approached, she said, by Democrats in the past about switching parties.
Specter's switch to the Democratic Party "underscores the blunt reality" that the GOP is not a welcome place for moderates, she said.
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Will the last “moderate” in the Rethuglic party please turn out the lights?
snark
April 28th, 2009 at 1:59 pmHmmm so theirs probably more coming our way.
All in all it’s good news and hurts the GrandOldParty.
What do you guys think will happened will Leader Rush Limbaugh be nicer to the Moderates now? or will he continue to bash Spector for being Moderate? and thus driving away more moderates?
April 28th, 2009 at 2:00 pmIs Rush really that stupid to do it?
I’m not sure if Snowe is contemplating switching parties as much as she’s sounding a warning to the party brass.
And that warning is — quit letting Limbaugh run the party or risk losing more of us.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:00 pm“you haven’t certainly heard warm encouraging words of how they [Republicans] view moderates. Either you are with us or against us.”
Oooookay…so what are you going to do about that? I’m not down with guilt by association, so just because Snowe has an R in front of her state doesn’t mean I believe she’s like all of them, but when you blatantly call them out for what they are, and you stick with the party…you must question your own principles after a while.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:04 pmPerhaps a tea enema would help ?
April 28th, 2009 at 2:05 pm08Dariana Says
April 28th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Is Rush really that stupid to do it?
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In a word — yes. Although I don’t think it’s stupidity as much as a difference in priorities.
Limbaugh could care less about the party, about the country, or about government. The ONLY thing he cares about is his livelihood — his show, his audience, his ratings.
He has a core of rabid fans who demand their daily ration of red meat, and he’s not going to disappoint them. He will bash Specter, he will send his mafia out against Specter, and he doesn’t care if that alienates GOP moderates (they’re not his audience).
In fact, he’s probably in a better position if the GOP loses again in the 2010 midterms. It just gives him more to rail against.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:06 pm.
… It’s about job retention.
.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:06 pmNow is THE defining moment for the Republican Party.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:07 pmYou can come on over too Snowe – grab Collins while you’re at it. Jump while you still can. Abandon the GOP shinking ship!
April 28th, 2009 at 2:07 pmI’d love to see Olympia Snowe jump ship to our side. she strikes me as someone who would work with Obama and the Caucus very well. I’m not so sure about Susan Collins but I remain open to the possibility.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:10 pmCome on in, Olympia! The water’s fine!
PEACE
April 28th, 2009 at 2:11 pmraynman Says:
Now is THE defining moment for the Republican Party.
They need an Obama right now dont they? As much as they like to ridicule his ability to inspire, they dont have a person like him to bring them out.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:13 pmCan we convince Olympia to ix-nay on that warning? We’re better off as long as Rush rules the roost over there.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:14 pmmisscoleopteramolly says:
I think it might be too late for the GOP on that Molly. My gut feeling is that Specter’s jump is just the beginning. This is only going to radicalize the GOP more and convince them that they (the right wing) is the future of their party.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:16 pmI think it’s interesting that Snowe uses “they” rather than “we.” I doubt she’s thinking of switching and is rather, as someone else said, sounding a warning signal to her party. But Specter’s party swap today signals bad, bad news for the Republicans – while many are unsurprised, it’s a loud and concrete example of the GOP’s too-far-to-the-right, “our way or the highway” attitude.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:18 pmDon’t we have enough Blue Dogs in the Democratic Party as it is?
April 28th, 2009 at 2:20 pmHas the right began questioning Specter’s mental state, and proclaiming he’s always been a liberal?
April 28th, 2009 at 2:21 pmYep.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:23 pmIf Obama has shown us anything, it is that the Dim Party is ALREADY a pretty-far-right-of-center party. Bringing more Pukes in just drags the party further right.
why is this a good thing?
April 28th, 2009 at 2:27 pmI could live with Snowe coming on board, but Spector should just go home.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:29 pmtokin librul,
I think whether or not this is a good thing remains to be seen. Personally, I’ll give it time to play out.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:29 pmWall street seems to be pleased with the potential end of the right wing obstruction
DOW: up 61.96
April 28th, 2009 at 2:31 pmS&P: up 5.68
NASDAQ: up 6.78
Glad to have him and hope he loses the Democratic primary. We need less good talk an a lot more good action. Specter talks a great game then caves, every time.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:31 pmMake a bet, if he is elected as a Democrat he will support the Employee Free Choice Act. It’s his track record to say one thing and then do the other.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:34 pmMore blue swine dems just increases the size of that filthy pigsty. Nothing at all to celebrate here.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:35 pmHow ’bout if we trade Bill Nelson for Olympia Snowe?
He’s more conservative.
He’s holding up appointments because of anti-abortion views.
He’s a liar.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:35 pmHe could go from DINO to RINO with just a ‘lil flip-flop.
The GOP is becoming a party of KKK.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:35 pmI would have expected Snowe to change parties before Specter, now I wonder if she will do so.
The repugs have cemented their position as the party of NO, as the party with no wish to cooperate or negotiate, but to bully and obstruct their way through wherever they can. Senators who don’t ascribe to such polarization are being pressured to march in lockstep or else – not a good sign for their party.
Having said that, this does not mean that Specter won’t continue with his familiar ways, and say one thing then vote another. The 60 vote filibuster proof majority the Dems will have soon isn’t an automatic Democratic vote.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:38 pmSen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) a fellow moderate, didn’t seem suprised. On the national level, she says, “you haven’t certainly heard warm encouraging words of how they [Republicans] view moderates. Either you are with us or against us.”
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No-o-o-o-o…really??? Gee, Senator…YA THINK???
so she finally woke up and smelled the Starbucks, did she? One thing is certain…she’s not very quick on the uptake. Good grief! The Republican Party has been moving steadily and doggedly to the far right for, oh…let me see now…only the past couple of decades, probably even before Clinton took office. There really hasn’t been much room in the Republican Party for genuine moderates in quite a long while.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:38 pmI don’t want either one of them. They will be blue dog Democrats. This man has been a life long Republican. And he will continue to vote like one. This cynical change is because he faced defeat in his re-election bid.
As for Snowe, I don’t want her either. The only good thing is we may get a little more leverage. But I still don’t trust them any more then I did Lieberman.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:41 pmactually, curious, Specter was a Democrat until 1966
April 28th, 2009 at 2:41 pmA good old fashioned star-spangled Snowejob.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:45 pmcurious Says:
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I don’t want either one of them. They will be blue dog Democrats. This man has been a life long Republican.
He has been a republican for a long time but he was democrat a long time ago. He is a moderate vote. Many times he has stood for one thing but in the end voted the other way with republicans.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:46 pmWhat the hell do the Publicans think is going to happen when their party is reduced to having Limbaugh as the titular leader, and SteelyMike as their malinformed, gaffeaminute spokesmoron.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:47 pmRed rover, red rover send Olympia right over! I would love to see how the republicans plan on making any kind of progress with the nation when they can’t even keep what they already have.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:00 pmNow comes another round of “purging the moderates.” Just like they did with the op/ed writers, now it’s eating into their actually remaining officials.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:05 pmCould it be the right as we know it today is folding and the dems will (continue?) to split into 2 groups – the moderates and the dems?
April 28th, 2009 at 3:06 pmI wouldn’t bank on Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins joining the Democratic Party anytime soon. They’re in a different situation altogether–they won’t ever face serious primary challenges from the right, and they’re in no danger of losing a general election.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:08 pmThe goppers are jumping ship to save their job as they see the high approval ratings of the Obama administration and do not want to be on the side of evil when and if the investigations begin.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:23 pmGuess they know that they are a dwindling party of bigots, hate mongers, extremist christians and mindless simpletons….
….of course that new poll showing only 21% of the voting public claiming to be republicans might have something to do with this.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:26 pmNumber one!!
April 28th, 2009 at 4:34 pmuh uh uh FOX is number !!!
April 28th, 2009 at 4:35 pmDon of Cali Says:
Poor MORONS of the GOP. So stupid their CESSPOOL of a party is going down like a crackwhore after a ten dollar bill
April 28th, 2009 at 4:39 pmShe’s right. There is no moderate GOP anymore. It’s all far right Joe McCarthy type wing nut insanity. No one worked against Bush like this his first years in office. No one. Bush enjoyed a very reasonable measure of support from the moderate left and even far left for years.
But President Obama has not had ONE SINGLE DAY of support from the right wing. Not ONE. In fact they’ve gone out of their way to damage him at every turn and in doing so, damage the country. The republicans have turned into some sort of religious fanatic group, and I’d be looking for a lot more defections from within their ranks over the next four years.
President Obama WILL succeed. I am confident of this. And the more he succeeds the more the radical and insane the right wing will become.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:27 pmArlen Specter is trailing badly in the polls and is looking out for his own ass. I don’t expect much from him as a democrat.
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