Sen. Specter 2001 Rule to Prevent Party Switching

[babylonsister]

Run time: 12:36 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v6zwg8SAsY   Posted on YouTube: April 29, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: May 01, 2009 By DU Member: babylonsister Views on DU: 770

 
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library...

After Senator Jeffords left the Republican Party in 2001, Senator Specter spoke in the Senate and proposed a rule change to prevent senators for switching parties.

[tomm2thumbs]

1. This could end up being his un-doing in the next election

shocking

[stlsaxman]

2. Why would that be? His arguments seemed pretty valid under the circumstances.

He tried to convince Jeffords not to leave and was unsuccessful. He also added that he too was approached by Dems into switching parties and turned them down at the time. In the eight years that followed he has come to a different conclusion.

I don't see this as shocking at all.

[grantcart]

4. "I propose a rule change that would prohibit a Senator from changing parties in

mid session."


It shows him as not making a change for principle but out of political self interest only.

[grantcart]

3. "I have delayed expressing these thoughts (in order) . . . to avoid saying something I would regret"

Well Arlen you didn't wait quite long enough, did you.


This will kill him in the election and the Democrats have no alternative to defeating him in the primary, he is unelectable.

[drchoice22]

5. Maybe not unelectable, but he is everything I despise in a politician.

[dmr]

6. Spoken like a politician

I don't really know what to think of Specter. I don't see any long-term benefits for the Democrats; I could be wrong.

I wish there were laws on how Congress is elected that would be more in the interest of constituents, and less in the self-interest of the politician. Public financing, and term limits would be a start. These politicians seem to actually believe they are entitled to the job. Look at Lieberman - the Democratic voters took him out in the primary, so he makes up his own party to run in the general. What a racket!

At least the Jefford's switch to Independent was idealogical, and not a means to just keep what he believed was his entitlement.

[burning rain]

7. What he meant was,....

party switches that deprive Arlen Specter of the benefits of majority-party status ought not be allowed. Our senior senator firmly believes in an Arlen-centric solar system.

[Tiggeroshii]

8. I actually think that's a very accurate conception of what he what he was really trying to say.

[Ozymanithrax]

9. If he votes for healthcare, he will have served his purpose...

Then we can elect a better democrat to the seat.