If you stand in the middle but the line gets moved, what happens? I guess the Republicans can just ask Arlen Specter, who today declared his intention to switch parties.
Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.
Can’t say I blame him.
Since their November loss, the Republican party has been an uncaptained ship. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been similarly rudderless. Rather, it’s been steering right with the bizarre idea of “We shoulda been more pure! We must become even MORE conservative!”.
So the post-election GOP has moved hard to the right, leaving Specter (and many other moderates) stranded in the middle.
Saying he’s a Democrat now, though, is unlikely to mean he’s going to be lock-stepping with the left, either. In fact, I’m thinking that if other GOP moderates (however few they may now be) follow suit, we’ll end up with an extremely marginalized Republican fragment, and an enormous Democratic party that would be palatable to the vast majority of the country.
Fascinating thought, in part because there’d be no way to point to an election and claim a mandate for one direction or another.
There might, however, be some consensus when they do make future decisions (CNN):
“Sen. Specter and I have had a long dialogue about his place in an evolving Republican party,” Senate Majority Leader Reid, D-Nevada, said in a written statement.
“We have not always agreed on every issue, but [he] has shown a willingness to work in a bipartisan manner, put people over party and do what is right for Pennsylvanians and all Americans.”
And there’s the additional bonus of natural alignment within the “Big Tent” between center-left and center-right, making for a sizable (and therefore powerful) moderate coalition.
Good for him! And maybe, good for all of us!