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Dept. of Who Could Have Seen This One Coming: Arlen Specter's latest, greatest, shamelessly transparent political ploy
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Dept. of Who Could Have Seen This One Coming: Arlen Specter's latest, greatest, shamelessly transparent political ploy
Can't imagine what prompted this, other than, you know, that little Democratic primary he's facing in couple months, but Sen. Arlen Specter has reversed course on Obama Justice Department nominee Dawn Johnsen, an eminently qualified progressive and a strong critic of the Bush administration. And this is good news, because it means that after her nomination lingered in the Senate for a year, Johnsen now has the 60 votes she needs to clear a Republican+Dick Lugar-Ben Nelson filibuster. Hurray!
"After voting 'pass' (which means no position) in the Judiciary Committee, I had a second extensive meeting with Ms. Johnsen and have been prepared to support her nomination when it reaches the Senate floor," reads a statement from Specter sent to [talkingpointsmemo.com].
The Repubs and Nelson — and until now, Specter — view Johnsen with suspicion. John Cornyn, that Texas goofball, claimed that she wasn't serious about terrorism because she didn't want to electrocute prisoners' genitalia or whatever, and Ben Nelson mumbled some nonsense about abortion, because she was a NARAL lawyer once. Specter never actually gave a reason for supporting the GOP filibuster, though he did cite his opposition to Johnsen back when he switched parties as one of the ways in which he wouldn't be a party-line Dem.
Coincidentally, Arlen's change of heart happened less than a week after primary opponent Joe Sestak challenged him on this very issue:
I understand that when you switched parties you pointed to your unequivocal opposition to the health care public option, your condemnation of the Employee Free Choice Act as a "bad bill," and your rejection of Professor Johnsen as demonstrations of your commitment to not be a "loyal Democrat" — but you switched your position on the first two, and coming through on a second chance to again change your position and support Professor Johnsen would be a tremendous benefit to the nation.
Win or lose, Sestak has certainly, and remarkably, altered this election's character, and made Specter a much more reliable Democrat. At least, until May 19 — the day after the primary.
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