May 04, 2009

5/4: Identity Crisis

The defection of Sen. Arlen Specter (PA) has bloggers on both sides of the aisle re-evaluating their own identity. It's tough (more like "entirely beyond reason," according to them) for liberal bloggers to accept Specter as a Democrat, so most have resorted to ratcheting up their call for Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) to primary him.

Meanwhile, conservatives are confronted their very own Specter-fueled existential crisis. Conservative bloggers focused their Specter-busting on comments the ex-GOPer made on his tour of the Sunday shows yesterday. The Sen. told hosts on several shows that the GOP was no longer safe for what he calls moderates like him. The appearances gave conservatives a chance to chew over the "good riddance" vs. "but, baby, I can change!" debate over how to confront moderates leaving the GOP Big Tent in droves. Not surprisingly, "don't let the door hit you on the way out" emerged the clear victor.

Other takes from around The Tubes:

• The death of ex-Rep./ex-HUD Sec./'96 VP nominee Jack Kemp (R-NY) brought similar obituaries from both sides of the blogitariat. The consensus? They don't make 'em like that anymore.

• Souter's replacement remains a major focus, but with the likelihood that Souter's successor won't alter the SCOTUS' ideological balance, the focus has shifted to examinations of Obama's judicial philosophy. Stop us if you've heard this one, folks: conservative bloggers are thinking it's "activist judges bent on world domination" and liberal bloggers are guessing it's more Justice Ginsburg than Justice Scalia. They may have a point there. In any case, both sides agree on one thing -- politics will be a major factor as Obama whittles down his list.

PA SEN: A Specter Says "What"?

Bloggers from both sides pounced on Specter's weekend TV interviews. The most blogworthy of the Sen.'s Sunday tour came on "Meet The Press," when Spector told NBC's Gregory he never promised "to be a loyal Democrat" (video).

• Liberal MyDD's Beeton sums up the Left's consensus take: "I think it's pretty clear that he will be a consistent stumbling block to President Obama's agenda, at least that's what he's promising to be. Which begs the question, how exactly did that conversation with the president go? If Specter didn't tell Obama he'll be a loyal Democrat, did President Obama really tell Specter that he'd campaign for him in the primary?"

• Conservatives bloggers reveled in a perception that the clip means Specter's about to do to the Dems what he just did to the GOP. Townhall.com's Hengler: "[It's] an instant classic, not only for its political ramification but for its entertainment value -- kind of like our Vice President. If any of you have seen the Saturday Night Live skit of "The Joe Pesci Show," you will appreciate the similarity between Arlen Specter and comedian Jim Carrey playing Jimmy Stewart ... On a political note, Specter's appearance on MTP did not help him one iota with either party. Sometimes it does not pay to be consistent."

• The right side of the blogosphere was riled up by another Sunday show Specter comment. On CBS' "Face The Nation," Specter explained his differences with the modern GOP over increased funding for medical research. He supports it said that GOP does not. To drive the point home, Specter said that Kemp "would be alive today" if his former party had supported more money for cancer study (video). Conservative bloggers (and, probably, Kemp's surviving relatives) were less than pleased with the quip. Hot Air's Morrissey: "Had Kemp's body even started to cool before Specter exploited his death for his own political gain? Specter certainly could have stuck with his own battles with cancer, and that would have been fair game, but to claim that he could have saved Kemp if only the GOP had spent a little more like drunken sailors between 2001-6 is just despicable."

PA SEN: The Measure Of A Man, Or, How Does He Sestak Up?

Sestak is liberal bloggers' odds-on favorite to defeat Specter in a Dem primary. The Rep. hasn't said what he'll do yet, but that didn't stop the bloggers to fantasize about a Sestak bid. FireDogLake's Klein: "As Joe's been saying on TV and telling voters in Pennsylvania, it's essential that Specter face a vigorous primary challenge. There are no kings and there are no kingmakers in the Democratic Party and this crucial nomination should not be a coronation based on murky backroom deals. If Specter thinks he's going to be the Democratic Party's standard bearer in this race he should be forced to earn it--and he has a very long way to go to catch up with a man like Joe Sestak."

Meanwhile, conservative bloggers are mulling over the possibility of a GOP challenger to ex-Club For Growth pres. Pat Toomey. RedState.com's Erickson picks through the rumors, dismissing the possibility that ex-Gov/ex-DHS Sec. Tom Ridge (R) could jump in "[he] cannot win in Pennsylvania again in a Republican Primary because of the changed dynamics and demographics from the last time he ran." He's equally dismissive of Rep. Jim Gerlach (R), but his argument is more about ideology than demographics: "The PAGOP and NRSC are flirting with him because Gerlach regularly wins re-election as a Republican in D +2 districts. They forget, however, that Pat Toomey did the same -- and with larger margins ... [And] Toomey did so without selling out his conservative values. Not so with Gerlach. In fact, and this is key, Gerlach actually has a more liberal voting record on issues Pennsylanians care about than Arlen Specter. If Specter cannot get out of a Republican primary, how on earth could Gerlach? The answer is he can't."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Bush, Savior Of The GOP?

GOP heavywieghts past and present (and future) got together this weekend for the first of a series of regional meetings aimed at rebuilding their fractured party. The standout moment from the group's first meeting in Arlington, VA? This headline, courtesy of ex-FL Gov. Jeb Bush (R). RedState.com's Erickson weighs in: "The reaction to his statement and the sensation headline at the Washington Times proves his point. It is time to get over Reagan -- not the man or his ideas, but his administration ... When your party is so grossly connected to the present out of control Washington, it does very little good to talk about fighting Jimmy Carter's stagflation and the Soviet Union -- neither of which exist. And yet, we do. We do because we do no have any worthwhile candidates right now, so we have fallen into one of the devil's favorite traps ... Don't throw Jeb out of the party for saying what he said. He was right. And those of you who lashed out at him for daring to say what he said prove his point. We will not win in the twenty-first century on twentieth century issues. We will, however, win by going back to Reagan's ideal of free people and free markets. And who knows, by the time 2012 rolls around, we may actually be back to 1980's style issues. But we don't get there by going backwards. We get there moving ever forward."

LEST WE FORGET: It Could Always Be Worse

The Schott's Vocab blog (a Blogometer pick!) on the peculiarities of British politics.

Posted by esantoro at May 4, 2009 01:22 PM