On Specter, Lieberman, Moderates, and Principle
Of all the posts I’ve read about moderates, Arlen Specter, and the Republican Party, this one by Ron Coleman is the best. He cuts right to the heart of the matter and identifies Specter for what he is: a Random Senator. He gets there by way of Joe Lieberman, who was quite literally driven out of the Democratic Party for differing from party orthodoxy on only one matter.
Voting Republican “less than half the time” is not enough. This is not a matter of ideological purity: He has been a net loss for the GOP measured by votes alone.
And we do not measure by votes alone. Specter siphoned off Republican fundraising to a career spent voting with the Democrats “a little more than” half the time. He retarded the development of a bona fide conservative Republican base and cadre of potential leaders in Pennsylvania. And by virtue of “count[ing] himself a member of the senatorial Republican caucus” he was a source of embarrassment while voting as a member of the Democratic caucus, how could it be argued that he benefitted the former?
The comparison to Lieberman is not apt, because Lieberman was and is, in fact, a completely dependable knee-jerk liberal except as to one issue: His support of the Iraq war. Indeed the left-wing campaign to punish him for departing from this orthodoxy was self-destructive, but utterly unavoidable, for liberals do not accept divergence from the only true moral position on issues, as we know.
In contrast, Specter is not only more likely to vote with Democrats than Republicans, he has, as demonstrated above, had an overall negative impact on the Republican future in Pennsylvania. In short, he has harmed the Republican Party as “a political vehicle.”
Read the whole thing.
Other Posts of Interest:
- Arlen Specter Changes His Nametag but Doesn’t Switch Sides
- Arlen Specter is What’s Wrong with the Republican Party.
- Can Conservatives Conflict with the Republican Party? Yes, We Can!
Category: Cool Columnists and Wicked Writers, The Republican Minority
Thanks, Jimmie. The thesis here just hit me in the middle of the head today. A lot of other things hit me in the head today, too, but only this one produced something I'm rather proud of! I appreciate the link.
It's a very good post and you made the point on Specter's 44/54 voting split that it took me a lot longer to make over the weekend. You nailed it and I'm glad to link to you.
Also, I hear a helmet works.
The difference between Specter and Lieberman
is the difference between a US soldier who is publicly opposed to war in Iraq and a US soldier who actually joins the insurgents to kill American soldiers