Last week, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) decided to back Pat Toomey in the GOP primary in Pennsylvania against five-term Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA). Today, Sen. Specter switched parties.
Here’s the story from the Washington Examiner:
Did DeMint’s endorsement of Toomey set off Specter?
By: Timothy P. Carney
Examiner Columnist
04/28/09 12:30 PMLast Thursday night on the Senate floor, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., told Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, then still a Republican, that DeMint would be supporting Specter’s rival, former Rep. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., in next year’s Senate Republican primary. DeMint says Specter “pretty much cut me off and said, ‘I’ve heard enough.’”
DeMint wouldn’t speculate whether this conversation spurred Specter to switch parties, but the conversation came within hours of the release of a poll showing Toomey leading Specter among primary voters 51 percent to 30 percent. “We knew Pat was going to win the primary,” DeMint said in a Capitol Hill interview Tuesday, minutes after Specter announced his move. “This [party switch] shouldn’t surprise anyone. It was a clever political move.”
DeMint had not yet gone public with his support for Toomey by the time Specter switched.
DeMint said Specter’s switch “shows that there were not principles attaching Arlen to the Republican Party, but the Republican Party was the means to get elected.”
DeMint continued: “I would rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who really believe in principles of limited government, free markets, free people, than to have 60 that don’t have a set of beliefs.”
Toomey had speculated in an interview with National Review’s David Freddoso that Specter might leave the party before the primary, because Pennsylvania has a “sore loser law” that prevents primary losers from running for the same office on a different party line.
Sen. DeMint also spoke with CNN today about Specter’s decision.
Here is Jeff Poor’s take on the interview at Newsbusters:
However, with that response, Sanchez had his Jim Mora moment – when Mora, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts went into his “playoffs” rant after a 40-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 25, 2001. “What the hell does that mean?” Sanchez said. “I mean, the biggest tent is freedom? Freedom? I mean you got to do better than that!” DeMint explained the concept in rudimentary terms for the CNN host – how freedom incorporated into certain segments of society allows it operate more efficiently, versus the big hand of government directing society.
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Isn’t 29 years of this guy enough? When I first became interested in politics I thought he was a Dem – he sure didn’t act like a Repub. Was surprised when I learned he was not a dem. Switch was result of massive self-interest and he could care less about our country. Good Riddence and maybe Pennsylvanians will see this for what it is.
By: William Jewett on April 28, 2009
at 7:00 pm
Good riddance, he is trying to save his job even at the expense of the folks that elected him. He claims our party moved to the far right? what a lair. We moved to far left, that is our current problem.
The left has moved to the far lala land. And no they cant return him.
By: General American on April 29, 2009
at 9:04 pm
King of the RINOs,…good to see him go!
Now, we need to get rid of the rest of the RINOs,….it’s time the GOP wake up to the fact that their RINO-baggery has alienated millions of conservatives who are sick and tired of voting “lesser of two evils”,…..that’s why they have been losing elections steadily since “06″!
Until they return to real conservative values, stop pandering to illegal alien amnesty, stop taking orders from their USCC handlers, robber barons, dispute MMGW hysteria etc., they can count on staying in the minority forever!
By: tazzmax on April 30, 2009
at 9:15 pm
As a former chair of a local Republican committee, I have been extremely disappointed with our party. We have let to many spineless people get elected with the republican coat. I hope we wake up and look back at how we took over the congress and senate in the 90’s. HINT: “Contract with America”. The American people want to trust congress and the senate–so do I. Beleive it or not– Oboma is keeping his promises and many Americans don’t like it. Wake up Republicans. As for Spector, who would trust him?
By: Raymond S Erickson Jr on May 1, 2009
at 10:51 am