Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Specter To Switch Parties — UPDATED, 2:10 p.m. Continue following the story here. — Original Post — Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and announced today that he will run in 2010 as a Democrat, according to a statement he released this morning.
Discussion:
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PoliticsPA:
Statement by Senator Arlen Specter — I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard for the Party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been comfortable being a Republican, my Party has not defined who I am.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Reason, NPR Blogs, The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Daily Dish, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, AmSpecBlog, Ben Smith's Blog, Time, TPMDC, Newsweek Blogs, Political Punch, RHRealityCheck.org, Firedoglake, TRAIL BLAZERS, Brendan Calling, ONTD: Politics and Open Congress
CNN:
Specter: ‘The disappointment runs in both directions’ — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Veteran Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter said Tuesday that he switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party. — “I know I'm disappointing many of my colleagues,” he said at a news conference.
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Specter move caught GOP leaders by surprise — Senate Republican leaders said they had received no heads-up from Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) about his decision to leave the Republican Party and run for reelection as a Democrat. — Specter told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …
Discussion:
The Politico
Carl Hulse / The Caucus:
Specter Switches Parties — Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania said on Tuesday he would switch to the Democratic party, presenting Democrats with a possible 60th vote and the power to break Senate filibusters as they try to advance the Obama administration's new agenda.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Politico, Eunomia, Environmental Capital, The Edge of the American West and The Reaction
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Specter switching parties — A source involved in the talks confirms that Senator Arlen Specter will switch to the Democratic Party, a dramatic move putting the Democrats within reach of two votes in the Senate. — The move stands to put the White House's agenda on a fast-track …
Michelle Malkin:
Arlen Specter makes it official; Flashback: Specter's denial — Well, it appears that the head of the Turncoat Caucus is finally making it official. Arlen Specter, we have just 10 words for you: — Don't let the door hit you on the way out. … The readers at Human Events give Specter a nice send-off.
The Politico:
Specter: I'm not an automatic 60th vote — Republican Sen. Arlen Specter has decided to switch parties and become a Democrat, stunning his GOP colleagues in the Senate while pushing Democrats and President Barack Obama one step closer to unfettered power in Washington.
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Specter courts conservatives in Pa. rematch — Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has been laying the groundwork for a grudge rematch against former Rep. Pat Toomey since 2004, when Specter almost lost his seat to the conservative firebrand. — Conservative leaders say that Specter's relationship …
David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
Club for Growth Speechless on Specter Switch — I just called the Club for Growth for a reaction to Sen. Arlen Specter's (?-Pa.) announcement that he is switching to the Democratic Party and found Nachama Soloveichik, who is about to leave the Club to work for Republican 2010 Pennsylvania primary candidate …
Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Why Specter Did It — And Had To Do It — So why exactly has Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA D-PA) switched parties? — It really comes down to electability — specifically electability as a Republican. Specter's own statement acknowledged that his support for the stimulus bill has made his position untenable with the GOP:
Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
What a Specter Shift Means—and Doesn't Mean — A little while ago, my colleague Mike Crowley heard from sources that Arlen Specter is leaving the Republican Party. And I see now that the Washington Post is reporting it, as well. But the headline currently on the Post home page …
Jeremy P. Jacobs / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room: Sestak refuses to rule out Senate run against Specter
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:Specter and EFCA — Grover Norquist tells the Washington Independent …
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:SPECTER SWITCHES PARTIES
Discussion:
Eschaton, The Atlantic Politics Channel, D-Day, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Open Left and The New Ledger
Donald G. McNeil Jr / New York Times:
With Swine Flu Cases Rising, Borders Are Tightened — Countries around the world began tightening their border and immigration controls Tuesday as the number of confirmed cases of swine flu continued to rise. — The number of deaths believed attributable to swine flu climbed to as many as 152 …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, David Rothkopf, Group News Blog, The Hill, The Caucus and The Lede
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Emily Kaiser / City Pages:Bachmann: ‘Interesting coincidence’ that Dems in power during swine flu outbreak
Iain Martin / Telegraph:
Britain is going to need far more people like Sir Michael Caine — The son of a charlady from Rotherhithe is an example of social mobility at its best - but try telling that to Labour, says Iain Martin. — His name, as they say, is Michael Caine. And he's not a happy bunny.
Joseph Abrams / Fox News:
Despite Reports, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Was Not Waterboarded 183 Times — The number of times Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded was the focus of major media attention — and highly misleading. — FOXNews.com — The New York Times reported last week that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed …
Wall Street Journal:
Fed Pushes Citi, BofA to Increase Capital — Regulators have told Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. that the banks may need to raise more capital based on early results of the government's so-called stress tests of lenders, according to people familiar with the situation.
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