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.
Mr. Specter’s announcement shocked Senate Republicans.
In a statement issued about noon as the Capitol was digesting the stunning turn of events, Mr. Specter said he had concluded that his party had moved too far to the right, a fact demonstrated by the migration of 200,000 Pennsylvania Republicans to the Democratic Party.
“I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” Mr. Specter said in his statement, acknowledging that his decision was certain to disappoint colleagues and supporters.
While the news is surprising, it's not entirely unexpected. The Republicans are less popular than the Ebola virus these days. In fact, a new Washington Post-ABC poll found that only 21% of those surveyed said they identify as Republicans, the fewest to do so in a Post-ABC poll in more than 25 years. Since losing in the November election, the GOP has run further to the right, and moderates in the party have been isolated. Former NJ governor Christine Todd Whitman has been talking about this for years.
Why is this important?
The greatest power that the minority has in the Senate is the power to grind things to a halt. By filibustering, the GOP not only blocks the piece of legislation it's opposing, but also any other action that is bottle-necked behind it. The threat to grind things to a halt is one that the majority takes seriously. It gives the minority veto power over small (but important) pieces of legislation that the majority wants but can't afford to lose several weeks pushing. With 60 votes, the majority can push through those smaller measures over the objections of the GOP.
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