Arlen Specter: the last Jewish Republican senator?

Politics is so niche driven these days that it was probably inevitable that someone would notice.

Still, it came as something of a surprise that while the rest of us were fixated on the stunning and fascinating news that Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter was switching parties, potentially handing Democrats a critical 60th vote, it fell to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency to notice another aspect of the story. Specter's defection means the end of the moderate Jewish Republican-- at least in the U.S. Senate.

The veteran senator's switch means that for the first time in decades, a moderate GOP Jewish voice -- embodied over the years not only by Specter but also Rudy Boschwitz of Minnesota, Warren Rudman of New Hampshire and the late Jacob Javits of New York -- will be absent from the Senate.

Not only that, says the J-T News Service's Ron Kampeas, but Democrat Al Franken will be seated if he wins a court battle in Minnesota against former Sen. Norm Coleman, who besides Specter was the only other Republican Jew serving in the U.S. Senate before the November elections.

Meanwhile, reaction to Specter's statement, which the Ticket reported earlier, ran the predictable gamut from Democratic joy (President Obama promised to stump for the 79-year-old Specter) to Republican glum (Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell insisted the decision was just about Pennsylvania.)

Our favorite line came from Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran, who was in the room when Specter told his GOP colleagues he was defecting to the other side. Asked for their reaction, Specter quoted Sen. Cochran as saying "at least he wouldn’t have to go to Erie anymore to campaign for me."

-- Johanna Neuman

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Comments

[Pom Pom Girl]

The Democratic Party attracts a wide variety of persons, lawyers, artists, entertainers, disaffected minorities, the young, the uneducated, anarchists, illegal aliens, communists, the unaccomplished, pro drug legalizers, anti authoritarians etc.
If it offers something to all of those people, such disparate groups, what exactly are they offering or giving each of them and do you really support all of those things. Perhaps its time for real a third party choice

[Mr. Dart]

True enough in the Senate if Franken takes Coleman's seat.

Eric Cantor is the only Jewish Rin the House, right? Although he's not a liberal like Arlen or a moderate like Norm.

[Richard P. McDonough]

I didn't know he was Jewish or care if he was Jewish. So what's the point!?

As to Nichols' column, and the 8 years ago the senator said that party switching was not good for America, 8 years of GWB would turn any thinking person's head and change party. Which leaves about 39 or 40 know-nothings on the other side of good sense.