Senator Arlen Specter Switches Parties

Today, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter decided the time was right to switch political parties. "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans," Specter said in a statement posted on a Web site devoted to Pennsylvania politics and confirmed by his office. If this is true, then more power to him. Someone who stands by his principles and stays with those who share his views should be commended. With Specter doing this now though, his decision looks to be the result of the current political atmosphere. Specter faced an extraordinarily difficult re-election challenge in his home state in 2010, having first to confront a challenge from his right in the Republican primary before pivoting to a general election campaign against a Democrat in a state that has trended increasingly Democratic in recent elections. Former Rep. Pat Toomey, whom Specter defeated in a close primary race in 2004, is expected to run again.
It seems as though Specter is changing with the winds, in order to better his chances of winning a sixth term. Specter also acknowledged that he would need the support of Pennsylvania Republicans who voted for Obama in the November election. Specter says President Barack Obama has promised to campaign for him in next year's Democratic primary in Pennsylvania. If this is true, then it shows that principles may not be the driving force behind his decision to switch. Also in March, Specter had said that he "absolutely not switch parties", citing a need for checks and balances. It would be better if Arlen had stayed with one course of action. Either way, the switch puts the Democratic Senate one step closer to a filibuster proof majority, and gives them the majority if Al Franken is confirmed as the new senator from Minnesota. The major problem now is for those Republicans who voted for him during the last election. How do they feel now that the man they chose to represent them has switched sides and literally said that their beliefs don't matter?
This decision will have an immediate impact on the political climate, and may lead to more problems for the Republican minority. At least now, Specter supposedly believes that he is with those who share his principles. Maybe so, but he has alienated many who had supported him in the past. Perhaps this shows his real character.