Posted by
Keith Arnold on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 4:48:49 PM
Bill and Ellen think no one in town knows they have been seeing each other on the sly for the last several years; the truth is, everyone knows. The way they act when they're around each other; the way they exchange glances across a room; the way they go to the county fair together; the way it's no secret in town that Bill's Pontiac is parked in Ellen's driveway two nights out of every three. Bill and Ellen have "something going on," and there's no reason in keeping it a secret.
Well, maybe one. Let's say Ellen is married to Jim while she's seeing Bill. There's a lot of tension in the marriage, you see: Jim keeps begging Ellen to change her ways and start living as if she her marriage to him meant something. But faithfulness doesn't come easy to Ellen, and she sees Bill as being more her kind of husband. Jim is conflicted: he knows her tendencies, but he supports her and protects her even when she strays, because no matter what she does, he married her, and he really wants to be a good husband and honor that commitment. Jim is the long-suffering husband to a cheatin' wife - like John C. Reilly's role as Amos Hart in "Chicago."
So when the day finally comes that Ellen leaves Jim and announces she's marrying Bill, no one is surprised, though some wonder why it took so long. All through town, the recurring phrase is "so, Ellen is finally becoming an honest woman."
We had a moment like that this week in politics, when Arlen Specter finally announced he was divorcing the Republican Party and making it official with the Democrats, with whom he has been cheating for years. None of us are surprised, and more than a few Republicans are asking where the happy couple is registered, while secretly wondering how long it will last - though in this case, the issue is not faithfulness so much as Specter's sinking electability. The Democrat Party is likely to find out that Specter is not so much a trophy wife as he is fading matron.
Let's be honest - Specter has never been a conservative, and never a mainstream Republican. He started his political life as a Democrat; When he ran for District Attorney in Philadelphisa, he did so as a Republican because it offered him the best chance to get elected, not because of positions or philosophical agreement. His reason for changing back is no different: he left as a matter of political expediency. He faces a challenge in the primary from solid conservative Pat Toomey and other conservatives who might be disenchanted enough to throw their hats into the ring. He recently begged for help from Democrat voters to rescue him; fortunately for honest politics and unfortunately for Specter, the primary is now closed, and cross-party voters can cause no mischief in the Pennsylvania primary. Facing near-certain defeat in the primary, Specter realized that his only hope for avoiding unemployment was to change parties. You can almost hear the voice of Claude Rains in Casablanca here: "I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy." I know of no movie line that better suits Specter at this moment.
The Democrat spin machine is already applying torque to the story. Bob Menendez has gone on record as saying that "...the Republican Party is so out of touch with Americans that they're losing one of its most prominent leaders." Prominent party leader? This guy has been regarded as a party outlier for as long as I can remember. I sure don't know anyone in the GOP who regards him as a leader they follow. Specter has been reviled within the party.
Possibly the most bizarre pieces of spin come from Specter's fellow-traveler Olympia Snowe of Maine. According to this article, she cites Specter's defection as proof that the GOP needs to lurch to the left to be relevant. But catch this money quote:
"Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, one of a few remaining GOP moderates in the Senate, called Specter's decision another sign that the Republican Party needs to move toward the center."
Bask in the irony of that statement. First, Snowe is hardly a moderate; she is another RINO. Second, she is "one of a few remaining GOP moderates in the Senate." Tell me, if Snowe's advice is so spot-on, then tell me why it is that it's the moderates (like her) that are in such short supply? Here's a simple fact: Republicans get elected - and re-elected - when they run as consistent conservatives. When they run as wavering "moderates," that's when their political lifespans approach their end. The party's base has no use for RINOs (Mr. Schwarzenegger, call your office...), Democrats-lite, or anything similar.
John McCain didn't lose the election as a result of being too conservative; John McCain lost the election, in part, as a result of being too Democrat for the GOP's base. You're not going to win a lot of elections when the only reason you give the electorate to vote for you is that you stink less than your opponent does. When voters have to hold their nose to vote for you, a critical section of for constituency is going to stay home of election day.
The notion that the party should move to the left in order to succeed would be a...
(... wait for it...)
... Snowe-job.
I should probably apologize for that one.
Having said all that, the polite thing to do is to smile at Specter and the Democrats and wish the happy couple well, and be content that they've finally made an honest man out of Arlen. In the meantime, we should encourage the good people of Pennsylvania to avoid a costly and unnecessary fight in the primary, keep going to Tea Parties, and work hard to ensure Specter is promptly sent into retirement to enjoy his new relationship.
Hope they've got a pre-nup.