A look back to May of 2001, when Republican Senator Jim Jeffords switched from Republican to Democrat, likely offers a preview of the themes the press corps will advance again in covering Senator Arlen Specter's defection from the Republican Party. From the Thursday May 24, 2001 MRC CyberAlert (see link for complete rundowns):
Jeffords Defection Theme #1: Bush should move left to the center. CBS’s John Roberts relayed how a Democratic pollster hoped, "he may be forced to govern from the middle." NBC’s Campbell Brown pushed Bush to the left: "The President’s options? Political analysts say bi-partisan compromise."
Jeffords Defection Theme #2: Label him a "moderate," or a "maverick," but never what he really is, a liberal. Looking at ideological ratings, Jeffords’ record makes him 24 points less conservative and 25 points more liberal than a true moderate like Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine.
Jeffords Defection Theme #3: Blame conservatives for making the Republican Party too conservative. ABC’s Linda Douglass referred to his "frustration with his increasingly conservative party." NBC’s Lisa Myers worried about how he "was treated as a pariah in his own party." On MSNBC, Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter suggested the Republican Party left him.
Jeffords Defection Theme #4: Scold the Bush White House for punishing him for working to eviscerate their bills. NBC’s Lisa Myers credited his departure to how "he is deeply offended by lack of respect from the White House and from key Senate Republicans."
Two more items from the Friday, May 25, 2001 MRC CyberAlert:
# Republican Party too conservative. ABC and CBS conveyed Jim Jeffords’ warning that Bush must listen to "moderates" or he’ll be a one-termer. CBS relayed the recommendation of one operative to reach out to "others who feel Jim Jeffords’s pain." NBC’s Lisa Myers put the burden on Bush: "This new reality will test the President’s promise to be uniter and not a divider."# The networks assumed Jeffords had only noble intentions as they focused on approval by Vermonters. Bob Schieffer: "He was treated like a rock star." Jim Axelrod claimed Vermont "values principle over party." Tom Brokaw admired how he "embraced a flinty kind of New England independence." Andrea Mitchell called him "perfectly suited" for the state since "Vermonters say they’re not liberal or conservative, just socially conscious."
And from December of 2001:
Liberal Senator Jim Jeffords was warmly embraced by Katie Couric, who dubbed him "a maverick" and raved that he "is the personification of one man, one vote, and his story a classic of American politics." Couric gushed on the Today show: "Jeffords is a man at peace with himself, enjoying work on his Vermont farm, splitting logs, saving a few pennies with some inventive repair work on a wheelbarrow." [VIDEO: RealMedia video clip]
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
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Arlen, take Judas John with U!
April 28, 2009 - 12:25 ET by reelman46HEY ARLEN, TAKE McCAIN WITH YOU!
Sen.
Arlen Specter has just announced in his Washington Senate office that
he will switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. His
move gives Democrats 59 votes in the Senate….
CRAWFISH NOTE: So what? One less liberal to back stab
on key votes. One less coward who will do anything to stay in the D.C.
Bubble fantasy land of corruption.
Good riddance to a guy afraid of his recent polls getting waxed by
Republican Pat Toomey. I was always afraid of his big gov-meant, higher
taxes, secular values votes. Six weeks ago he said he was not leaving
the Party. He fits in the lying socialist group very well.
One less mush-mouth northeast liberal to undermine conservatism
every year with silly socialist blather. You and McCain are fine
examples of what Term Limits could do for America. Neither were ever
“moderates” when it counted despite the biased media spin today.
Doug Schexnayder, Ph.D. (theconservativecrawfish)
We're finally rid of him
April 28, 2009 - 12:32 ET by Paul Atreideswith more, hopefully, to follow.
Amen to that. When Franken
April 28, 2009 - 12:44 ET by goldbarAmen to that. When Franken is seated, we'll have a solid, filibuster proof majority, but I'm not expecting Specter to vote with the dems on every issue. We have a big tent and are more than willing to accept any republicans who have seen the light and want to come to the more enlightened side of the aisle.
enlightened side of the
April 28, 2009 - 13:06 ET by ThisnThatenlightened side of the aisle...
Yeah. If you're unborn, and an inconvenience -- the enlightened side says "kill them". Or if you're partially born, the enlightened side says "kill them anyway".
Sorry, I'm not enlightened. Or amused.
___________________________________
The challenge is to follow a consistent plan despite inconsistent prices - Sarah Palin, State of the State of Alaska speech
I bet you think government
April 28, 2009 - 13:17 ET by MANstreammediaI bet you think government spending will improve the economy and that higher taxes actually decrease the national debt.
so tell us goldbar
April 28, 2009 - 13:20 ET by candanceWhen you finally do get total control of the government, will you stop blaming Republicans for everything that goes wrong? I confess to enjoying the notion of Democrats having no one around to point their fingers at.
Bush is gone. Republicans haven't controlled Congress since 2006. Time for you all to act like big boys and girls.
Candance, Goldbrick and
April 28, 2009 - 13:48 ET by Chris NormanCandance,
Goldbrick and his ilk are looking forward to the one-party state.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
"We have a big
April 28, 2009 - 13:53 ET by Chris Norman"We have a big tent"
Yeah, a big circus tent with a bunch of clowns and freaks.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
So I guess it wasn't the
April 28, 2009 - 16:59 ET by goldbarSo I guess it wasn't the same thing when the republicans were touting themselves as the "permanent" majority? Looks like that worked out really well for you. Speaking of freaks, why don't you put Sarah Palin up to lead your party or the blubbering Glenn Beck or Bobby 'Brady' Jindal? If you want to talk freaks, you're party's full of 'em. The republicans are running scared and Specter is the beginning of what will be a mass exodus from the GOP. Had you tempered your constituency in the spirit of Eisenhower or Goldwater, you may have some hope, but it's the last two minutes of the game and you're running the wrong way with the ball. When the 'pubs stop moving to the extreme right and more to the middle, that's when we'll have a two party system again. It's up to the conservatives, not the liberals to decide what the tenor of your party will be.
The republicans are running
April 28, 2009 - 17:09 ET by BDThe republicans are running scared and Specter is the beginning of what will be a mass exodus from the GOP.
Had you tempered your constituency in the spirit of Eisenhower or Goldwater
It's up to the conservatives, not the liberals to decide what the tenor of your party will be.
Goldmember ~ You truly are a twisted Dutch Bastard.
April 28, 2009 - 20:15 ET by pahuberYou do not know that your party is dying and we are shedding our dead skin.
Wait for 2010. You may want to brace yourself.
Please put up more radical
April 29, 2009 - 00:27 ET by goldbarPlease put up more radical rightwingers like Palin and Jindal and keep moving farther to the right. If you think that will win you elections I support you 100%. Let the religious right rule your party. Be inflexible on all social issues and keep promoting war and killing abroad. If this is how you think you will win---JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING. Personally, I love it!
WHat you are you talking
April 29, 2009 - 05:23 ET by BDWHat you are you talking about? THe conservative side of aisle did not move. THe liberal side is in full sprint to the right side.
It is now a full option for the left to throw away the GWOT. (THe right did not do that, the left did.)
It is now possible for an illegal combatant to have more rights in a US court than the troops who captured him. The left did that, not the right.
It is now okay to destroy Marine Corps recruiting stations in major mtropolitan areas, the left did that, not the right.
It is now fair game to 4% of thepublic at excessive rates to pay the daily bills of 50%. The left did that, not the right.
It is now possible to execute a child as it is being born. Even as it lies on a gurney gasping for breath itcan be abandoned. The left did that, not hte right.
SOmetimes inflexibility is GOOD.
Goodbye
April 28, 2009 - 12:39 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsI have heard Theme #2 and #3 used. Good riddance Specter, hello Toomey. Specter the maverick and Lieberman the traitor.
D
Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.
According to democrats and
April 28, 2009 - 13:04 ET by ThisnThatAccording to democrats and their masters, anyone to the right of partial birth abortion is a flaming conservative, and the root of all evil in the world.
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The challenge is to follow a consistent plan despite inconsistent prices - Sarah Palin, State of the State of Alaska speech
This switch is much less
April 28, 2009 - 13:11 ET by mattmThis switch is much less insidious than when Jeffords did it. Jeffords was cajoled by Daschle into becoming an Independent in order to give control of the Senate to the Democrats despite the fact that the voters elected elected a Republican Senate. (50-% + the Presidency)
If the GOP had any gonads at the time, they would have either cajoled a Democrat to go independent, or passed some rule to prevent the switch from taking effect until after his term was over.
Specter is just a RINO who's finally getting out before he's kicked out by the voters, regardless of how the swine-media trys to spin it. The testosterone level of the GOP has just gone up considerably.
Lieberman comparison
April 28, 2009 - 13:13 ET by slickwillie2001There's also a wealth of bias-demonstrating material out there in comparing media reports on Lieberman's dalliance with Republicans with this Specter defection. Judas vs man-of-principle kind of nonsense. You all remember it.
Lieberman comparison
April 28, 2009 - 13:18 ET by BlondeIIRC, the democrat machine got behind the effort to unseat Joe Lieberman in the primaries....because he staunchly stood by his conscience and supported George Bush on the GWOT. He was taken out by his own party, unlike Specter, who has taken himself out by his disgustingly liberal leanings.
Adios Arlen.
I hope he fails, too.
Arlen: Do not let the door
April 28, 2009 - 13:29 ET by BDArlen:
Do not let the door hit you on the way out.
We have a real conservative going to run against McCain in his next pass.
Now if we could onloy get real conservatives to run against Olympia Snowe we would be rolling.
Yeah, well Katie along with
April 28, 2009 - 13:17 ET by bigtimerYeah, well Katie along with the rest of your shite-eatin' grinning ilk, the so-called Mavericks you all love so much and gush over are getting their butts kicked by the real patriots in this country.
McC isn't going to have it easy either...I am serious when I say I would not be shocked in the least if he didn't try to switch parties either.
..and it couldn't happen soon enough for me either.
Good-riddance to bad rubbish.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
He won't be missed~!
April 28, 2009 - 13:51 ET by Georgia GirlSpecter has been a terrible "republican" senator. I sent him an email awhile back, when he sold out his party (again) on a key piece of legislation. Specter cares about Specter. My parting shot to him was: "Lots of luck on your re-election effort in 2010." I guess he didn't feel like he was going to be all that lucky. ^_^
Bu-bye!
bt, I'm not sure that
April 28, 2009 - 14:02 ET by Chris Normanbt,
I'm not sure that McCain is the same as the other RINOs. They are liberals uncomfortable in a conservative party and long for the old days when moderates like Bob Michel, Hugh Scott, Nelson Rockefeller, and Margaret Chase Smith ran the show. I think McCain is just an old contrarian who's all over the place politically and loves to confound everyone. This, of course, doesn't mean I like him. :)
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
McCain is an egotist who
April 28, 2009 - 16:08 ET by BDMcCain is an egotist who requires constant media validation of his position. To that end he see's conflict as his method of remaining in the news.
Hence also his cozy relationship with the press on his bus.
He was shaken in the last election when this did not pay off, and I am not sure he has figured it out. "WHat? THey don't like ME?????"
Chris... If you watched
April 28, 2009 - 16:16 ET by bigtimerChris...
If you watched the Senate floor, heard his speeches along with his bills or amendments you would say he is a RINo...a destructive one at that...I despise what he has done over the years Chris, I despise him more than anybody...also glad Warner is gone too.
JMHO and I will leave it at that.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Hey, we had 2 good elections after Jeffords left
April 28, 2009 - 21:48 ET by jondelwicheSo, maybe this bodes well for 2010 and 2012.
Arlen will likely drag them down, down, down
Dear Goldbar:
April 28, 2009 - 22:44 ET by Intellectual HonestyWhile some libertarian positions I have would possibly, in your eyes, qualify me as "enlightened", my question for you would be since the argument by Dems ad nauseum today is that the Republican party is pushing out "moderate Republicans" what is the general definition for a "moderate Democrat" as of today?
Obviously you don't agree with the Republican Party to a T but the fact remains that when it comes to intellectual honesty, Republicans always win. You and your fellow Dems are on a winning streak because you never have to offer a tough "no" on most issues.
So even when the welfare state has proven to do anything but lift people out of poverty, a Republican would admit as such and accept the claims by Dems that they don't care, or are in the pockets of big business, and will refute as such but will stick with their position because it is the unvarnished truth.
You and your fellow Dems on the other hand will claim that the Great Society has made a great society when in fact it has created widespread dependency, entitlement, huge costs, demoralized etc. and yet Dems claim that there is never enough money due to "evil Republicans" and thus ignoring the very root problems that the Dems have themselves created through their "War on Poverty" (you know the kind of no-holds-bar war that you and your ilk like - a perpetual failure)
So spare us about your "enlightenment" when it is in fact you and your party's need for perpetual victims at any cost (race, gender, class, sexual orientation etc.) that feeds the beast. You are in essence the political party equivalent of a neighborhood drug dealer that needs more and more people "hooked" so the money and power can continue to flow.
The Democratic Party has
April 28, 2009 - 23:30 ET by RR GOPThe Democratic Party has survived for the following reasons as far as I can gather:
1. The popularity of individuals like FDR, JFK and Clinton...now The One, too I suppose.
2. Their close relationship with labor/unions.
3. They're being the ones to offer Americans a cut and run strategy when the going gets tough...even if they caused the war in the first place.
4. The hand out, government must do something, the government must fix X, and the entitlement mentality of millions of Americans.
5. The influx of Communists, Beatniks, Socialists, artistes, etc. that feed on Americans' innate mistrust of the wealthy and the powerful (see # 4 above).
6. The MSM, of course, maligning major GOP presidents like Nixon (did a lot of that himself), Ford and Bush.
Republicans don't give a crap about the average American...they want to be rich and if you aren't, it's your fault.
The Democrats pretend to care about the average American...perhaps on a cerebral level they do...but they're a bunch of rich WASPs, too, so in the end they are all about lining their own pockets as well. This, to me, is the real problem with them. Their elitism, smugness, and ultimately their inability to really help anyone while promising bread and circuses and denying people true Liberty and substance to their lives.
Because, no matter how one tries to spin it big government and handouts don't work. All it does is hurt hard-working people and enslave millions of others by making them helpless, lazy and dependent.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
Who knows what the truth is with this guy Specter
April 29, 2009 - 12:36 ET by Reaganite RepublicanEverybody knows he did it because he was down 21% in the polls leading-up to the GOP primary for his seat- and Joey Pluggs made a deal with him. And he already admitted as-such. The sad truth is that this hack has spent three decades in the Senate, while accomplishing little.And Barack and him have a lot in common- as unprincipled political opportunists. I'm sure they'll get along just great.Actually, I would vote for PHIL Spector over Arlen- seems like a more stable and trustworthy individual, lol.Just a little over a month ago, the Senator said in an interview that he wouldn't switch parties due to the importance of checks and balances.And back in 2001, Sen. Arlen Specter, then a Republican, proposed a rule forbidding party switches... her was upset when Vt Sen. Jim Jeffords’ left the GOP to become an independent.Who knows what the truth is with this guy, you'll never get it from him.With all due respect, Senator- don't let the door hit your butt on the way out. Nobody on our side's going to miss you.http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/