Arlen Specter
Atrios jokingly endorsed Republican Pat Toomey for the Senate, mainly because it's obvious that Democrat Joe Hoeffel will have an easier time running in opposition to a far-rightwing nut than against the moderate incumbent Republican like Arlen Specter. I've stated before that I am a non-Democrat liberal, and this race is a good example of how partisanship bias often works against the same principles that we liberals use as the foundation of our critique of the right wing. Explicitly wishing for the fanatics to win on the other side is a very... Republican... tactic, because it justifies and perpetuates the increasing trend towards pure partisanship rather than responsible dialouge and debate.
The reason that Dean's campaign appealed to me was because it sought - explicitly - to bridge those partisan gulfs. This is not as true of his post-campaign DFA v2.0 organization, sadly. But the longer view remains valid - that by fostering respect and moderation on both sides of the aisle, we can achieve lasting change and reform to our political process. Single-mindedly replacing every (R) in Congress with a (D) will not achieve that goal. Adopting the Republican mindview of Us vs Them will not bring new voters to the process and give them a feel that anything has changed, and that there is something worth voting for.
I'm going against the grain here. But I am endorsing Arlen Specter for the Republican primary. I don't live in PA so my endorsement is worth less than the electrons on my screen, but it's a symbolic stand, not a pragmatic one.
Should Specter win against Toomey, then the choice between Hoeffel and Specter becomes a real choice, not a knee-jerk reaction. That is what the citizens of Pennsylvania deserve.
The reason that Dean's campaign appealed to me was because it sought - explicitly - to bridge those partisan gulfs. This is not as true of his post-campaign DFA v2.0 organization, sadly. But the longer view remains valid - that by fostering respect and moderation on both sides of the aisle, we can achieve lasting change and reform to our political process. Single-mindedly replacing every (R) in Congress with a (D) will not achieve that goal. Adopting the Republican mindview of Us vs Them will not bring new voters to the process and give them a feel that anything has changed, and that there is something worth voting for.
I'm going against the grain here. But I am endorsing Arlen Specter for the Republican primary. I don't live in PA so my endorsement is worth less than the electrons on my screen, but it's a symbolic stand, not a pragmatic one.
Should Specter win against Toomey, then the choice between Hoeffel and Specter becomes a real choice, not a knee-jerk reaction. That is what the citizens of Pennsylvania deserve.
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