PA to have 2 Democratic Senators as of later today, Democrats to have even bigger less filibuster-prone majority!

Wowzers... so PA has played big this year... the Phillies won the World Series, the Steelers the Superbowl... the Sixers and Flyers made the playoffs (at least I think the Flyers did, right?) but no sports action can quite rival what's going on in Washington today thanks to the Keystone State. With almost 30 years of service in the Senate, stalwart independent/moderate Republican Arlen Specter is announcing later today that he will switch party affiliations to join the majority and (once the whole Minnesota debacle is settled) provide a filibuster-proof margin to the Democrats in the US Senate.

Now, Specter has been facing up with the prospects of a concerted challenge from right-wingers in PA come the next round of elections, and while he enjoys a high degree of popularity back home the state laws are such that only registered Republicans can vote in their party's primary for the Senate seat. If Specter lost the Republican primary he would not be able to run as an independent like Lieberman did up here in CT... so there certainly is some smart political calculus behind the decision. Anyway, this is a pretty monumental day in politics, PA state politics and a big day for Democratic priorities up on Capital Hill!

Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans. - from a statement released by Specter today

Thanks, Arlen!

My Other Favorite Race

I haven't blogged about it much, and I hope this comes across the way I mean it to, but my favorite political race to casually watch right now is Al Franken's race for Norm Coleman's seat out in Minnesota. I like Franken, and I like the sort of daring choices involved in him getting this far. I also feel like somehow I link him with fellow Midwest comedian poet Garrison Keillor. Regardless of the why behind my finding this race so compelling, frankly it just is.

Background for anyone unfamiliar is that Coleman took over for Paul Wellstone, a wildly popular progressive two-term Senator from Minnesota who died tragically and unexpectedly in a plane crash. When Wellstone passed away his seat in the Senate was somehow passed along ot Coleman, someone who has been labled by some as a moderate Republican.

Coleman is, however, a man who has acted in many ways as a yes man for the Bush administration, and someone who rode to a second term based on his links to an administration that was popular 5+ years ago. Now Coleman is locked in a tight race with Al Franken for his seat, and Franken has overcome quite a few obstacles to get this far, and the race is tight and getting tighter. A recent development involves recent discovery of Coleman stretching ethics rules around gifts. Here's a clip from a press conference today where Coleman's press guy makes um... an ass of himself (I think that's the technical term for what you'll see below).

Remember When?

For whatever reason I'm having a way back evening. I just found out that Weezer is releasing a new album this summer... that had me thinking back to high school days listening to Buddy Holly, Surf Wax America and other fine tunes off their first album. Then for whatever reason I ended up going back and watching Jon Stewart on Crossfire from 2004, and WOW, I've got to say, that clip really doesn't get old.




Take your pick, honestly... I'm not sure what piece I love more. Is it when Jon Stewart mocksTucker Carlson's bow ties? When he tells him he's as much of a dick on his show as he is on any show? I thought this was one of the most brave, inspiring and remarkable moments in television back when it happened, and it still is damn cool today.

Anyway, heading into the weekend, if you're fishing around for other interesting stuff to read or check out, I found this:

• A post from Chris Cillizza over at the Washington Post discussing the 10 senate races that might end up with Democrats winning new seats this fall. With all the talk about the presidential election this year, these past few weeks have had people talking about the House and Senate. This piece gives some food for thought on that front.
• Jason Werth of the Phillies homered in his first three at-bats of tonight's game against the Blue Jays. Nice week for the Phils this week.
• And here I thought refusing nuns in their 90's the right to vote because they didn't have a photo ID was bad... in Amsterdam the Dutch are considering making it, "an offence to use the services of a sex operator without a licence or a non-registered independent prostitute"