It's a stupid career move for Chris Matthews to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania held since time immemorial by Arlen Specter because Arlen knows how to defeat Democrats. He may not be every Republican's favorite Republican but it's been a long time since he was a Democrat. The late Jesse Helms of North Carolina never won by more than a few percentage points, but it was rarely in doubt that he was going to win. So it is with Senator Specter. He has his own constituency and his own coalition of voters and it always comes out to about 52% on Election Night. The Republican primary is another matter, but even here there's enough Republicans who appreciate the importance of having a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania caucusing with the GOP instead of the other side. Rick Santorum proved that a conservative Republican can win state-wide when the Republican Party is on top and in control nationally, but his dismal showing (41%) as an incumbent in 2006 tells us to stay with Senator Specter and be happy with it. Besides, Arlen's a great and courageous guy!
It's a stupid career move for Chris Matthews to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania held since time immemorial by Arlen Specter because Arlen knows how to defeat Democrats. He may not be every Republican's favorite Republican but it's been a long time since he was a Democrat. The late Jesse Helms of North Carolina never won by more than a few percentage points, but it was rarely in doubt that he was going to win. So it is with Senator Specter. He has his own constituency and his own coalition of voters and it always comes out to about 52% on Election Night. The Republican primary is another matter, but even here there's enough Republicans who appreciate the importance of having a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania caucusing with the GOP instead of the other side. Rick Santorum proved that a conservative Republican can win state-wide when the Republican Party is on top and in control nationally, but his dismal showing (41%) as an incumbent in 2006 tells us to stay with Senator Specter and be happy with it. Besides, Arlen's a great and courageous guy!