Specter Leaving GOP

Well, I didn't see this coming.

Apparently his primary challenge would be greater than a general election. This puts the ever-looming 60 Senate votes in jeopardy for the Republicans, and closer within reach for Democrats.

More analysis as I have time to scrawl, but it's pretty big news, anyway.

UPDATE: Alright, I've finally got time to get some thoughts down. Unfortunately, it's been a few hours since the announcement, so there's no real meat on the bones that hasn't been gnawed already.

But here's a shot anyway:

There's your 60: But was it there all along? Most say no, but now the attention will be on the moderate Democrats who don't have a career as a Republican to fall back on, like, I don't know, Blanche Lincoln or Mark Pryor. Lincoln already put out a statement welcoming him aboard with open arms.

Punching Bag: If you think about it, Specter isn't going to do much differently as a Democrat than he was as a Republican. He'll still be irksome for the far-wings of his political party, and has the potential to be bullied from the far left like he was from the far right. Lincoln's statement said that she "is a testament to the fact that the Democratic Party embraces a variety of viewpoints..." and called it a "diverse party." Reid had similar statements. Tell that to Pelosi.

Obamania: Obama says he's "thrilled" to have Specter. But if he hasn't or isn't changing that much, was he any less thrilled yesterday? Obama has already declared that he will run unopposed, which was probably already a given and will use his super-mega-ultra-popular appeal to try and help get Specter re-elected. I look forward to seeing this theme for the next eight years I believe Obama will be in office. How far can Obama's magic spread?

Conservative Backlash: Some moderate Republicans are focusing on the defection as a lightening rod for change within the party. Those on the far-right don't have much to say about it. Former US Atty. Tim Griffin was quoted as saying Specter is "going home." He's right. But he didn't offer too much about why his home is better than Specter. I wonder if he'll say so as a Senate candidate. Some are wondering whether or not he'll run at all.

End Game?: For the time being, this will only affect the next year and a half. He still faces a 2010 re-election campaign against an opponent he admitted through his actions that he couldn't beat in a primary. He fled the party by which he did not want to be judged to be judged by it and another party of which he has been a vocal opponent for several decades in a later election. I just imagine the Democrat who has voted against Specter for those many decades struggling to check by his name. And, it could be that maybe Pennsylvania in general, not just the GOP, is tired of ole Arlen. This could all be null and void in November 2010.