BCT Editorial – 4/29/09

This page was last updated on April 30, 2009.

Moderates matter; Editorial; Beaver County Times; April 29, 2009.

The editorial subtitle is “Specter’s party switch reflects changes that could marginalize GOP.”

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“Pennsylvania Democrats are thrilled that U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter is switching parties.

“Republicans are, too, are therein lies the tale of two parties, not just in Pennsylvania but across the nation as well.

“As a moderate Republican, Specter, who will be seeking a sixth term in the Senate next year, was increasingly out of step within an ever more conservative Republican Party.”

[RWC] As you read this editorial, you’ll note it provides nothing to support its claim about “an ever more conservative Republican Party.” If the Times could have presented evidence to support this assertion, it would have. In fact, the problem is exactly the opposite.

“Specter’s vote for President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package — he was one of three GOP senators to do so — did more than upset conservatives. It drove them to action. Polls showed Specter trailing former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, his announced opponent in next year’s primary election, by huge margins.

“Looking at those numbers, the moderate Specter knew his only chance of winning re-election would be to switch parties. This came as no surprise. He has always been more popular with the general electorate than he was within the GOP. His tight races were almost always in primary elections, while he generally cruised to re-election in the fall.”

[RWC] This is a good time to address what the Times means by “moderate.” When applied to a Republican, moderate means voting with Democrats over 50% of the time. When applied to a Democrat, you can vote with Democrats nearly 100% of the time and still be called a moderate. Rep. Jason Altmire (D) had an Americans for Democratic Action Liberal Quotient of 100% (2007), yet a Times editorial endorsing him for reelection in 2008 referred to him as a centrist. Perhaps the Times knew Mr. Altmire’s LQ for 2008 would drop to 95%. <g>

“That’s why Democrats should welcome Specter’s switch to their party. Barring some unforeseen meltdown, his re-election next fall is as close to sure thing as is possible in politics, especially if Republicans nominate Toomey or another hard-line conservative.”

[RWC] What is a “hard-line conservative?” Again, there’s a reason the Times doesn’t define its terms.

“Specter’s switch reflects state and national trends. The Democratic Party has been making inroads in Pennsylvania and across the nation by becoming more moderate, or at least being more willing to tolerate differences with its ranks. (Witness the presence Bob Casey, a pro-life Democrat, in the U.S. Senate.)”

[RWC] Tell that to Sen. Joe Lieberman (CT). Mr. Lieberman was the 2000 Democrat candidate for VP and had an Americans for Democratic Action Liberal Quotient of 89% (2000-2005) going into the 2006 Democrat primary. About the only area in which Mr. Lieberman deviated from the left was in national defense, but that was enough to cost him the 2006 primary. Mr. Lieberman ran in the general election as an independent and won.

As for Mr. Casey, his ADA LQ for his two years in the Senate is 95% (100% in 2008). You may recall in “Middle ground” the Times tried to convince us Mr. Casey – along with Mr. Altmire – is a centrist.

“Republicans have been going the other way, demanding — and receiving — ideological purity, often at the expense of winning elections. The result is that it is rapidly turning itself into a regional party.”

[RWC] It would have been nice if the Times had provided examples because history appears to indicate otherwise. For example, are we to believe Presidents Bush and Republican candidates for president Sens. Dole and McCain were more “ideologically pure” than President Reagan?

“In U.S. politics, moderates matter. It took Democrats years of election defeats to realize that. Anyone who wants to see the GOP survive as a national party had better hope Republicans are quicker learners than that.”

[RWC] Note the implication President Obama is a “moderate.”

History shows Republicans do best when they stick to conservative principles. Republicans get into trouble when they offer Democrat-lite. That’s why left-leaning outfits like the Times want Republicans to be more like Democrats.