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Thursday, May 27, 2010

Crist and Specter--hard lessons

So Florida, here is what we in Pennsylvania know about politicians who change parties:

- They tend to walk squarely down the middle of the road
- This allows them to have very flexible morals
- You should not count on their conviction to anything other than their own success

We, in Pennsylvania, had these lessons driven home to us while listening to ads for Arlen Specter's, mercifully unsuccessful, run to retain his Senate seat. Don't get me wrong, Sestak is no prize either, but he does get consistency points. Hey, that is the Dems problem not mine. We also have to remember that Arlen Specter was a Democrat, before he was a Republican, before he was a Democrat again. Each time, the change was only related to what he wanted to do to insure a win. (Sorry Arlen, you played that card one time too many.)

Here a man who ran ads with President Bush to defeat Toomey in 2004, happily ran ads about how he has stood solidly with President Obama to try to defeat Sestak.

Just like Crist, Specter was often mentioned as "having the ability to cross the aisle" and being "middle of the road." My husband is fond of saying when you walk down the middle of the road, you get hit by traffic on both sides. Remember my dear Florida voters, these phrase translate as "believing in anything that will get you elected."

These men, by changing parties have proven one thing and one thing only--the job is more important to them than their commitments to the voters. Gov. Crist, I think that soon to be former Senator Specter now knows that winning isn't everything.

To the voters in Florida, congratulations on having a clear and principled choice--Marco Rubio, just as we in Pennsylvania get to do a do-over and vote for Pat Toomey.