A Brief Comment on Senator Arlen Specter’s Switch to the Democratic Party

The brutally honest truth of the matter is that Arlen Specter’s defection to the Democratic Party is the unofficial confirmation that there is only one political party in this country.

Mr. Specter is the sort of conservative who should be leading the Republican Party – not the sort of conservative the Republicans consider too “liberal” to be in their party.

The Republicans basically forced Mr. Specter out for being an independent thinker – someone who actually considered the merits of policy rather than simply the adherence to the religion of Republicanism – whatever that is.

As Mr. Specter said in his news conference today, the Republicans are more concerned with party purity than anything else – including winning elections. And that means there is no real political debate in this country.

And this may be a good thing in the short term.

Although I would normally take the conservative view that government paralysis is a good thing because it keeps government weak, I think the history of the great depression shows that we are better off if government has the power to act to combat the current economic crisis than if it does not.

Arlen Specter’s defection, along with the eventual seating of Al Franken, will give Obama the power to accomplish much. If Obama plays this right, he really could emerge as a transformational figure in American history – and that could be for the better.

But longer term, I fear for America.

While I do agree with most Americans that our country has been heading in the wrong direction for the past eight years (at least), and like a majority of Americans agree with many of the changes President Obama has promised to make, I also recognize that there needs to be a debate in this country – and that a government that is controlled by a single party is a dangerous one which will eventually become even more inefficient and even more corrupt than it is now.

So there needs to be a real debate in America – a debate between different political philosophies where the best ideas win and where compromises are reached. And a debate isn’t simply saying “No” just because an idea might have come from another political party.

Mr. Specter said something else during his press conference that I think is very important. He said that conservatives should be very angry at what the Republican Party has become and should stage an uprising. He’s right.

The problem with the Republicans right now is that they don’t represent conservatism – or really anything for that matter. They are simply contrary. And that’s dangerous.

Conservatives, as opposed to Republicans, believe in smaller government, fiscal responsibility, and personal responsibility. And that is a philosophy that has an important place in the political debate.

Conservatives are thinkers – not blind followers – who don’t want the current President to fail just so they can claim victory. They want their voices heard, but are willing to compromise where necessary and contribute to the hard work that is essential – now more than ever – for this country to succeed.

So who are the Republicans nowadays? They aren’t conservatives. And they certainly aren’t thinkers.

To be brutally honest, the GOP has become the Grand Old Party of the Willfully Ignorant. They take pride in ignoring facts, not listening to experts, and avoiding political debate.

Remember, this is the party that grew government while cutting revenues. The Republicans are the ones that spent this country into bankruptcy – not the Democrats. And it is the Republicans that argue for bigger government in our personal lives – while cutting government where it is actually needed – like regulation for Wall Street or enforcement of consumer protection laws.

Inconsistency seems to be their motto.

The Republican “philosophy” isn’t conservatism. It is actually closer in many ways to radical liberalism, although I would argue that it’s just plain thoughtless. And it is certainly irresponsible.

And who is the leader of the Republican Party right now? Who is this God of political wisdom that these idiots blindly worship? Rush Limbaugh.

I’ll admit – and this may surprise many of you – I listen to Rush Limbaugh’s show sometimes. On long car trips, I often search for it because I find the man very entertaining in a laugh-out-loud kind of way. He really is very good at what he does – and knows radio – you have to give him that.

But to take him seriously…??!!

Let’s take a look at Mr. Limbaugh for a moment. If you believe in ignoring facts, in not listening or respecting experts, in not engaging in meaningful political debate, in ignoring even the pretense of consistency in your arguments – and in remaining in a state of blissful ignorance – than I guess he’s the guy you want to follow.

This is a guy who couldn’t pass a single course (including ballroom dancing) during his one year at Southeast Missouri State University. And he doesn’t seem to have educated himself very well either – recently confusing the Declaration of Independence with the U.S. Constitution during his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

This is a guy who is ardently pro-war and pro-torture – yet never served in the military. This is a guy who defends America’s draconian drug laws – yet was himself arrested on drug charges, has admitted to an abuse problem, and managed to wriggle out of a criminal prosecution – something he would, I’m sure, decry if it were someone else.

This is a guy whose response to Arlen Specter leaving the Republican Party was: take John McCain with you.

This is the mentality we’re dealing with here.

What’s the solution? I think conservatives have to let the Republican Party go.

Conservatives should let the zealots without a cause have the GOP – and form a new, viable, conservative party (perhaps they could combine with the Libertarian Party – which seems a better fit for people like Arlen Specter and other thinking conservatives than the Democratic Party).

Yes, this will take many years – and conservatives will have to concede a few election cycles – but the alternative is a de facto single-party system in America which is bad for conservatism and bad for the Country.

A brief personal note: Sorry about the lack of content lately – the kids were on vacation and it has been impossible to get anything done. The production of the video portion of this blog is progressing nicely and should be ready by next week at the latest.

I'll have a few things to say about the issue of taxes and Obama's first 100 days.