Word: switch
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...first 100 days, the president was forced to settle for a considerable but not filibuster-proof majority. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania changed that, though, when he announced on Tuesday morning that he would defect to the Democratic Party. Senators and political pundits alike called the switch a “game-changer” because of its effect on the makeup of the Senate. This remains to be seen. However, it is remarkable in that Specter admitted that part of the impetus of the switch was to avoid a primary challenge in 2010. This cynical political calculus...
...Club for Growth, a political action committee for the advancement of fiscal conservatives, is more fiscally and socially conservative than Specter, who often votes with the Democrats, especially on abortion, immigration and the environment. Specter successfully defended his post against Toomey in 2004, but his frantic party switch indicates he feared losing the rematch next year...
...former President George W. Bush. In this way, the president protected the existence of moderate Republicans, keeping his party diverse and balanced. However, there is no such central authority in today’s Republican Party. This lack of leadership and unity is apparent in Specter’s switch (which caught Senate Republicans completely off-guard) and makes the party’s weaknesses painfully evident...
...legislative agenda. But while Specter was just one of three Republicans to support Obama's $789 billion economic-recovery legislation, he cautioned his newfound Democratic colleagues: "I will not be an automatic 60th vote." They don't call him a contrarian for nothing. (Read "GOP Senator Specter's Party Switch Gives Obama a 100-Day Gift...
...staying a Republican because I think I have an important role, a more important role, to play there." - Dismissing speculation in March 2009 that he was about to switch parties, adding, "I'm afraid we're becoming a one-party system" (The Hill...