From Andy Stern's Twitter page:

Congressman Sestak impressive on CNN. Visiting him tomorrow.

I don't want a Dem-bot in office voting just because that's the party line either, but that's a whole lot different than saying you're not a loyal Democrat. He needs to be loyal to and cognizant of and responsive to and articulate about progressive Democratic values and principles. Only someone who presumes he can sail through unchallenged would act this way.

If you look @ Snarlin' Arlen's entire career, it can be best-described as self-interested. Even though he was a registered Democrat, he ran for Philly DA in 1965 on the GOP ticket, b/c the Dems wouldn't allow him on the ticket (similar to the reason why Michael Bloomburg switched from Dem to the GOP to run for NYC Mayor). Now, 40 years later, he sees that he can't win as a Republican, so he switches back to the Dems.

Amazingly enough, I agree 100% w/Michael Steele's assessment of Specter's switch: it has nothing to do w/anything larger than self-interest.

Yes, the GOP has moved significantly to the right since Specter was first elected to the Senate in '80. But, Specter will continue to be Specter, and that means that he can't be counted as a party vote for *anything.* As I said elsewhere, I was planning to vote against him if he reached the general election as a Republican, and I'll vote against him in the Democratic primary.

-Z

either way i am not voting for Senator Specter, but I am torn as to whether to support sestak or not, mainly due to the points Nate Silver makes in the article linked here: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/is-sestak-right-choice-for-left.h...

he points out that sestak is not all that progressive, and may indeed be farther right than senator Specter. on the other hand, Specter is in poor health, and may not complete his sixth term:

The second point is that Specter is 79 years old. Moreover, however exceptionally admirable his commitment to public service while undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma, he is not in the best of health. There is a fairly significant chance that he would not be able to complete his sixth term.

If Specter's term were to end early, then Pennsylvania's governor would pick a replacement, with a special election to follow at the next even-numbered November election. As Democratic incumbent Ed Rendell is term-limited, the governorship will be an open seat race, in which Democrats are probably favored but perhaps not overwhelmingly. Would Democrats prefer the safety of being "locked in" to Sestak for the next decade or two? Or would the they take the gamble a special election would represent as an opportunity to nominate and elect a more liberal candidate -- particularly if they had retained the governor's mansion?

it's six of one, half-dozen of the other, I guess. But no matter what happens, if Specter ends up as the Democratic nominee, this democrat will abstain from voting for Senate, or will vote for the commie, the socialist, the green, or himself.