Republican defects to Democrats

[Jovial Monk]

Read about it here.

I means that Obama has the numbers to stop the Repugs filibustering Bills in the Senate. The reason the Senator crossed over was because he faces re-election next year and extremist Christian-rightwingers would oppose him.

Can Rudd pull off something similar? Any Fib/Nuts Senator likely to face defeat due to a low position on their party's Senate ticket? Be so nice not to have to rely on the Peanut! Mr X is easily bought, the Greens onside mostly.

[JW Frogen]

He should have went independent like Lieberman.

Political Judas' rarely have political clout long term, no one trusts them.

[Jovial Monk]

Unless they are called Churchill. Andy Fisher also swapped parties several times and lasted in Parlt until the late 40's or so.

The GOP has recruited several Dem Senators over last few years. They now find that they are a powerless party where whites are about to become a minority and where young voters are more libertarian than their parents and won't have a bar of the Christian-right dominated GOP. Bit like the Fibs here, Howie let the party become so right wing it is now unelectable--even in NSW the Labor vote has risen steeply albeit it is still in trainwreck country.

[skippy]

So did Billy Hughes swap sides and he died while still a Liberal senator in his 80s I think.

[JW Frogen]

Churchill opposed his own parties, continuously, including the appeasement policy. He was never a party man, he was a MAN!

Specter is no Churchill, Churcill was a once in a liftime tall poppy. (He could have never even existed in Australia.)

One can politically survive by being a Judas, but they can rarely be great or have much of an impact.

[JW Frogen]

Also, with Specter being the philibuster break, he would have had WAAAAAAAAAAY more power playing both parties off each other.

[Jovial Monk]

More power until losing Repug nomination next year.

[JW Frogen]

Independents don't go after the Republican (or Democratic) nominations.

They go after their voters.