Specter: I'll Filibuster the Dems If Needed

Former Republican says GOP let him down

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted May 3, 2009 11:53 AM CDT

(Newser) – Arlen Specter may be a Democrat now, but the erstwhile Republican senator says he’s not afraid to use the F-word: filibuster, Politico reports. Specter told NBC’s Meet the Press he hasn’t promised to be “a loyal Democrat” and made the switch after realizing through “polls and a lot of personal contact” that his re-election prospects with the GOP were “bleak.”

Specter added, “There’s more than being re-elected here. There’s the factor of principle. The Republican Party has gone far to the right since I joined it under Reagan’s big tent. In recent times, I have diverged materially from the Republican line. As the picture has evolved, I felt a lot more comfortable with Democrats than Republicans.”

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Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania discusses his conversion to the Democratic Party at the White House with President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., speaks at a news conference on Tuesday, April 28, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Sen. Arlen Specter tells NBC's "Meet the Press" he became a Democrat for more than just winning re-election. (msnbc)

Sen. Arlen Specter talks to NBC's "Meet the Press" about the future of the GOP. (msnbc)

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Specter: I'll Filibuster the Dems If Needed