Allow me to clarify my feelings regarding Arlen Specter

Yesterday, at the end of a post quoting Arlen Specter's press statement announcing his defection from the Republican party, I mentioned how I've long believed Specter to be a bit of a "weasel." This prompted a couple of people to email asking, "So why do you think Arlen Specter is a weasel Cajun Boy?" So, in a effort to clarify all of this, allow me to elaborate.

Arlen Specter is a political whore, or, to put it in a more dignified manner, an uber-opportunist. I lump Specter in with the Tom Daschles and Chris Dodds of the world...human vermin who would do or say any fucking thing they believed to be politically expedient in order to save their own skin and hold on to power. These guys embody everything that is wrong with modern American politicians, and my greatest hope for Arlen Specter would be for him to be defeated in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary by some young upstart. The more time I've had to digest this whole thing the more it leaves me feeling disgusted. Arlen Specter's been in Washington for 30 fucking years as an elected representative for the love of God. Give someone else a shot, asshole.

You see, there are three types of American politicians in the modern political era. First you have the dyed-in-the-wool ideologues, staunch conservatives and liberals who rarely waver from their popular philosophical doctrine. These people are not very far removed from sheep intellectually, but whatever, I suppose there is something to admired in an unwavering philosophical belief system, despite its utter misguidedness.

Then you have the moderates, people who sway back and forth on some issues, not because they lack will or fortitude, but because they think critically using minds that are perpetually open to differing ideas. In my mind, these are people to be admired. Go figure.

Finally you have the opportunistic vermin, people like Specter, Dascle and Dodd, pricks who would vote in favor of kid-fucking if a pollster showed him that doing so would guarantee his claiming a majority of the votes in the next election or a big contribution from a special interest group. Matt Taibbi once said that Tom Daschle would "suck off a corpse for a cheeseburger," and I believe the same can be said about Arlen Specter. These are politicians who should be roundly loathed. Daschle was famously sent packing by voters in his state a few years ago, and I firmly believe Chris Dodd will soon suffer the same fate. It'd been my hope that the same would befall Arlen Specter. We'll see I suppose.

A friend of mine said to me last night, "but Cajun Boy...aren't you glad that people like Specter are calling out the modern Republican party for being run by goons?" If it were Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins doing the defecting, people who embody the true meaning of what it is to be a good public servant, I'd be a hell of a lot more excited. Specter is doing what he's doing to save his flabby backside from being shit-canned in the Pennsylvania Republican primary, and if you believe anything else even for a second, then you've got your head in your ass. This whole thing is pure political calculation and nothing more. It's just another chapter in a long, storied history of unprincipled political hackdom.

And if you need any more reasons to distrust/hate Arlen Specter, never forget that he was the guy who invented the single bullet theory used by the Warren Commission to explain away the death of John F. Kennedy. Need I say more?