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All I can say to Spector, is welcome.

if he votes with us until the elcetion, we will help him win. I am thinkingof sending him a 'thank you' check now.

As a democrat, I hope Specter just goes away. This is a joke and the only reason he changed sides is because he wants to hold onto his job. This is about him..not the American people. Get a clue and vote this joker out. Democrats...do not fall for this. Vote in a real democrat. Not someone playing politics to win an election.

I think most Democrats and many Independents would vote for ANY Democrat over Arlen. This move is a transparent last ditch effort to save a drowning political career. Arlen has been a continual thorn in the side of Democrats, acting on many occasions like he would vote with the Democrats, only to cave to the GOP partyline at the last minute. Arlen, we know you and we don't like what we know.

this will be a good race.
welcome Sen. Spector.

We need term limits. PA voters are not too bright with the $150 million John Murtha Airport that services 20 passengers a day. Both parties are corrupt.

Olympia Snow said, "Spector leaving the Republican Party is
devastating." Devastating???? Snow ought to
"hurry up" and leave too, because that party and the tricksters
that are leading them will be leaving or losing. THe Republican
Party care about "their power, their money, and themselves. Just
like Bush and Cheney. The Republican party does NOT care about
90% of our population.

Should the Republicans take charge one more time, WE the PEOPLE,
will be left HIGH AND DRY!. "Bag of tricks", that is what they are. They
think the American people are stupid and will believe their lies.

Just watch out, many Republicans will do the same as Specter,
"CHANGE PARTIES OR BECOME INDEPENDENT and should
one of them win in an election, We, are dealing with a leader
that did not or will not be a different person or change his or her
views.

I don't trust the Republican Party and think this is all "planned"
for attention. They have lost their mojo, and they know it, so
what else they going to do to draw attention. This is another
game of theirs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry Mr. Torsella, you have no prayer. No matter how loyal a democrat you have been, your party just "Ned Lamonted" you. Ask Senator Lieberman.

I don't live in PA but I'm still going to give money to his campaign.

Specter's approval ratings among Democrats are in the 60+% range. He's also high among Independents, and decent among Republicans.

Becoming a turn coat, occurred months ago when he helped pass the stimulus bill. Just becoming a democrat does not assure him a win in Pennsylvania.

So let's see who Harry Greed and Nancy Pelosi support now. Do you support an old hasbeen like Spector (who probably won't vote the dems way much of the time) or some new fresh blood with new thoughts and ideas.

I think Spector bit of his nose to spite his face.

EVERYTHING the REPUBLICANS do is a trick. They are the worst
of the worst and should leave the public life and go to TEXAS to
"suceed" from the USA!

They are all full of tricks, just like McCain.

Think of WHO's WHO in the Republican Party. THey are pigs.

Go Joe! Arlen has proven he is nothing but a politician (lower than a snake's belly).

I plan on Donating to Arlen Specter's campaign when he run for Senate as a Democrat!

McCain, Specter, Kennedy, Hatch, Byrd, both of the Senators from Hawaii....RETIRE PLEASE! This is what is wrong with American politics. This is what Obama ran on...change.

Any Dem that's happy about this is not a true Dem. This is so about his political survival and only about his political survival. At least Jeffords did it on merit.

A strong decision, both strategically and morally, on Sen. Specter's part.

Given the flight from the Pennsylvania Republican Party as tens of thousands of moderates switched their registrations to vote for Obama in the state's Democratic primary, the state Republicans are now a party of far-right conservatives.

That means Specter faced a difficult primary battle against a hard-line anti-tax former congressman despite the incumbent's overall popularity.

More importantly, it meant Sen. Specter was aligning himself with a party that had left him and his fellow centrists behind in its shift to the right.

The Democratic Party is where Specter belongs ideologically and will allow him to represent himself and his constituents more sincerely.

Senator Specter has had enough of the hypocracy. His leaving the GOP has tilted the party even further to the right. Rush, the party boss is hoping that John McCain and Meghan go as well, but it is too late for John McCain, who has already sold his integrity to the hypocrites for a bowl of "presidential wanabee" stew. However, we will take Meghan and all the young people because they are still honest and can call a spade a spade.

Welcome Senator Specter, what took you so long?

Why didnt we hear the RepubliKlans griping a few years ago when Ben Nighthorse Campbell switched partys from Dem to Rep. The GOP is so lopsided and hypocritical in their views you can smell them out even before they open their angry mouths.

The only reason he switch his because his state is going blue its a bunch of bolony without question. After all this time he wants switch please. So tell me when are the elections again.

It's sad that he switched because he would lose the Republican primary to Toomey. Eveyone knew it, he knew it, so he switched to the Democrat side. What a wuss.

I just want politicians that will help this country grow strong again. Spector is a good guy but this latest stimulus bill was just wrong. financial and ethically.

We need americans to work more, save more, spend less, conserve more energy and borrow less. The federal government needs to stop promising people free stuff and stop deficit spending.

It is vital that Democrats own this seat after the 2010 election.

I'm not yet convinced that Arlen Specter is our best chance to do that. He get's no points for being an "experienced" member of Congress, particularly when he is so long in the tooth. How many more terms are we going to get out of this guy?

Specter must demonstrate his loyalty and his ability to win the final election to garner our support for his re-election.

WHAT! A Republican is a Republican is a Republican.

Spector knows he is not popular to win, so he's changing colors.

HE IS NOT A DEMOCRAT!!!! He is switching sides because he
knows he can't win against THE DEMOCRAT. Now, he wants to
become a Democrat?

Just watch all the REPUBLICAN A–Holes switch to Independent or
Democrat just because their own party has made a–es of themselves.

Remember, Voters, It is NOT what they call themselves, it is what
they believe in. A PIG with lipstick is still a PIG!

I don't know about this other guy, but I guess after battling the illnesses he has battled, Spector is showing real courage under enormous pressure and fire. For that, he at least deserves consideration.

Both Dems should still run...Specter knew he was going to lose to Toomey. Time for these fossils to retire. What a disgrace.

Specter is the worst kind of politician. He leaves the Republican party because he faces certain defeat in its primary to compete against a weaker democratic challenger.

Specter's decision was only trying to benefit Specter and had nothing to do with party ideology.

We have become a Third World nation.

Specter will survive! His only probles was the Democratic presidential primary in 2008. With the battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama still raging last April, hundreds of thousands of moderate Republicans in Pennsylvania switched registration to vote in the Democratic primary.

Most of these people normally voted for Specter. Now they are officially Democrats.

With a big primary looming on the Democratic side in 2010, probably most of them will remain Democrats to vote in the Democratic primary.

See we have these liberals that want to think Specter for coming to their party. Nevertheless, had he been a Democrat and jump ship to the Republican Party they call him every nasty name in the book.

Democrats show their true self when we see Politian’s change parties. They believe only they are enlightened and any one that is a republican is just a right wing fundamentalist.

The fact is the Democrats party have been taken over by extreme socialist that want nothing more then to kill off freedoms and liberty.

Obama is the leader of these extreme socialist hell bent on making this a 3rd world nation. And thank you Mr. Specter you just gave him the power to make it happen just so you could have a better chance at winning your next election. I guess that is the price you put on your soul.

Specter should RETIRE!

We need to have TERM LIMITS for Senators and Congressman !

We need to start bring in new and younger blood, with new ideals and those that will work for the American people and not for themselves!

I think I'll move to Penn. just to vote for Specter

Great move Arlen ... Welcome to the Democratic party

I pray Spector LOSES

I have no doubt's, he will lose. He has no real substance.

Spector has my vote, I live in PA. As a staunch PROUD LIBERAL DEM i have always voted for Spector (the only republican i have ever voted for) because he was moderate and seemed like he cared about the people a very unrepublican trait.

So much for the democractic process. Specter is now one of the Dems "good old boys".

Watch out old goat. AL Franken is moving to the Key Stone stae if he can't steal the election in Minnesota.

He's got my vote.

Specter is a coward. he is just afraid that he might get his clock cleaned in a Republican primary so he's running away and pandering to keep his paycheck.

Congratulations on a GREAT move – you care more about the country than you do about Rush and Hannity!!

I love it. Spector said that his views are more in line with the Democrat Party than the Republican party. Given the extreme left turn the Democrat Party has taken recently, it must mean he has been waiting over there.

Good luck Sen. Specter! I hope you win by a landslide in the primary and in the general in Nov.!

I hope Torsella bows out. He's not going to get the Democratic support he thinks he is.

Stay in the race, Joe. A fresh face is far preferable to an aging insider liar.