Two views on Specter’s swap

With last week’s party switch by Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the Democrats may soon take unchallenged control of the Senate at the same time they hold the presidency and a majority in the House.

Emory University political science professor Merle Black, co-author of “The Rise of Southern Republicans,” sees a historical irony in the Democratic gain.

“What’s interesting about the Arlen Specter switch is that it continues to strengthen Democrats in the Northeast. This region was once the most Republican part of the country,” Black said.

That leaves the South —- once solidly Democratic —- as the seat of Republican power. And Georgia is second only to Texas as the most populous state where Republicans dominate all of the major branches of government.

If Democrat Al Franken wins his battle to claim Minnesota’s open Senate seat, giving his party a filibuster-proof, 60-seat majority in the Senate, will it Could this be the beginning of an era when Republicans, and the states they represent, are marginalized in Washington? Or will the Democratic hegemony be as brief as it was during the one-term Carter administration 30 years ago?

We asked two Georgians —- a former Republican congressman and a Democratic state representative who is herself a party switcher—- for their views.

State Rep. Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta): Georgia Republicans seem to be going out of their way to fight with and insult the president —- as highlighted by the Georgia House of Representatives’ refusal to pass a simple resolution honoring this historic presidency. While policy differences are inevitable in our democracy, our members of Congress and state leadership don’t seem to be able to disagree agreeably —- and we can only suffer because of it. We send far more in taxes to Washington than we get back, and simply don’t have serious voices at the table where important issues are being decided.

Republicans have isolated themselves nationally over the past several years —- in relentlessly focusing on wedge social issues even in the face of the worst economy since the Great Depression, they’ve lost touch with the majority of ordinary Americans who are far more concerned about their job and paying their mortgage than gay marriage or stem cell research. Specter’s party change is more evidence of this trend.

Being a purple state, like Georgia, means that politicians of both parties have to work hard to earn their votes. We’ll have a very competitive set of statewide races next year.

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Max Burns, dean of the business school at North Georgia College and State University:

I don’t think Sen. Specter’s decision really impacts Georgia or the South or Republicans because I don’t think people are loyal to labels; they’re more loyal to values. I think our conservative nature will dictate how we vote.

I will tell you that at a national level Republicans have lacked leadership. I believe Senator [Zell] Miller could write the same book [“A National Party No More”] he wrote five, six years ago [about Democrats] and say many of the same things perhaps about the national Republican party losing its base by not being true to its core values, and compromising its positions for what was perceived as short-term gains that turned into short-term loss.

I do not want the Republican Party to be a regional party. I want it to be national party. Candidly, we’ve lost touch and we’ve lost the confidence of the people who have said we can represent their values. We need to have legitimate dialogue and debate and move our state forward.

I think it makes our delegation’s ability to represent the values of Georgia a little tougher, in the Senate as well as the House. But I don’t think the nation will gravitate to a one-party system. We need checks and balances. In the weeks and months ahead we need moderated thought in the Senate and Congress.

Changing stripes

Arlen Specter has plenty of company as a party switcher:

D to R

Gov. Sonny Perdue (1999)

South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond (1964)

Late President Ronald Reagan (1950s)

R to D

Hillary Clinton (1960s)

Howard Dean (1960s)

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin (2002)

R or D to independent or other

Former Georgia U.S. Rep. Bob Barr (R to Libertarian, 2006)

Connecticut Sen. Joe Liberman (D to I, 2006)

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R to I, 2007)

Sources: U.S. Senate historian and news services

Compiled and edited by External Content Editor Tom Sabulis