Specter of the Senate

Facing almost certain defeat in the 2010 Republican primaries, the senior Senator from Pennsylvania joined the Democratic Party today. In a style reminiscent of a bygone era, the senator plainly spoke of it as a political necessity, as it was clear that he hoped to secure President Obama’s support in 2010 in exchange for yet one more senator’s rubber stamp – bringing the administration one step closer to total control of the federal government.

Senators like Arlen Specter provide us a unique window into the past that is still accessible, if outmoded, in the present day. How long has the senator been in politics? Well, he was on the Warren Commission that investigated the assassination of President Kennedy. Not only that, but he is the creator of the much maligned and debated single bullet theory – the idea that a single bullet zig-zagged through Kennedy’s body and then killed Governor Connally.

The Repbulican Party may miss the Pennsylvania Senator’s presence when it comes to the arcane world of senatorial tactics, but they won’t miss many of his votes on the issues. The Republicans in the Senate have ever so slowly started to act in a manner that is at least tolerable to the people who continue to vote for them, and the obvious Republican strategy is to create a unified and clear opposition – no matter what “big tent” delusions Maine’s Olympia Snowe may harbor.

In reality, while a single Senate seat has the potential for almost incalculable ramifications, the immediate effect is likely to be muted. It’s a good deal for Specter himself, if he can manage to save his seat in a Liebermanesque bold move, and it’s certainly a welcome development for Obama… as he is tantalizingly close to political checkmate.

The truth, however, is that Arlen Specter’s usefulness as a senator is likely long past. He simply wants to stay a senator because he enjoys it, and he can’t imagine retiring or doing anything else. A 29 year thorn in the side of almost everyone, and often swaying in the breeze, Specter is a tiny institution unto himself, as senators sometimes become.

American politics are blessed to have such ancient figures in its midst, who seem to serve no purpose but to defy present day categorization and labels, and who come from a time when labels meant different things… a time when political alliances were configured in a different way. Such senators unwittingly serve a purpose simply by existing, and their constituents are generations who have fallen silent.

You see, some senators never die – they just fade away.