Breaking News in Moderate-land

Arlen Specter switches parties.

I don't care precisely why he did it right now, because it was long overdue. He held out for a revival of the moderate wing of the GOP, but instead it's continued to shrink, and now extinction seems likelier than not. No doubt, he'll miss being ranking member of Judiciary, but hopefully the warm welcome wagon will be some consolation.

Yeah, I've always liked this guy, my former senator, but today seals the deal.

And my favorite former Republican senator...

... Lincoln Chafee (to whom I believe I once dedicated a sculpture of a weeping chocolate elephant -- or at least, in my mind, it was weeping) wrote a book, Against the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President, and was interviewed on NPR.

Best Wishes, Mr. Chairman

I felt genuinely shocked and saddened to hear that my favorite Republican (and favorite Pennsylvania senator) is sick again.
Arlen Specter's Hodgkin's disease has returned. But fortunately, it's in a very early stage, and this guy is a fighter, bless his cantankerous, crotchety heart.
Fight hard, sir. We (even us Dems -- or at least this Dem) really don't want to see Chris Matthews in your chair. Maybe Bob Casey's chair, but not yours ;)

Quote du Jour: Chuck Hagel on the nonbinding resolution on Iraq

“This is not a defeatist resolution. This is not a cut-and-run resolution. We are not talking about cutting off funds, not supporting the troops. This is a very real, responsible, addressing of the most divisive issue in this country since Vietnam.
Sure, it's tough. Absolutely. And, I think, all 100 senators ought to be on the line on this.
What do you believe?
What are you willing to support?
What do you think?
Why were you elected?
If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes.”

(from yesterday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing)

I can't say I've always been a Chuck Hagel superfan (as Republicans go, he's no Arlen Specter) but I have to admire his stance on this resolution, not because it's more than a symbolic gesture compared to Chris Dodd's substantive one, but because by co-authoring it with two Democrats, he's basically (unless I'm missing something) putting the last nail in the coffin of his hopes for the Republican nomination, if he hadn't given up on that already.

Goodbye (party of) Lincoln!

Per Jon Stewart's suggestion last night, an elephant whittled out of chocolate, in honor of outgoing Republican (to the extent that a Yankee can be either outgoing or, apparently, Republican) Senator Lincoln Chafee...

chocolate elephant sculpture
This CGI one is pretty cool, too...

Quote du Jour: Soon-to-be-former Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)

"The people have spoken all across America. They want the Democrats and Republicans to work together. I think the president now is going to have to talk to the Democrats. I think that's going to be good for America."

Two days after losing a bid for a second term, Sen. Lincoln Chafee said he was unsure whether he would remain a Republican.

Although I wouldn't cry to see him go Dem, I think it would be more interesting to see him bring up the Senate's growing tally of independents (albeit in six years at best.) All in all, I'm rather fond of the guy. I think a state can be judged in part by the quality of its loyal opposition, and in that respect, he'd make Rhode Island look inviting whether or not one swung left, notwithstanding the climate.

Quote du Jour: Newly re-elected Democratic Senator

"This was an election that might be called the return of the center of American politics."

Yay -- viva moderation! I'm right on the cutting edge here, the avant-garde (ahem).

OK, the unnamed senator in question being quoted here is Joe Lieberman (now designated I/D-CT), on "Meet the Press" today. But that's beside the point, or is it?

Maybe it's not. My idea of the triumph of moderation is not just the triumph of the center, per se, but the triumph of people who think for themselves, as well as respecting the diverse views of all their constituents, not just the ones who voted for them. And I guess sometimes it's also about the triumph of some who have blinders on with regard to some issues but take a saner view on others.

So maybe it's OK that Lieberman's back. I may not agree with him on the war, but, for one thing, I don't live in Connecticut, and the point of democracy isn't just about getting what you want, but about keeping things stirred up a bit, about tolerating seeming inconsistencies and paradoxes, about venturing into the gray areas and electing people who aren't afraid of the gray areas and aren't afraid of solving puzzles that require going out on a limb sometimes, without saying to hell with those who want to pull you back for the communal good; people who don't think cooperation is a dirty word.

I don't know if Senator Lieberman is one of those people. The other independent in the Senate, Jim Jeffords, as well as his also-independent successor Bernie Sanders, seem to fall into that category. Oddly enough, John Kerry, in his often clumsy way, does, too. So did Bill Clinton, much more successfully. So do Arlen Specter and Susan Collins, each with their distinctive personal styles.

It's hard to get really excited about stuff like moderation and bipartisanship, but I would raise a couple glasses of pinot noir on their behalf.