So long Arlen.

I turned on my computer today, and in a moment of weakness I read a news story. Normally I just head on over to Facebook to play Mafia wars. It's addictive. Anyways, I read that Arlen Specter switched parties. He is now a (D) instead of an (R). I have been trying to decide what that means to me. I switched parties from an (R) to a (D) at one point in my life. Yes I did vote for the current President in the primary election in Utah. Then when I moved to Kansas I switched back from (D) to an (R). I have been following politics for a short season, so it seemed that Arlen was always going to be an (R). I found myself feeling mad at him for switching. Not because the (R)'s represent me, for surly they do not. I think instead tt was a nostalgic like feeling. I did get very upset when Jim Jeffords changed in 2001. This anger was fueled by the feeling that the (R)'s did represent me. I was elated when Joe Lieberman switched from a (D) to an (I). Now I am not sure what emotions are taking charge of my soul. I think that there are two ways that this event can be viewed. First, Arlen is a backstabbing 30 ye3ar veteran of the senate who was going to lose his seat in the senate and only changed parties because he knew that he was going to lose his seat in the primary election. The seasoned politician did not want to go down that way. The state that he represents is not full of (R)'s, it is full of (D)'s. Things in his state have changed in 29 years. The second way that this event can be viewed is this; there are real problems in the party of (R)'s. These problems are so bad that one of its most seasoned political figures had to leave. For whatever reason the (R)'s have started to recklessly devour themselves. I do not see an easy or quick political turn around for the (R)'s. The (D)'s almost destroyed themselves three short years ago. I remember hearing hints of desperation, that if the (D)'s lost again in 2006 that the end of the (D)'s could be upon us. Well fortunate for the (D)'s there was George Bush. The (R)'s are going to try to make Obama into a Bush. This is a losing strategery for the (R)'s. The (R)'s need to do what Obama did. Present a better communicator. Bring me a Reagan. Bush did not lose the people because he was a bad leader or a bad politician. To the contrary, he lost the people because he was a bad communicator.