On April 28, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter stunned the political world by switching from the Republican Party to become a Democrat.  In doing so, his decision has the potential to shift the political landscape in Washington.  Specter's decision likely presents the Democrats with a filibuster proof majority, if Al Franken holds on in Minnesota as expected. Specter's defection says a lot about today's politics, particularly the state of the modern Republican Party. 

Specter's decision seems largely politically motivated.  Specter admitted in his announcement that his switch was largely due to the fact that he was unlikely to win reelection as a Republican.  Facing a tough reelection battle, starting with a bruising primary fight with Pat Toomey and then a general in a blue state where tens of thousands of voters have switched affiliation to the Democrats, Specter seems to have calculated that he could not win reelection to the U.S. Senate as a Republican. In addition, Specter's defection says something about the lack of priority the Obama Administration is placing on the passage of "Card Check," the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) of 2009.  Card Check would change how employees are allowed to organize unions within workplaces.  It would make unionizing easier by removing the requirements for secrets ballot elections during unionizing processes. Card Check is organized labor's #1 priority for the 111th Congress.  Labor is an important part of Democrats political and governing majority.  However, as part of his broader party-switching roll-out, Specter announced that he would stick with his position of not be supporting Card Check.  After months of being lobbied by business and union activists, Specter announced on March 24, 2009 that he would oppose the Card Check legislation, dealing a potential death blow to the legislation.   It was revealed on April 28 that the White House and Congregational Democrats have engaged in significant negotiations with Specter over the past few weeks about his switching parties.  It has been reported that Vice President Biden spoke with Specter no less than four times in recent weeks about switching. 

Why was Card Check not a critical component of the deal?  Specter was in a vulnerable position.  He needed Obama more than Obama needed him.  Running as a Republican, Specter was unlikely to win the primary let alone the general election in Pennsylvania.  In increasingly blue state Pennsylvania, in his switching parties and gaining Obama's agreement to support and campaign for him, Specter all but assures his reelection.  In return, Obama received Specter's agreement to caucus with Democrats and presumably to support some of his key priorities.  However, in announcing that he would not be supporting Card Check, Specter was making it clear that card check is not one of Obama's key priorities. Specter's decision to oppose Card Check made sense when he was running in a tough GOP primary against Pat Toomey.  However, such opposition does not make sense now that Specter is running in a Democratic primary, however smooth his path might seem.  It doesn't make sense as Specter runs in the general election in Pennsylvania as a Democrat.  It does not make sense politically as he looks to connect now with the Democratic Party establishment.  Sure, flipping on Card Check now would seem extremely politically expedient, but when one switches parties at age 79 after being in the Senate since 1980, it's hard to deny that political convenience is one's primary motive.  One might as well be all in. If Card Check was one of Obama's key priorities, securing Specter's support, and therefore, ensuring Card Check's passing, would make sense.  Its absence from the deal says as much about Obama's priorities as Specter's.