Long-time Republican Senator Arlen Specter said yesterday he intends to switch parties, in a move that brings Democrats close to having a majority in the U.S. House and Senate.
Democrats need 60 votes in the Senate to overcome Republican filibusters, which have defeated key pieces of legislation over the last couple years.
Specter would give Democrats 59 votes, and an ongoing recount in Minnesota accounts for the 60th vote. Democrat Al Franken holds a narrow lead in that election, which is being disputed in court.
In his 29 years as a moderate Senate Republican, Specter has broken party ranks on a number of occasions, including voting for the stimulus package in February. He said that vote ultimately would have cost him reelection in the mid-term Pennsylvania Republican primary. He also claimed a growing divergence with Republican philosophy as the reason behind his decision.
Although he is expected to provide support for Democratic initiatives on economic legislation and healthcare, he is not likely to be a strong ally on pending climate change legislation.
Specter will be joining conservative Democratic legislators who are wary of President Obama’s clean energy agenda and are likely to weaken any carbon-capping legislation that has a chance of passing a vote.
In the House, such Democrats–led by Rep. Rick Boucher of Virginia-want to give utilities free permits for all their existing carbon emissions.
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