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April 30, 2009
Senator Specter is a US senator that represents Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia. I think this is an interesting move on his part. Senator Spector feared he was going to lose the primary election to a Republican, who was more right wing conservative then Senator Specter. This move puts him in a position to keep his seat in the Senate. If he remains a Republican, which is the minority in government, and Pennsylvania, he may have lost the primary, and the Republican that won, would have virtually no chance of winning the senatorial seat.
Politics is Arlen Specter's business, and this was a business move. He wants to keep his business going, rather then retire, or find a new political office. That is the reality behind this switch. There is no reason a person's or Senator Specter's political affiliation should influence their beliefs, or their vote. To keep his office, Senator Specter had to make a choice. Risk losing a party primary, and not get to compete for his seat, or negotiate a position with the Democrats, and switch teams and beat the Republican candidate from Pennsylvania.
Another thing I find interesting about this political party inversion, is our political system is set up as a two party system, which is to narrow for true competition. Countries, like Canada have candidates from 5 or more parties, which offers a broader choice, and a more competitive government. I would think our country would benefit by 30 members of the senate creating a new party. Politics is a business, so this will not happen. To win, you have to play for one of the professional teams, Democrat or Republican.
We sometimes need to remind ourselves why these men and women are in politics. Obviously they want to contribute, on some level. They also want to make money, satisfy their ego's. They want to influence policy. Politicians want to be on top, they want to be in charge, they want to win. These traits lend themselves to working within systems that have proven track records of success. This is the two party system. The Democratic and Republican parties are franchises. They are systems that produce political candidates that win office.
When we roll out products, like the NJOY NOW card, we must consider barriers to entry, and systems that will help our product succeed, like franchise systems. Arlen Specter is a brand name product that needs the Democratic franchise, party to sell. Right now, Barack Obama and his Democratic franchise, party is the big dog. The McDonald's and 7-Eleven of politics all rolled in one. Switching parties may not change the way Senator Specter votes on issues that relate to Pennsylvania or our country, but it will change his reach, and give him a chance to win an upcoming election. This was a sound business move.
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