Hotline After Dark -- I Do What I Want

"World News," Evening News" and "Nightly News" each led with the swine flu outbreak.

Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-PA) decision to switch parties rocked the political world. In addition to general reaction, pols and pundits weighed in on what this means for the PA SEN race, the Dems' voting power in the Senate and the future of the GOP.

FNC's Hume: "This is not really about Arlen Specter being a liberal or conservative. He was never really much of either. What Arlen Specter has always been is a survivor. ... He survived cancer. He survived a farcical run for the presidency on his own part back in 1996, and he survived many a close race. Now he looked at one he didn't think he could win, switched parties to a situation where he thinks he can win. That is really what this is all about" ("Special Report," 4/28).

Ex-WH adviser David Gergen: "This is on the eve of the 100th day for President Obama. He planted these seeds, too. And, back in the primaries and the general election, he persuaded, with his campaign, some 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania to leave their party and go over to the Democratic side. If those 200,000 were still on the Republican side, it's a very good chance Arlen Specter might have won that primary and stayed in the party" ("AC 360," CNN, 4/28).

Newsweek's Fineman: "This is an Ed Rendell/Joe Biden production because one of the things that had to happen here is that they essentially had to clear the Democratic primary field, basically, and being able to promise Arlen Specter that they could deliver the Democratic nomination to him were he to switch parties. I don't think that's going to be a problem" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 4/28).

Much more after the jump.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), on the challenge for the GOP: "Can the person running now win in Pennsylvania win? I can't win in Pennsylvania. I win in South Carolina. Rush Limbaugh can't win in Pennsylvania. If you're worried about giving the country over to the Democratic Party and not being a vibrant, relevant Republican Party, we need to find somebody that can win in Pennsylvania. ... I hope Pat Toomey can do that, but I think Tom Ridge could."

Graham, asked if he's talked to Ridge about running: "I'm going to call Tom Ridge tomorrow. If you're listening, Tom..." ("On the Record," FNC, 4/28).

PA-based radio talk show host Michael Smerconish: "There's a lot of chatter today about how Pat Toomey is the guy who drove him out of the party. I don't think Toomey will be the nominee for the Republicans. Keep your eye on Tom Ridge, because Tom Ridge could be drafted. And then, what a battle that would be."

Smerconish, asked if Ridge is too moderate: "That's the irony. I mean, Ridge is a guy who, in my opinion, should have been the vice presidential candidate for the Republican Party. But again, one of those litmus tests got in the way. In his case, it was abortion. ... The Republican Party has got problems. And that's what the book is all about. It's time for the party to moderate and grow that tent" ("LKL," CNN, 4/28).

Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), on whether Specter's move gives Dems "more momentum": "I think it does. I think what it does is it further indicates to the American people, as Specter indicated, that the Republican Party is an extreme right-wing party way out of touch with the needs of working families, and simply is the party of 'no.' Anything that the American people want, they say no" ("Ed Show," MSNBC, 4/28).

Rothenberg Political Report's Rothenberg: "I think it puts some added pressure on some of these Democrats who come from more conservative or moderate states, whether it's Senator Lincoln, Senator Landrieu, Senator Ben Nelson. They may be more under the gun now. Are they going to vote with their states or are they going to vote with their party?" ("NewsHour," PBS, 4/28).

Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA): "Overall, this is very good news for moving the president's agenda forward on the main thrust: the economy, education, health care, energy -- all of those. And we welcome him to the party. I've known him a long time. ... We're going to continue that working relationship" ("Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 4/28).

Ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R): "The one thing that Senator Specter has done tonight is he's clarified a lot more decisively that the Republican Party is going to be the party of lower taxes, less spending, smaller bureaucracy, less power in Washington" ("Hannity," FNC, 4/28).

Ex-WH press sec. Dana Perino: "What I hear people saying is that the party has to be just moderate. I don't think that that's true. I think that we need to have the big tent. ... I think that they will come back. It's just going to take a little bit of time. I don't feel pulled in any one direction or another. I just feel like I can be myself. And that's been the greatest thing about being a Republican" ("LKL," CNN, 4/28).

RACE TO THE FINISH

'04 candidate/Club for Growth pres./ex-Rep. Pat Toomey (R) made the rounds to talk about Specter's decision and what it means for the PA SEN race.

Toomey: "He spent the last several weeks and months crisscrossing Pennsylvania promising that he absolutely would not leave the Republican Party and insisting that it was a very good idea to have some Republican ability to oppose a Democrat agenda. We've discovered that all he really cares about is his own political f future. I don't think that's going to wash with Pennsylvania voters."

Toomey, asked if PA is bluer than he thinks: "At the presidential level, it's true, we haven't done well, but at other levels we really have. We've got a big Republican majority in the state Senate, we're only a few seats shy in the state House. ... We've had a couple of tough elections cycles, but a message of ending the bailouts, limited government, fiscal discipline, personal freedom and personal responsibility, strong defense, that message resonates across Reagan Democrats, Republicans, independents, across the board" ("Hannity," FNC, 4/28).

Toomey, on Specter saying Toomey's supporters are from the extreme far right: "He has to try to vilify me any way that he can, because he can't defend his own record. But the fact is, I was elected to Congress three times from a district that leans Democrat. ... And I never lost that district. So, it's pretty obvious that my support is very mainstream support" (CNN Newsroom, 4/28).

And during an appearance on the "Ed Show," Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) was asked whether Specter's decision has changed his mind about entering the race.

Sestak, on whether he thinks he'll enter the Dem primary: "I have, as I've been saying not made up my mind, because I have to determine what is best for my district, as well as potentially Pennsylvania. All of that said, no, it absolutely should not change anybody's mind. You don't get into a race to run against anybody. You get in to run for something."

Sestak, on whether he'll "leave the door open": "I haven't made a decision. I think this shows that every day is a new day in politics. And tomorrow is a new day. And if anything, politics is interesting. This is about what are the ideals and principles that people have sent us down here to Washington to take care of? It's not about keeping one's job at all cost. And I think that's what people are a bit tired about" (MSNBC, 4/28).

IN OTHER NEWS...

KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) was also confirmed as HHS Sec. yesterday.

CQ's Allen: "It was a bigger vote then even some had expected in her favor. She picked up nine Republicans, the two Kansas senators, the two Maine senators, Senator Gregg from New Hampshire, Senator Bond from Missouri, which neighbors Kansas. So there was a significant amount of support for her even on the Republican side."

More Allen: "One of the things this vote shows is how weakened the antiabortion movement is right now. This is someone that they've really tried to defeat. They delayed the nomination for a while. They got some of the Republican senators to listen to them, but not all of them. And they did not get any of the Democratic senators to oppose Kathleen Sebelius. And I think it was something that they must have been pretty disappointed by" ("On the Record," FNC, 4/28).