Via Greenwald, Paul Kane demonstrates just how stupid political reporters can be:

Paul Kane: No one else is gonna be switching parties any time soon, not after the way liberal Democrats have greeted Arlen Specter. That has ended any possible chance of any Republican ever switching parties to join the Dems for probably a decade or more. Why on earth would any Republican want to switch parties just so they can get attacked by the far left of the Democratic party?

(Emphasis supplied.) Ignoring for the moment the stupid "Far Left" nonsense, Earth to Paul Kane, why would a pol switch parties -- for the same reason Arlen Specter switched parties -- because it was in his personal political interest. If Specter had not switched parties, he would be a political dead man walking, as Toomey would crush him in a Republican primary. As it is, Specter is the favorite to win the Democratic primary over Sestak and has a shot in the general election in 2010. If he had stayed a Republican, it would be over already. Specter was not doing anyone any favors but himself when he switched parties. That it benefitted Dems was entirely incidental (and that's why Specter could not cut a better deal for himself with the Senate Dem Caucus. Unlike Jeffords, who really brought more to the table for Dems.)

Honestly, how stupid can a political reporter be? Kane is scraping bottom here.

Speaking for me only