If 'Republican' meant what it did when our fantasies of stern fathers wrestling with the issues of the day and pushing for self-reliance and independent strength, instead of sucking at the public teat as hard and long as possible to drain the public of its vital fluids, I think we'd all be Republican. And if 'Democrat' meant the thinking person's way forward, a place for ideas to be entertained and tested, an inclusive group closely resembling our fine country, everyone under 60 with more than an 8th grade education would be a Democrat.

So when we collected to jettison the RNC from the Executive and Legislative branches of the Federal Government, the Democratic Party and its lack of zealous idealism and behavior modification, the sloppy way they march in formation made the Democrats the US party.

Leave those old grouchy throwbacks to imagined eras of peace and profoundly good behavior complain about it, and reward Specter with another term. I don't want everything I want. That would be childish or Bushist, or Republican, which used to mean something.

Specter woke up, realized the psycho Toomey was being taken seriously (Is he a LaRouche type?) in a moderate state full of Universities and Colleges, looked around and saw his colleagues replaced by Cold War Zombies, and I'd have held the door open for him.

Welcome back to the pragmatic side, Mr. Specter. You may continue to piss me off, because symbolically you will do more to piss them off.

Joy,

Joe