Specter's move shows he serves himself

Congratulations, Mr. Specter. Your cowardly decision to change parties has broken your contract with not only me but also every other Pennsylvanian who voted for you in the last election ("Specter Stuns Senate by Switching Parties," April 29). This brazen move is nothing more than a survival tactic that proves, once again, in your eyes it's all about you.

Your move has the added benefit of disenfranchising more than half of our country's citizens by giving the current administration a filibuster-proof majority. So much for checks and balances. I'm sure you will get a cushy chairmanship on a committee, as that's the way Washington works. It's not about serving your constituents but just about serving yourself.

To my fellow Pennsylvanians, I say, is this really what we want? Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, can't we all agree that a turncoat is someone we don't want representing us? What does this say about Mr. Specter's character?

In the upcoming weeks we will all see Mr. Specter's attempts to explain this move as being due to his conscience. He will throw the Republican Party under the bus and blame it on the far-right mentality. However, we all know this is just a shameless move by a career politician.

To Mr. Specter: Shame on you, sir. To my fellow Pennsylvanians: Can't we do better than keeping this self-serving individual in office?

 

 

BRIAN K. FOSTER

Mt. Lebanon