Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

To the Editor:

Re “Specter Switches Parties; More Heft for Democrats” (front page, April 29):

I was thrilled by the momentous switch of the longtime Republican Arlen Specter to the Democratic Party. It was brave, it had foresight and it showed a pragmatic insight into the political realities of our time.

It was brave because it is a difficult undertaking to switch parties when one has been a member of the federal legislative branch for such a long time. It was brave, too, in that Senator Specter knew the predictable risk of being accused that it was done simply because he saw that the Republican primary polls for him in the next election were bleak. That fact, however, gave him the chance to be pragmatic, see the changing national demographics and with savvy represent Pennsylvania and our country more effectively.

There is more to it, though, than that. The Democratic Party now has within it what the Republican Party lost. The Republican Party, sadly for it, lost its big tent, and the Democratic Party effectively constructed one of its own. Within the Democratic Party there is room for debate, dialogue and flexibility. This is its biggest asset and has been the greatest reason for its recent legislative and presidential success.

Natalie Rosen
Framingham, Mass., April 29, 2009

Note from KBJ: Arlen Specter was a Republican?