Specter's Anti-union Flip Flop Came On The Heels Of New Poll Showing Him Losing The GOP Primary To Far Right Extremist

The Pennsylvania Republican Party has shrunken drastically since Bush first stole the 2000 election. Moderates and mainstream voters have fled in droves, re-registering as Democrats or independents. The result has been not just losses for the GOP in presidential elections, but the loss of a U.S. Senate seat-- right-wing extremist Rick Santorum losing in a 59-41% landslide-- and the loss of five House seats, more than any state in the Union. 2004 also saw the GOP candidate for governor get swamped in a two to one defeat. McCain, who once predicted Pennsylvania would be the keystone to his victory, only managed 44% of the state's vote.

A poll released today by Quinnipiac, shows that it would be next to impossible for long-time Republican Senator Arlen Specter to win a closed Republican primary against radical right former Congressman Pat Toomey.

Toomey, who is currently the president of the conservative Club for Growth, beat the senator 41 percent to 27 percent among registered Republicans in the poll. Toomey, who came within two points of defeating Specter in the 2004 GOP primary, has indicated he is likely to challenge Specter again in 2010.

Specter's problems lie in the state's conservative Republican base. Statewide, Specter performs well, with 52 percent job approval. But the same percentage of Republicans disapprove of his performance, his worst performance among the GOP since Quinnipiac began polling in Pennsylvania in 2002. Under Pennsylvania election laws, only registered Republicans may vote in the state's GOP primary.

The most shocking statistic in the poll: Nearly a quarter of Republicans don't know enough about Toomey to form an opinion and he is still beating Specter by 14 points.

Toomey is viewed as utterly unelectable in a statewide race, where his extremist views are far from the mainstream. By taking the Republican nomination away from Specter he will doom his own party to defeat in the general election. RNC Chairman Michael Steele has exacerbated the situation by threatening to help finance a challenge against Specter who he considers "too moderate" to be a Republican senator. Other far right politicians and Republican Party front groups weren't won over by Specter's flip-flop and are as determined as ever to end his shameful political career. All he seems to have accomplished was to alienate union members who have supported him in the past.