Sen. Olympia Snowe — one of the three moderate Republicans including Arlen Specter who supported President Obama's stimulus package — told CNN Tuesday that she has also been approached many times about becoming a Democrat, but that it hasn't happened for a while.
"I've been asked, but not recently," she said.
Snowe said the Republican Party never learned its lesson from the "painful" party switch of Sen. Jim Jeffords in 2001.
"For me personally and then for the party, its devastating," Snowe said of Specter's move. "I've always been concerned about the Republican party nationally, about their exclusionary policies towards moderate Republicans. That's not a secretly held view on my part."
Come on over, Senator Snowe. Your party isn't what it once was nor is the state of Maine. Once upon a time, all the Southern States voted Democratic and all the North East states were Republican. Once upon a time, the Democrats stood for racism and slavery and revering the Confederacy and the Republicans stood for abolishing slavery and preserving the Union, not to mention supporting the Union Army. The Democrats stood for saying "Damn Yankees" and the yankees were proud to live in the North East. You couldn't get more Yankee than to be from Maine. Yankees are still from Maine but Republicans are in the South saying damn yankees these days. Once upon a time a Democrat couldn't get elected in Maine. Those times are gone. So are the parties which were defined in those times.
The GOP, in New England, in response to major gains on every political front by the Democrats, has continued and extended its efforts to replace the old Democratic position by becoming the party which best represents Southern racists although they are willing to replace their bigotry of blacks to a certain degree with bigotry towards homosexuals. The Republicans insist upon this even though southern racists aren't so fervantly racist any more. Moderate Republicans throughout the country, but notably in New England, have been kicked out of party leadership positions. Moderate (read old styled) Republicans have been challenged successfully in primaries by conservative Republicans who have then lost to progressive Democrats.
There is no disguising the fact that the present Republicans are big on trying to frighten the public into paying attention to inconsequential wedge issues while the rich and powerful who run the party continue to use the distraction to pick the pockets of everyone else. They aren't looking for solutions to the Country's problems. They just want more and more and more despite the fact that they can already buy more than they could ever use.
If you care about serving your state and your Country, Senator Snowe, come join the Democrats and give up on the party of endless greed, hate, and self service only.
It is too bad as this country needs an opposition party to help point out the flaws in whatever is proposed but the GOP is so out of touch they are useless even as opposition. Someday a new party will come along that might suit you better than the Democrats but that party doesn't exist right now. The Democrats suit you better than the GOP. Come join the party!