Our jaws all dropped at the surprising news: Philadelphia Senator Arlen Specter has switched parties. He is now a Democrat, giving the Democrats 59 seats in the Senate, 1 away from the fillibuster-proof 60. When Al Franken of Minnesota is finally seated, the Dems will be up to 60.
What does this mean for the Denocratic party? Well, first of all, it’s important to note that the significance of the Dems’ 60 seats is only apparent if all senators vote along party lines.  However, this news-breaking story of the day could also be seen as a referendum on Obama’s 100 days in office.  (Today is his 100th day, and this seems to be an excellent way to celebrate it.) Sen. Specter voted in favor of Obama’s stimulus bill, and was one of only 3 Republicans to do so, leading to questions about whether the party would fully support his re-election.

Dylan Loewe, Democratic political strategist, notes on the Huffington Post that, “Specter’s decisions to switch parties was based, above all else, on survival. Specter will almost assuredly claim the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat in 2010, and should defeat Toomey easily in a general election matchup in a state where Obama won by ten points. But whatever the personal politics, the most significant consequence of his decision will be the events it sets in motion.”

Sen. Specter’s choice also gives him a significant increase in power. He will now be one of the more moderate Democrats in the Senate, and thus party leaders can be expected to seek his vote intently. Though I do not expect him to start voting entirely on his new party’s lines, it seems natural that his upcoming voting record will become slightly more liberal as he is courted by his Democratic collegues.

What does this mean for the Penn Dems? Obviously, we support Democratic candidates in general elections, and occasionally endorse in primaries. While we will not make any decisions about possible endorsements for a while, we are certainly happy to celebrate that the Democratic party has had a wonderful day, and that Arlen Specter’ decision seems to confirm that the GOP is losing it’s support.