Today Arlen Spector, the Republican senator from Pennsylvania, announced that he will be come a Democrat. While the move has been celebrated as a liberal victory and the end of the Republican filibuster, at least one blogger raises the alarm on the immigration front. Dana Goldstein, blogging on prospect.org, cautions that Spector’s move could actually derail the movement for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).
During the 2007 immigration debate, Spector attempted to bridge the gap between those calling for amnesty and those calling for border enforcement by proposing that illegal immigrants become permanent residents, but not voting citizens. Who will be the voice of reason for the Republican’s now?