Farewell to Arlen Specter

Senator Arlen Specter has exited, stage left, from the Republican Party. The truth is, he has long been a Republican in name only for decades. Having begun his tenure in the Senate in 1981 as one noted for his independence, he has evolved into a very serious Liberal. One could argue that Democrats like Bill Nelson of Florida and Evan Bayh of Indiana were as conservative as him.
In spite of this, he had his moments that were beneficial to conservatives. One could argue that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (certainly one of the most conservative jurists on the Supreme Court) would not be if it were not for Specter championing him in a very grueling confirmation process. In fact, the bulk of the help conservatives have gotten from Specter has been in the appointment arena, but then again he has helped many Liberals get into their various offices as well.Spectorbelieves that the President should have discretion to make appointments. His help to conservatives in the appointment area is philosophical, but not in the way those on the right desire.

The final straw for conservatives when it came to Specter may have happened in January of this year when the Senator voted for the President’s far reaching “bailout” that dramatically increased the size of the government’s budget and scope of its power, but the electoral problems facing the Senator go much further back. In 2004 conservative Congressman Pat Toomey won 49 percent of the vote, on a much smaller budget, in the Republican Primary. This came with Spector getting substantial support from President George Bush and Sen. Rick Santorum (himself almost as conservative as Toomey). Spectoer knew it wasn’t looking promising in the future. When Specter sided with the Democrats on Obama’s package (one of only three members in either House of Congress to do so), Toomey couldn’t wait to go after Specter again. He immediately resigned his position from the Free Market think tank, Club for Growth to get ready to run again.

There was no way Specter would survive another Republican challenge in 2010. There have been rumors that Specter was changing parties for years, he formally made that decision when he casted his vote in January for the President’s package.

Those Republicans who are moderate or lean to the left will cry “the sky is falling” with the departure of Specter. The most common concern will be the end of the GOP’s ability to filibuster. Anyone of either party can filibuster and it will require 60 votes to bring it to a stop. Spector’s failure to support a filibuster in January is among the reasons the bill passed. For most conservatives, Specter’s departure is a victory in restoring the GOP into a party that means something. It is a first step towards becoming a party that stands for traditional values, free enterprise, and limited government. This is a first step in the Republican Party’s own road to recovery.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on CNN 650 (M-F at 11 am), AOL Radio, and CBS Radio. Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

Breaking News: Barack Obama's Choice for Vice President

It is all but official. Barack Obama has made his pick for Vice President. No, the Illinois Senator and I are not golfing buddies and I don't have a crystal ball, but I have a couple of decades of experience in politics both working on campaigns and commenting on them and I think this is a fairly safe bet. I'm not at all a gambling man, but this would be one time where I would be willing to pull out my wallet. Obama has made his choice and you will hear about it soon.

Before I name the nominee, let me give you an idea of how I came to my conclusion. The VP choice is more important for Obama and McCain than it has been for any candidate at any time in recent history. Obama has demonstrated several serious weaknesses in recent months (and McCain has a few of his own) and he needs someone to fill his gaps. These are the weak spots in his armor, in my opinion:

* His age. Obama is among the youngest nominees for President in US history and he appears younger than his age. His recent flubs in his foreign policy statements have only accentuated his perceived immaturity.

* His inexperience. Six years ago he was in the Illinois State Senate. His rapid movement from no where to the top spot has everyone (including many of his supporters) a little nervous.

* Foreign policy inexperience. The situation in Georgia, the deteriorating problems with Poland and Russia, and Obama's soft response to these situations have made people very nervous about him as Commander and Chief.

* Demonstrates too much change. Change may be nice, but he is beginning to convey a level of change that many are not comfortable with. No, I am not merely talking about skin color, religion, or several other areas that relate to surface items, I mean his political philosophy (according to the National Journal, the most liberal in the US Senate) and his inexperience. He needs something to anchor his change and that could be his running mate.

So who is the best choice in light of these weaknesses? Well the field has been narrowed considerably in recent weeks to Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Gov. Tim Kaine of Virgina, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, and (as a dark horse) Senator Hillary Clinton. If this is the list, the choice is simple, in my opinion.

* Evan Bayh accentuates all of the weaknesses that Obama brings to the race of the Presidency. He has more experience and is far more ready to lead tomorrow than the presumptive nominee. It is true, everyone on this list is in a similar position, but Bayh is comparably young to Obama, making the matter worse.

* Kathleen Sebelius has very little name ID outside the Democratic party, she will possibly anger the Clinton crowd who will remember the other female who could have been on the ticket, and she brings no experience on foreign policy in a race that is increasingly being focused on this important subject.

* Governor Kaine is one of the few in serious consideration who is as inexperienced as Obama. This isn't an advantage though, because it will have everyone asking the question of "who is in charge?" Two inexperienced candidates in trying times like these will translate into electoral disaster.

* The "bad blood" between Obama and Hillary Clinton takes the New York Senator out of serious consideration. Imagine the ad campaigns McCain will have of nothing more than what Obama and Clinton said about each other in the primaries. Ugly. Very ugly indeed.

* That leaves Joe Biden. On the down side, many suburban cities in America now have populations that are larger than the state of Delaware. However, he brings incredible foreign policy experience to the table, he has years of experience that matches his maturity, he is witty and can give a solid speech. Furthermore, both Senators have a very similar experience. Biden assumed the office of US Senator at the young age of 31 and he can empathize with the challenges of age discrimination. He is simply a very safe bet, which is needed for a candidate who has become too closely associated with change.

I believe Joe Biden is a done deal. If I am wrong, it will be because he decided to go bold and deep. If that is the case, he will choose Clinton.

I'm pretty good at assessing such things. For example, I accurately predicted the demise of Katie Couric at CBS Evening News back in September of 2006. Sure it isn't official yet, but wait and see.

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Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business radio show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review.

Does Evan Bayh Help or Hurt Obama?

All the political buzz on TV, radio, and online is the probable choice of Evan Bayh for Vice President by Barack Obama. He is noted for his experience, thoughtful intelligence, and maturity beyond his years. To many he is a logical choice for the number two spot. As in the case of virtually everyone, there are always pros and cons. Bayh brings experience, and baggage, to the Democratic ticket.

The New York Times recently described Bayh as one with a "moderate to conservative" voting record and tends to maintain such an image in his persona. He's not "flashy" or excessive and that demeanor has translated in the way people perceive him. The reality, however, is really quite different. Michael M. Bates at Newsbusters has done his homework on Bayh and has found the following about the Senator's voting record:

"Project Vote Smart collects ratings given by a wide variety of special-interest organizations. Evan Bayh's record shows that in 2007, NARAL Pro-Choice America gave him a grade of 100, as did the AFL-CIO and the Children's Defense Fund. The Americans for Democratic Action assigned him a 95 percent rating and the ACLU awarded him an 86. For 2005-2006, he earned a 100 percent rating from the National Education Association. In 2007, the National Taxpayers Union gave him a grade of D, the American Conservative Union rated him at 12 percent, and both the Gun Owners of America and U.S. English assigned him an F."

There appears to be very little gray area when it comes to his record. He is very strong in his positions and they lean heavily to the left. Barack Obama already has the most liberal record in the Senate. He need a true moderate brought to the table. Bayh doesn't bring that.

I will say that Bayh has a significant amount of experience for a relatively young man. At 53, he is six years older than Obama but has a far more impressive resume. The son of liberal icon Birch Bayh who served in the Senate for almost two decades, Evan was very familiar with politics. In 1987, and in his early 30s, he became Secretary of State of Indiana. In two years he began one of two terms as governor of that state and completed his eight years in that office at the young age of 42. Shortly after that, he became an US Senator and is now in his second term. On paper, Bayh looks like a great candidate.

However, Bayh's experience, might actually hurt Obama. When Bayh was Obama's age he had already served as a governor for eight years and was well in his first term in the US Senate. He reminds voters of how inexperienced Obama is and raises questions as to why Barack is on the top of the ticket instead of someone like Bayh. It is true that Obama needs experience on his ticket, but he needs experience that looks experienced, not the kind that actually hurts Obama's efforts.

Another often touted advantage to Bayh is his relationship to Hillary Clinton. He was one of her strongest supporters and one of the last to abandon her campaign. On the other hand, many in the Obama camp simply don't trust Clinton and Hillary's supporters don't appear able to be appeased by anyone but the New York Senator or, at the very least, another woman to join in making history.

In the end, I am not sure if any candidate will prove to be a solid compliment to Obama and fulfill the mandate of doing "no harm." However, I do believe that Obama needs to begin to look somewhere else for a VP.

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Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review.

And The Democrats Vice President Nominee Is....

Talk about the likely choice of Vice President on both the Republican and Democrat side is beginning to dominate the airwaves. On the Republican side, questions of age, gender, race, and ideology are all weighing heavy. Interestingly, those are the exact same questions being asked by the Democrats. I want to focus on what the Democrats are going to need from a Vice President nominee:

* The National Journal has identified Barack Obama as the most liberal member of the US Senate. He needs a running mate with solidly moderate credentials. It is next to impossible to find a national Democrat who is conservative, so we will keep our expectations modest.

* Barack Obama is one of the youngest people to be the nominee of his party for President. Furthermore, he looks younger than his age. Having a running mate that looks more mature would bolster his ticket.

* A huge number of Democrats are furious over the situation with Hillary Clinton. They see her as jilted by the party itself. Some, I'm sure, are entertaining Clinton as VP, but others still are concerned about the field day the Republicans will have using film footage of the two candidates (Obama and Clinton) pounding each other during the primaries. However, does Obama need a woman to help placate the female members of his party?

* One of Obama's biggest weaknesses is foreign policy experience. We live in a dangerous world and people want mature and decisive leadership to face international challenges. Foreign policy experience on the ticket would be very helpful.

* Obama (like McCain among Republican states) found it very difficult to win in states that Democrats must line up in November. In those traditional Democrat strongholds, Hillary often found herself on top. Finding someone strong in these areas could be helpful.

The list of candidates being mentioned most are Sam Nunn (former Senator of Georgia and an established foreign policy leader) and Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, an enthusiastic supporter of Hillary Clinton who could help mend fences there. Both of these are perceived moderates and Nunn can help with the problem of Obama's perceived youthfulness. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is about the only female mentioned with much frequency and she does nothing to help Obama in some of her biggest weaknesses. There was also much talk of Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico. He has a significant amount of foreign policy experience and he serves as a chief executive in the office of governor. However he has not and is not likely to catch on at this point.

So, who will be the Democrat's nominee for VP? My gut still says Hillary is the only one who can heal the divide in the party. Get ready for a Republican field day!

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Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.