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In perhaps the boldest display of power lust and personal gain the Keystone State has seen in decades, lifelong faux Republican Senator Arlen Specter has officially shown his true colors and switched to the Democratic Party. But the only party he has really been concerned with for the last 19 years has been his own, and making sure it doesn’t come to an end.

For almost the past twenty years Republicans have watched in awe as Specter has rebuffed the GOP on some of the most serious and sensitive issues by siding with Democrats. A maverick? No. Manic? Maybe. An opportunist? Yes. The career politician has voted almost 60 percent of the time with the opposing party. These highly calculated snubs have only earned him the ire of Republicans, but also the distrust of Dems. Until today, he always had an “R” behind his name, after all.

Can the ultimate, finger in the wind, luke warm legislator actually win a Keystone State election in November?

Specter saw the writing on the wall when it came to his re-election. He knew he couldn’t beat the younger, more politically pure, fiscally savvy former Congressman Pat Toomey who announced just a few weeks ago. Specter was trailing some 20 plus points in the Pennsylvania primary last week according to some polls. His crucial votes on the stimulus and the massive Wall Street and Detroit bailouts sealed his fate with a Republican electorate that has been increasingly dissatisfied with the rapid growth of government. Plus, with Republicans defecting in droves to vote in the Democrats’ 2008 presidential primary, the pool has been skimmed of its lukewarm constituency. The current crop of registered Pennsylvania Republicans leans more conservative.

This begs the question: can the ultimate, finger in the wind, luke warm legislator actually win a Keystone State election in November? Not if he faces a tough primary challenge from a moderate; and in Pennsylvania there are plenty gunning for his spot. Specter likely cut a deal to ensure he’d have the backing and the funding of the national Democratic Party. But Pennsylvania is still somewhat of a purple place. Much to Obama’s dismay, many Pennsylvanians cling to our guns and our religion, unlike Specter who clings to power. Candidates like Senator Bob Casey, a socially conservative, left leaning politician has an easier shot than a turncoat, two decade Republican turned Democrat. Specter might be able to beat Toomey in a general election, but the he’ll have to face the fight of his life to get there.

Nobody wants to hear of people losing their jobs in these trying times. But when it comes to Arlen Specter, his political unemployment might just be the greatest boost Pennsylvania has seen in decades — no matter what the party.

Andrea Tantaros is a conservative commentator and columnist. Her commentary can be found at www.andreatantaros.com.

Former Pennsylvania Congressman Pat Toomey almost inched out a victory against long-term Washington fixture and faux Republican Arlen Specter in 2004. It was one of the most expensive primary campaigns in U.S. history.

A mere 17,000 votes separated the two out of the 1 million votes cast. That was less than two percentage points.

And here comes the rematch. On Tax Day, Toomey, who just stepped down as president of The Club for Growth, formally announced he'll yet again attempt to unseat the Keystone State's senior U.S. senator.

Specter already is sweating. Just the hint of a Toomey run had Specter running negative campaign ads that skirted, if not outright distorted, the truth. One thing is crystal clear -- Arlen Specter is scared. And he should be.

Let's look at his voting record.

Specter consistently has voted for increased government spending and a liberal agenda on social, labor, immigration and national security policies. In just the past few months, Specter voted in favor of the unprecedented and outrageous Wall Street and auto company bailouts and the massive "stimulus" bill better characterized as "spendulus."

For three decades Specter has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from party political committees like the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Republican National Committee. These organizations raise money from Republican donors across the country who give to ensure that candidates who will vote to protect and defend Republican principles in Congress are supported.

But Specter, in a repeated exercise of what can only be termed temerarious arrogance, has done just the opposite.

On the most serious and substantive issues of the day, he often has thumbed his nose at the GOP and voted with the Left.

Manic? Yes. A maverick? No.

Toomey, on the other hand, is the model of conservative consistency. He possesses a refreshing depth and common sense on fiscal issues. There isn't a wasteful bone in his body. It's indeed a rare trait on either side of the aisle these days.

Toomey doesn't require public opinion polls to tell him what to say or a focus group to tell him what to feel. A proponent of term limits, Toomey kept his promise to Pennsylvania voters and served only three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

By virtue of that promise, he never was beholden to special interests or became "institutionalized" in the often spendthrift ways of Washington. The people were his first priority.

In stark contrast, Arlen Specter has drawn a salary from taxpayers for most of his adult life.

Pat Toomey is firmly grounded, reliable and smart -- a role model as a father and a man with a genuine conscience.Working for and among politicians for almost a decade (including Toomey), I've seen the best and the worst and Toomey is one of the good guys.

Specter might boast the support of the Washington establishment in this bout but let's not forget what direction that same crowd has taken the GOP. With Republicans defecting in droves to vote in the Democrats' 2008 presidential primary, the pool has been skimmed of its lukewarm constituency. The current crop of registered Pennsylvania Republicans leans more conservative. And that gives Toomey an advantage in a primary when many on the right are furious at the government's drastic leftward lurch.

As politicians continue to reward companies that have managed themselves poorly, people who have made bad decisions and executives who have abused power, it's time Pennsylvania elected a senator who will put an end to a wasteful Washington full of "leaders" who refuse to listen. They spend the public's money with abandon and rob us of our future by strapping us with crushing debt that will saddle generations to come.

Nobody wants to hear of people losing their jobs in these trying times. But when it comes to Arlen Specter, his political unemployment might just be the greatest boost Pennsylvania has seen in decades.

As the great orator and, yes, Democrat William Jennings Bryan reminded in a Washington speech 110 years ago, "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

Pennsylvania Republicans can choose destiny and achieve a great thing by retiring Arlen Specter in the 2010 spring primary. They're looking for a real leader and Pat Toomey is the go-to guy.

Alert first responders: be on the lookout for citizens – gasp – practicing their right first amendment right!

If anything, the Obama Administration should be issuing an alert that notifies first responders that people will be gathering to voice their concerns for the country and to make sure nobody interferes.

Apparently, free speech has become deeply threatening to our Commander in Chief. In interviews, President Obama has a tendency to appear annoyed at hardball questions or anyone who disagrees or challenges his ideas. Though his office has distanced itself from the report, his Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis, citing no specific threats, defines "rightwing extremism in the United States”… “Including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the warning says.

The timing of this report is transparent. Today, hundreds of thousands of outraged Americans will gather in protest at “tea parties” across the country. The Left has been trying to discount their largess for weeks but this development is evidence they are becoming more visibly concerned.

Most jawdroppingly it reads: the federal government "will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months" to gather information on "rightwing extremist activity in the United States. The joint federal-state activities will have "a particular emphasis" on the causes of "rightwing extremist radicalization."

Why conduct covert surveillance ops on nefarious overseas terrorist cells when you can monitor the Orange County Republican Club? – And use taxpayer money to do it. I ask: where was the DHS when Code Pink was trying to handcuff former Administration officials or when leftist groups like ACORN were slashing tires, intimidating voters and vandalizing campaign headquarters (not to mention bullying banks to give bad loans to people who couldn’t afford them)?

Obama wants -- and needs -- an unreasonable enemy. The Clintons were experts at using their detractors to define them, and Obama has ripped a page of out their playbook. Who better to demonize into an irrational, national security threat than conservatives?

In fact, he’s spent the last few weeks apologizing and making excuses for conservatives overseas. From his comment about Americans being “arrogant” on foreign soil to his obsession with winning a global popularity contest by lambasting the last eight years (translation: the right) the President seems more interested with the threat here at home than any abroad. Now we find out he’s issuing warnings about Republicans.

The message that Obama is trying to silence is a good one: cut taxes, cut spending, and repeal the pork – but there is much more at stake than the money. Our culture is in great danger. Our freedoms are at risk. And our constitutional rights are being put in jeopardy. The Homeland Security memo is just the beginning.

The Obama Doctrine seeks to do just that: strip power from people, put government — and ultimately the tenants of radicalism — in control. This has a direct impact on our communities and our culture. And once the our culture has decayed, there is nothing left to fight for. When the government starts trying to discount and ultimately discredit a portion of its citizens for speaking their minds, a threat much bigger than spending or taxing is imminent.

On Tax Day, the argument needs to bigger than bucks. It should address cost, but the cost of losing everything.

Andrea Tantaros is a conservative commentator, columnist and the former Press Secretary to the House Republican Conference. Her commentary can be found at www.andreatantaros.com and www.foxnews.com/opinion.

As tax day approaches there is a crescendo growing across America in the form of organized protests, also known as tea parties, and the noise is on a path to becoming deafening. Thousands of rallies are planned across the country; one in every single congressional district and larger gatherings slated for cities like New York, Sacramento and Atlanta which hope to boast an upwards of 20,000 participants.

Those who discount the frustration and fury across America should so do at their own peril, particularly incumbents who voted for the Obama budget. This time anger is being transformed into action. Each person who participates in a Tax Day Tea Party is being asked to organize a group of friends, family and neighbors. These groups will be asked to develop a consensus around two candidates, a fiscally responsible Democrat and Republican that they can unite behind to support in 2010 to unseat their big spending representative.

Though many on the far left continue to ignore or downplay the rage claiming that these gatherings are only for conservatives, all evidence is to the contrary. A recent FOX News poll found that 47 percent of respondents were willing to participate in a Tax Day Tea Party, along with 29 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of independents. By April 15th, organizers hope to have a database filled with a quarter of a million names representing a broad spectrum of political affiliations.

The message is simple: repeal the pork, cut taxes and cut spending. But there is much more at stake than the money. The impact these actions will have on our culture is key. Massive government control is a clear threat to our liberties and our values of American exceptionalism. The argument from Tax Day to Election Day 2010 should be focused on helping voters connect the dots, not only about why we can’t afford to spend money we don’t have or why we can’t trust Washington, but also about how spending and borrowing will cause irreversible damage to our union and put us on a slippery slope toward a European model of stagnate economies, welfare states and mediocrity. Plainly put: the spending and borrowing threatens our greatness.

The fundamental difference between tea totalers and those who are drinking the leftist Kool-Aid is how they view decision-making. The Kool-Aid clan believes that government is better equipped to make choices than a country’s citizens, that they are entitled to our earnings, and that what we get back is simply a giveaway.  They feel they know best how to spend it, not us, and simply don’t trust us if left to our own devices.

Every time the government assumes control of our rights and choices whether it is on health care or education, finances, family or faith, it sucks the life out of each one, eventually causing the decay of individual empowerment. As power is increasingly transferred to the government, it will seek to dilute and destroy our most precious values — from the sanctity of marriage to the right to bear arms, free speech and other fundamentals of our constitution.

The Obama Doctrine seeks to do just that: strip power from people, put government — and ultimately the tenants of radicalism — in control. This has a direct impact on our communities and our culture. And once the our culture has decayed, there is nothing left to fight for, which is why we must not cease or waiver in this, and all other, efforts to protect our freedoms.

The culmination of a resistance movement is more than brewing; the tea parties will bring the outrage to a full boil. Though the tea might steep on Wednesday, the battle to protect our nation from socialism’s effect on our culture and our American exceptionalism has just begun. Grab your Earl Grey, it must be stopped.