Stunning news comes today as longtime Republican Senator Arlen Specter has officially switched his party affiliation to Democrat. This has broader political implications, because with Democrat Al Franken’s current trajectory, this gives the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority of 60 in the Senate.

“Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right…Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.”

-Arlen Specter^[1]

This development comes mere days away from the retrograde station of the ever-surprising Mercury, as was Arlen Specter’s own birth^[2]. The big story here though is that Jupiter, the planet of optimism, luck, wealth, knowledge and philosophical revelations is exactly conjoined to Mr. Specter’s Sun, quite appropriately (outlined in blue). This transit may also indicate the warm reception he has received from Democrats. Additionally, he was not born long after a Jupiter-Neptune square (outlined in red, inner wheel), and so he may be resonating with the current Jupiter-Neptune conjunction (outlined in red, outer wheel), aside from Jupiter’s conjunction to his Sun.

There may be substantial political considerations in Specter’s switch, as some news was made about the tough challenge he would face in the Republican primary. Pennsylvania is becoming increasingly Democrat, having turned blue in the last two elections,  they have a Democratic governor, and as he noted, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania Republicans  switched to Democrat in the last election, so the move may come out of political necessity as well as his own convictions. Arlen Specter was always known as a surprisingly moderate Republican, arguing against Republican supreme court nominees and against the impeachment of Democratic President Bill Clinton. With Jupiter’s transit, maybe these streaks of independence will pay off come election time.

Ironically, the man who looks very likely to be the 60th Democratic vote in the Senate, Al Franken, is beating Republican Norm Coleman, who used to be a Democrat. The major transit he had at his announcement of his party switch to Republican? A Jupiter Return.

.Endnotes

1. http://politicspa.com/Specter%20Switches.htm
2. Arlen Specter, February 12th, 1930, Wichita KS, unknown birthtime, Source: http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Specter%2C_Arlen

No related posts.

Tags: Arlen Specter, Jupiter