The Cauldron

Sentor Arlen Specter

Senator Arlen Specter Fleas the Republican Party and Becomes a Democrat On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced a bomb shell on Capital Hill that after decades of being a Republican that he will switch parties and become a Democrat. "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," Specter said in press conference making his announcement official. In response to the news, President Barack Obama greeted Specter to the Democratic Party with welcoming arms and celebrated his decision by remarking, "This reflects an independence that has been the hallmark of Arlen Specter's career since the days he arrived in Washington."

With Specter joining the Democratic Party has the 59th vote in the Senate and with Al Franken soon being declared winner in the Minnesota recount soon could make 60th votes. The Democrats and President Obama with 60 votes in the Senate will be able to overcome any Republican filibuster and will pave the way for the president's ambitious agenda of change.

Health Care Reform Close to Becoming Reality With the global health crisis of swine flu and millions of hardworking Americans already unable to afford basic health care coverage, the need for both Health and Human Services Secretary and health care reform has never been in greater demand.

In a recent 65-31 Senate confirmation vote, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius became the new HHS Secretary. President Obama remarked that "we need all hands on deck and I expect her to hit the ground running." In addition to her influence during the global swine flu pandemic, Secretary Sebelius will play a vital role in Obama's health care agenda and current efforts in Congress to pass a budget that includes funding for health care reform.

In Washington, Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio outlined how health care reform will not only help fellow Ohioans but the nation as a whole. "Comprehensive health reform is not only a moral issue - it's critical to getting our economy back on track. We can't achieve economic prosperity if families are only one hospital visit away from financial disaster or American businesses struggle to compete globally due to health care costs," Brown said. As an avid advocate for universal health care, Senator Brown and others in Congress may be getting a step closer in achieve such a massive task.

President Barack Obama First 100 Days On Wednesday, President Barack Obama reached the first 100 days of his presidency. President Obama commented on the benchmark day by saying, "I'm pleased with the progress we've made but I'm not satisfied." Obama has worked hard to restore American foreign policy, bring a near end to the war in Iraq, battle a terrible global economic crisis, order the shutdown of Gitmo, and even kicked some pirate butt. "The changes we've made are the changes we promised," said Obama. There is still a lot ahead for the Obama and his historic presidency; only time will tell what else is in store for the nation.

Staff Writer's Senior Farewell As a senior, this will be my final column as a Staff Writer for The Cauldron before I graduate on May 16th. It has truly been an honor and pleasure in my tenure the past two semesters to bring you the news through my columns - the Political Notebook, Day in the Life, and other works. I will miss bringing you the news each week, and the wonderful Cauldron newspaper team that I have been a part of. In closing, if you have passion for good journalism or writing, consider becoming a writer for The Cauldron.

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