On April 28, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter stunned the political world by switching from the Republican Party to become a Democrat.  In doing so, his decision has the potential to shift the political landscape in Washington.  Specter's decision likely presents the Democrats with a filibuster proof majority, if Al Franken holds on in Minnesota as expected. Specter's defection says a lot about today's politics, particularly the state of the modern Republican Party.