Your Newest "Democrat Senator"

The RNC put out an anti-Specter robo-call (above). Chris Orr is befuddled:

Even leaving aside the fact that the 2010 election is a year and a half away, I'm unclear on what this robo-call is intended to accomplish. Does the GOP think that if it reminds Democrats that Specter is a former Republican who is opposed to EFCA, it will persuade them to vote for a more conservative, still-Republican who likely opposes EFCA still more? Do they imagine they'll inspire Dems to vote against him in the primary, possibly giving them a more-liberal, less-well-known Democratic candidate to run against in the general? Or are they just so ticked off they want to insult him, and associating him with Bush is the best they can come up with?

The ad is clearly designed to help another Democratic contender knock out Specter in the primary and therefore give the Republican on the ballot a better shot at winning against a wet behind the ears no-name Democrat. Planting story lines early makes them go over smoother later on. That said, if the NRSC manages to gin up enough Democratic angst that Specter faces a legitimate challenge from the left, it could simply make Specter take more liberal policy positions in the present. That's not a very good outcome for the GOP when Obama is front-loading his domestic agenda.