Comic relief. Much needed.

Watch Real Life Twitter and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

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Have at it.

This is a 1991 Lancaster Newspapers photo of U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter inspecting the former low-grade rail line in southern Lancaster County. At right is former county Commissioner Bob Brenneman. To the left is former county Administrator Sherri Heller. New Era staffer Tim Buckwalter, who runs the Flashback Lancaster blog, came across the […]

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Lots of it going on in the Republican Party these days in the wake of Specter’s defection, says Politico.
Let the games begin:
Faced with a high-profile defection and the prospect of political irrelevance in the Senate, Republicans took off the gloves Wednesday for a ferocious game of finger-pointing.
Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch and George Voinovich blamed the […]

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Key Republican U.S. senators believe Pennsylvania’s 2010 race is now Arlen’s to lose.
From Politico:
Still stunned by Arlen Specter’s party switch, Republican senators are pessimistic about the chances for conservative GOP hopeful Pat Toomey in the Pennsylvania Senate race. “I don’t think there is anybody in the world who believes he can get elected senator there,” […]

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U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter dropped hints — hints that he expanded upon today — that he was dissatisfied with the Republican Party during an appearance in Lancaster County Monday morning. Much of Specter’s troubles can be traced back to his vote in favor of the stimulus package, and the outrage it caused among conservatives. Specter […]

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Breaking news from The Washington Post:
Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and announced today that he will run in 2010 as a Democrat, according to a statement he released this morning.
Specter’s decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster proof majority in the Senate assuming Democrat Al Franken […]

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The latest data from the folks at Voter Registration:

313,444 voters are registered for the May 19 primary — down 13,064 or 4 percent since November because of a voter-roll purge.

169,817 or 54 percent are Republicans — roughly the same portion as in the fall.

100,148 or 32 percent are Democrats — roughly the same portion as […]

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U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who faces perhaps his toughest re-election fight in 2010, will speak in Lancaster County on Monday. The veteran Republican lawmaker will appear at a morning breakfast being held by the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Willow Valley Resort.  Specter, who will appear with U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, is scheduled […]

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Roll Call says Pennsylvania’s Republican representatives in Congress, including Rep. Joe Pitts, are staying out of what is expected to be a blockbuster of a race in 2010 — despite calls from National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn to unite behind Sen. Arlen Specter in his matchup against Pat Toomey.
The state’s Republican House Members […]

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You probably remember from last week that Gov. Ed Rendell, standing alongside Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray and city police Chief Keith Sadler, called on Congress to reinstate a ban on assault weapons like the one used recently to kill three Pittsburgh police officers. On Sunday, the governor faced off with the National Rifle Association’s top […]

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