Well, not really. Last year I was filming an election stop of John McCain when, for some reason, PA. Senator Spector stepped to the microphone (as a then-Republican) to endorse John McCain.
From a loud and excited audience, the crowd went silent for about 5 whole seconds. Then, with no hesitation the voices of the populous swelled with "Boo!"s and "No!"s inviting Spector off the stage.
Spector's record honestly does not represent the platform he was elected under, and I think this is what caused the reaction in the conservative audience I had the opportunity to observe. Based on this first hand experience and the recent events in the news, here is my best estimation of what went down behind the curtain:
Spector has publicly announced that part of the reason for his willingness to jump parties had to do with a desire to maintain his seat. The trouble with politics is that the party has to endorce you if you want to be a part of a party, at which point I am sure the endorcement came tied to his willingness to attend a few photo opportunities.
So, in my estimation, based on the fact that PA Republicans are just fine with seeing him go, it is too little too late to make his jump into a big ideological political party migration story. This is opportunistic politics as usual with a hand full of behind closed door handshaking as one could only imagine.
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