*This story appeared in the 2010 Joke Issue.
In a surprise move Monday, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter announced another party switch. This time Specter is joining the “Matt Movement,” the new following for Penn’s Undergraduate Assembly President-elect and College junior Matt Amalfitano.
Experts say Specter, formerly a Democrat — and formerly a former Republican — made the switch because he faced a tough primary against his opponent, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.).
“The values Matt embodies are the values everyday Pennsylvanians live by,” Specter wrote in an e-mail from his newly purchased iPad. “I’ve made the Matt move solely to reflect the beliefs of my constituents.”
Amalfitano, the second ginger in a row to head the UA, said the Movement was all about being organic.
“I wanted people to think of me as a farmer’s market: the freshest option amidst processed, corporate groceries,” he said.
He added that “it’s, like, so about being a Movement together, rising up against a monolithic administration, you dig?”
Leaders of Penn Students for Sestak expressed excitement that their candidate is now the de facto Democratic nominee.
“Sestak is a great candidate, and I’m proud to support him,” group coordinator and College sophomore Ted Koutsoubas, a former Daily Pennsylvanian photo manager, said. “His message really resonates with the Greek community, of which I am such a big part.”
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