Specter's party-switching brings rumbles, fumbles

Sen. Arlen Specter, a Republican-turned-Democrat from Pennsylvania, seems to be off to a bit of a rough start on the other side of the aisle.

In his first two big votes as a Democrat, Specter voted against his new party, opposing the budget resolution supported by President Obama, and helping to kill a measure to allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgage terms for homeowners.

Fellow Democrats then decided against honoring the 28 years' seniority Specter accumulated as a Republican before switching parties last week.

Now, in an interview with The New York Times Magazine, to be published Sunday, Specter declared that Minnesota courts should rule in favor of Republican Norm Coleman in the state's contested Senate race, and deny Democrats the 60th vote that would give them the muscle to overcome Republican filibusters. Coleman is appealing a court ruling in which Democrat Al Franken was declared the victor.

Specter, who is Jewish, was answering a question about his departure's leaving no Jewish Republicans in the Senate. Coleman is Jewish. "There's still time for the Minnesota courts to do justice and declare Norm Coleman the winner," he said.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued a statement gleefully quoting Specter's comment.

In a brief interview with CQ after The New York Times Magazine interview was published online Tuesday, Specter retracted his support for Coleman.

"In the swirl of moving from one caucus to another," he said, "I have to get used to my new teammates. I'm ordinarily pretty correct in what I say. I've made a career of being precise. I conclusively misspoke."

On Wednesday, Specter moved to minimize political damage from his demotion by members of his new party.

In a statement, he expressed confidence that beginning in 2011, "my seniority will be maintained under the arrangement I worked out with" Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., before switching.

Specter, 79, is seeking a sixth term next year. He has said he made the decision to end his four-decade relationship with the Republican Party because he was unlikely to win the nomination in a party that has grown increasingly conservative.

He said last week that he and Reid had agreed he would be treated for seniority purposes as though he had been elected as a Democrat when he first came to the Senate in 1980. The issue has important ramifications because chairmanships, which come with money to hire large staffs, can be at stake.

Reid aides say the majority leader did not make a flat commitment to honor the Pennsylvania lawmaker's seniority, telling him the issue would have to go before the Democratic rank-and-file.

Reid told CNN on Wednesday that Specter remains a senior member of the Senate, and that in the chamber, "we kind of exaggerate where people sit."

"I think everyone should just kind of relax and understand he's a Democrat," Reid said. "We're doing our best to try to make him happy as a Democrat. I think he is."