When the opportunistic Specter switched parties, Democrats cheered the move -- even though a few dissenting voices questioned whether his decision would advance the party's interests. Yesterday, Senate Democrats denied Specter seniority and relegated him to junior status on the Senate Appropriations and Judiciary Committees. The Democrats might revisit the matter after the midterm elections in 2010.
Specter recently caused a flap when he implicitly supported Republican Norm Coleman's exhaustive efforts to contest the extremely close Minnesota Senate race. During an interview with the New York Times, Specter was asked to comment on the fact that his decision to become a Democrat means that "there are no more Jewish Republicans in the Senate." In response, Specter said: "There’s still time for the Minnesota courts to do justice and declare Norm Coleman the winner." Many liberal blogs went into a complete lather. Specter has since stated that he "misspoke."
Specter also caused a near-meltdown during an interview with Meet the Press in which he twice denied ever saying that he would be a "loyal Democrat." He then proceeded to state his disagreement with key components of health reform supported by many Democrats.
Looks like the shiny moment of his defection has worn off already.
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