There's word tonight that Senate Democrats have denied Arlen Specter seniority on the committees on which he will now serve as a Democrat. That means Specter, who has been a senator for 28 years, will now occupy the most junior position among Senate Democrats. A few minutes ago, I asked a GOP Senate source for his reaction. "I don't know if it says more about [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid's lack of commitment or Specter's naiveté," he told me. "But either way, it's going to be hard for Specter to argue that dumping him now would cost his constituents seniority and clout -- he has the same ranking on committees that his successor will have in 2011."
There goes another argument against a Democratic challenge to Specter in 2010. I then asked whether my source thought Specter had been mistreated, or whether Democrats just didn't trust him. "I think this shows that Reid didn't pull him over, didn't entice him," my source told me. "I think Specter's switch was a surprise to most of the Democratic caucus, and they weren't going to get bumped by an opportunist."
No word about Republican reaction, but you can bet there's a good deal of satisfaction that Specter got what he deserved. Now, let's just be clear, GOP: this is what happens when you make nice with the Democrats. You lose.
So let's stop making nice, shall we? There's too much at stake right now to be stupid losers.
There's my two cents.
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