Specter shockwave

Sen. Arlen Specter’s (Pa.) decision to leave the Republican Party was stunning in some ways, understandable in others. As party switches go, it was the biggest event since Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) left the GOP and became an Independent in 2001, swinging control of the upper chamber to Democrats.

Specter was facing an uphill battle against former Rep. Pat Toomey (Pa.) in the GOP primary. A Quinnipiac poll released last month showed Toomey leading Specter, 41-27 percent.

Likewise, the poll showed that Specter ran better as a Democrat, receiving a 71 percent approval rating from his state’s Democrats.

But what is truly remarkable is what Specter has said over the last few weeks.

In a March 17 interview with The Hill, he said, “I am staying a Republican because I think I have an important role, a more important role, to play there. The United States very desperately needs a two-party system. That’s the basis of politics in America. I’m afraid we are becoming a one-party system.”

Asked a week later about the poll showing him trailing Toomey, Specter said, “I think I have a big, broad base of support among Republicans.

“Republicans were for me in very solid numbers in the general [election].”

Specter knows politics. He knows he would probably have lost in the Republican primary and is confident he will beat Toomey in the general election, should Toomey win the GOP nomination.

Just like that, Specter has gone from a “bleak” election prospect (to coin his repeated description) to the favorite to retain his seat.

Politically, this may have been the only way for him to win a sixth term. But it is hard to discredit critics who say he is thinking solely of his own interests.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday, “This is not a national story. This is a Pennsylvania story,” and that Specter’s switch was a “totally political decision.”

Specter, not surprisingly, didn’t put it that way. He said he was “increasingly at odds with the Republican Party … the party has shifted very far to the right.”

Democrats have embraced him. They will now usually have 60 votes, if Al Franken, as expected, is seated as the new senator from Minnesota.

Specter notes he will not be changing his position on issues, such as card-check, which he opposes.

But as a Democrat, Specter is more likely to vote for the budget and healthcare reform than he was earlier this week. The White House and leading Democrats expressed glee, and it should be pointed out that Vice President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) played a large role in persuading Specter to defect.

Specter noted during a 2001 C-SPAN “Booknotes” interview that he left the Democratic Party to become a Republican in 1965. Forty-four years later, Specter has returned.

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