Analysis: Specter The Pragmatist

(CBS)  Steve Chaggaris is CBS News' Political Director.

Sen. Arlen Specter's jilted former party is pushing the talking point that his switch to the Democratic Party is "an act of self-preservation."

"[H]is decision ... was a personal decision, limited to his Republican primary prospects in Pennsylvania. Nothing more and nothing less," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., the chairman of the National Senatorial Congressional Committee.

Not to buy into the spin, but they're actually fairly accurate. And Specter is fully aware of that fact.

"I have traveled the state and surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania and public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls and have found that the prospects for
winning a Republican primary are bleak," Specter told reporters on Capitol Hill this afternoon.

Specter, who squeaked past an intraparty challenge from former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., in 2004, was facing the conservative Toomey again. And recent polls showed him being trounced by Toomey in the Republican primary next year.

Always a thorn in the Republican Party's side, Specter has been increasingly mistrusted by Republicans, especially at home in Pennsylvania. His views on abortion, stem cell research, the 2007 troop "surge" in Iraq and, most recently, President Obama's economic stimulus plan have found him at odds with the rest of his party.

And Specter today cited the stimulus vote as the impetus for his switch.

But he also clearly, and repeatedly, admitted that it was more than him being an independent voice that was reason for becoming a Democrat. It was to save his political career.

"I am not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate -- not prepared to have that record decided by that jury, the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate," Specter said.

Specter saw what has happened to other moderate Republicans in recent elections and doesn't want to be the next one to go down fighting against a conservative challenger.

"[O]ne of [Toomey's] principal advisers said, 'We don't care about stage two. Stage one, we want to beat Arlen Specter. We'll worry about stage two later.' They don't make any bones about
their willingness to lose the general election if they can purify the party," said Specter. "And for the people who are Republicans that just sit by and allow them to continue to dominate the party ... there ought to be a rebellion. There ought to be an uprising."

(AP)

Specter, who's been in the Senate for 29 years, has seen the polls and the political landscape in his state, especially the surge in Democratic registration thanks to the high-profile presidential primary there last year.

And Specter realizes that if he's to continue as a senator, his best bet is to become a Democrat.

He now has Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on his side; Reid will recognize Specter's seniority and treat him as if he's been a Democrat his entire Senate career.

Specter said that Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pa., has suggested getting his party's leaders together in Washington to formalize a Specter endorsement. If that happened, that would put to rest any serious Democratic intraparty challenge against Specter.

And, perhaps most importantly, President Obama told him today that he'll campaign and raise money for him next year.

Specter needed then-popular George W. Bush to help him win the Republican primary and the general election in 2004. Now, he's receiving the seal of approval from an even more popular incumbent president in a state that was won easily by Mr. Obama in November.

So, even though he has found himself "increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party," Specter knows that the only thing he has to lose by not switching is his political livelihood.

[tigerrram9]

Why do you republicans want to live in the past? Senator Specter has seen the light and path the republicans have taken. He chose to leave the party because of people like Limbaugh, Palin, Rove, Cheney, and Levin. Those people call themselves true conservatives. What is a true conservative? Just listen to Mark Levin and you can hear he truly wants to live in the past. We are in a new world and we need to move forward not backward. Let the past be the past and let us move forward, keeping an eye on the past so we do not repeat the same mistakes again. America needs a new beginning.
Thank you Senator Specter for seeing the light.

[venkata4--2008]

Never mind , GOP has Rush Limbaugh & Gov. Sarah Palin. That is most important for them, Extreme right wing.

Bold decision Senator Specter.

[vm7488-2009]

Well Joe Lieberaman the Veep for the Democrats in 2000 left that Party, although I don't recall all the news like we are seeing with Specter.Joe also endorsed the Republican candidate for prez in 2008 Well one thing is for sure the Democrats own this economy and now they will own the doubling of the US debt from $10 Trillion to $20 Trillion ++ thanks to Obama's "jacked up" Federal spending that has no "cash receipts" to pay for.Anyone in Ameica can do what Obama is doing if WE over spent by $ 10 Trillion dollars for the next ten years Sad and the under 30 voters who put Obama in the White House will be the ones who are saddled with that debt for the rest of their "poor" lifes And our corrupt left-wing press continues to censor these facts and warnings just like they censored the "tea parties"
Posted by perceptions5 at 5:00 AM : Apr 29, 2009

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So who the hell are you? Nostradamus? Did you come back from the future to warn what you saw?
Right-wing Radical extremists have been "predicting" and accusing lots of things now and not one of them has come true yet and were never true.

I watched your Stupid T.E.A. party (which stands for "Terrible in Every Angle") from FOX news (yes, because I have EARS LEFT AND RIGHT) and it was just a bunch of Paranoid right wingers scared for the future of their guns and scared for a Tax increase which was never there (or at least not for them anyway).

[whatithink-2009]

Posted by skyk-2009 at 5:07 AM : Apr 29, 2009

Great post!

[whatithink-2009]

Republicans = Dixiecrats = Confederates = Stuck in the18th Century while the rest of us have moved forward.

Nixon wanted them and now that's all they've got.

[hakori]

krisinal ..........it's the GOP as it stands now full of right-wing thugs that allow absolutely no room for diverse views, supports torture and the shredding of our constitution that is treasnous. Yes, that's right....the GOP base is full of traitors!

[J_G_H]

Specter has been one of the most principled of the Republican politicians, with a record of infuriating party bosses. He votes shat he thinks is right, and although I have always thought he made some key mistakes (Ed Meese and Clarence Thomas confirmations for two) I have never thought he was voting for political advantage. Yes, he faced an uphill fight against a Limbaugh Republican, I doubt if he would have switched parties if he profoundly disagreed with its platform. However his voting record has straddled party lines.

[hungry1968-15]

Posted by perceptions5 at 5:00 AM : Apr 29, 2009




Reading your post confirms at least one thing:

"Watching Fox News gives a false perception of reality."

[perceptions5]

Well Joe Lieberaman the Veep for the Democrats in 2000 left that Party, although I don't recall all the news like we are seeing with Specter.

Joe also endorsed the Republican candidate for prez in 2008....................

Well one thing is for sure the Democrats own this economy and now they will own the doubling of the US debt from $10 Trillion to $20 Trillion ++ .............................thanks to Obama's "jacked up" Federal spending that has no "cash receipts" to pay for.

Anyone in Ameica can do what Obama is doing if WE over spent by $ 10 Trillion dollars for the next ten years........

Sad...............and the under 30 voters who put Obama in the White House will be the ones who are saddled with that debt for the rest of their "poor" lifes............

And our corrupt left-wing press continues to censor these facts and warnings...............just like they censored the "tea parties"

[longtree-2009]

spector is just one of many career politicians who would sell their mother, or first born, to stay employed as a career politician. spector is just doing what anyone else would do to keep a job. the blame in this case lies with voters who keep electing career politicians. if spector can pull it off, more power to him because he will get it one way or another. biden reportedly pressured spector to change parties so it's not all about spector but the WH too. there is no change, same old same old.