Democrats angry at Reid for promising Specter choice committee slots

Oops, not so fast with the feel-good vibes coming out of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Turns out that one day after Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter thrilled Democrats and stunned Republicans by defecting to the Blue Caucus, some of his new allies on the Democratic side are miffed.

The reason: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, in negotiations before the announcement, promised Specter he could keep the seniority he'd accrued as a Republican on powerful committees such as Appropriations and Judiciary. There is of course precedence for this. Think Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who left the Democratic Party to run as an independent but was allowed to keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, even though he endorsed his friend John McCain over Barack Obama in last year's presidential election.

That did not sit well with some senators who stand to be passed over for subcommittee chairmanships because of Specter, and who shared their concerns with The Hill.

"I won't be happy if I don't get to chair something because of Arlen Specter," said Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who is fifth in seniority among Democrats on Appropriations behind Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (Hawaii), Sens. Robert C. Byrd (W.Va.), Patrick J. Leahy (Vt.) and Tom Harkin (Iowa). "I'm happy with the Democratic order, but I don't want to be displaced because of Arlen Specter," she said.

Privately, some Senate Democrats are even grumbling that Specter should cede seniority because they rescued his career. Facing a tough primary challenge from former Rep. Pat Toomey, Specter was considered a political corpse. Now that he's switched parties, he's been revived, and critics feel he should be thanking them, not taking their seats.

But Reid is no doubt reminding them that without Specter, the Democrats can't get to that magic, filibuster-proof number of 60 votes.

Anyway, this is all a bit academic. Committee assignments won't get doled out until after the 2010 elections. So first, Specter has to win. Ditto Mikulski.

-- Johanna Neuman

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Photo: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Credit: Getty Images

Comments

[micki richmond]

How could the Dems let Spector join them. He'll caucus with them; take over some important chairmanships and vote like a Rep. They just saved his job.

[Charles]

The Democrats are going to be even angrier, when the Moderates start taking over the Party, and voting Moderates into leadership posts.

Just as the Moderates diluted the Conservative Republicans influence, so too will they dilute the Liberal Democrats influence.

[WTL]

Look, that "magic 60" number is almost unattainable. Most of the time it's a pipe dream. There are too many conservative Democrats - Specter joins Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln and several others who are utterly unreliable when it comes to party loyalty in a crunch.

Add doubtful reliability to the weakest Senate leadership the Democrats have had since - well, since their last weakest leader, Daschle - and you have a party that cannot accomplish some of the simplest things. Spector is most like an old-time Southern Democrat from the LBJ days.

And speaking of LBJ, he's probably howling from the grave at the witlessness of Harry Reid.

[The Village Idiot]

Let him keep it....

[Jim Sparks]

How dare these elected officials argue over who has the "right" to chair a committee! I thought that they were there to represent the people, not to gain power, prestige, and glory for themselves. Shame on Specter. Shame on Mikulski. Shame on the entire bloodsucking, ego driven mass that we call "The Senate".