Arlen Specter: Sucker!

You had it coming, and no one likes a phony.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Democratic leader in the Senate promised Sen. Arlen Specter he would retain his seniority when he jumped from the Republican to the Democratic party, Specter told CNN Wednesday, but faced "pushback" from other Democratic senators.

Why would you trust Reid?

UPDATE: Specter has just released a statement on the matter:

“Senator Reid assured me that I would keep my committee assignments and that I would have the same seniority as if I had been elected as a Democrat in 1980. It was understood that the issue of subcommittee chairmanships would not be decided until after the 2010 election. Some members of the caucus have raised concerns about my seniority, so the caucus will vote on my seniority at the same time subcommittee chairmanships are confirmed after the 2010 election. I am confident my seniority will be maintained under the arrangement I worked out with Senator Reid. I am eager to continue my work with my colleagues on the various committees on which I serve and will continue to be a staunch and effective advocate for Pennsylvania’s and the Nation’s priorities.”

Via HA, What Actually Happened:

And we thought that Al Franken would get the least amount of respect as a Senator. After cutting a deal with Harry Reid to keep his seniority after a party switch, Arlen Specter got a rude shock last night when Reid’s caucus rejected that deal and refused to give Specter any consideration on committee assignments. In fact, not only did he lose out on chair assignments, he will take the most junior positions on the committees:

The Senate dealt a blow tonight to Sen. Arlen Specter’s hold on seniority in several key committees, a week after the Pennsylvanian’s party switch placed Democrats on the precipice of a 60-seat majority.

In a unanimous voice vote, the Senate approved a resolution that added Specter to the Democratic side of the dais on the five committees on which he serves, an expected move that gives Democrats larger margins on key panels such as Judiciary and Appropriations.

But Democrats placed Specter in one of the two most junior slots on each of the five committees for the remainder of this Congress, which goes through December 2010. Democrats have suggested that they will consider revisiting Specter’s seniority claim at the committee level only after the midterm elections next year.

This goes beyond the denial of the chair on a subcommittee Specter wanted. He actually got demoted on his existing committee assignments, moving from the top or near top of the opposition to the bottom of the majority. When Barack Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court meets with the Judiciary Committee, Specter will be the last person to ask questions, instead of second — a dramatic comedown.