Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Dems in a Snit Over Specter's Cozy Deal

Senate honchos fume as newbie prepares to leapfrog to top jobs

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 30, 2009 2:20 AM CDT

(Newser) – Some top Democratic senators are rebelling against the deal that brought Arlen Specter into the fold, the Hill reports. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the aisle-crosser he could keep the 28 years of seniority he gained as a GOP senator, infuriating long-serving Democrats whom Specter will now likely leapfrog over to the top of important panels.

"I won’t be happy if I don’t get to chair something because of Arlen Specter,” said Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski, currently the fifth most senior Democrat. Some Democrats—who say the party did Specter a favor by letting him switch—plan to vote against him rising to the top of Senate panels. Reid said that nobody will be bumped from any committees until after the 2010 elections, although some wrangling is likely to ensue over Specter's existing assignments.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., sits on the Democratic side of the aisle during an emergency hearing on swine flu in Washington on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Sen. Arlen Specter enters the Diplomatic Room at the White House to make a statement with President Barack Obama about his surprise switch to the Democratic Party in Washington yesterday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., sits on the Democratic side of the aisle during an emergency hearing on swine flu on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

I’m happy with the Democratic order, but I don’t want to be displaced because of Arlen Specter. - Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

AP Photo

35 Brutally Honest Reasons Men Say No to Sex (The Stir)

Which Entertainer Pulled Out of 'Inappropriate' Whitney Tribute? (NewsOne)

The French Government Wants to Tone My Vagina (Slate)

Obama Photo on Facebook Helps Catch Drug Dealer (HuffPost)

Hottest Women to Ever Appear in the SI Swimsuit Issue (Bleacher Report)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 3 comments

Derni

Apr 30, 2009 11:56 AM CDT

See-just llike our primate cousins-everyone is worried about thier own territory-food and sex-and we know how sex goes in Washington-so we really haven't changed too much-just that frontal lobe.

Rob

Apr 30, 2009 11:07 AM CDT

TANSTAAFL, heh, Reid?

sache

Apr 30, 2009 1:37 AM CDT

Get out of the snit. There are more important issues than someone leapfrogging to important panels. Get over it...meaning Specter situation. Get unified. Get this country back on the right track. President Obama needs the Dems to step up to the plate and put aside petty difference. America needs one of the major political party working for the country's best interest and not self interest. Dems be that party.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Rick Santorum: Birth Control Is 'Not OK'

Valentine's Day Role-Playing Goes Very Wrong

The Hill (Source Grid »)

Specter bucks against new party on first day
Washington Post

GOP strives to tie Specter to Bush
Politico

Politics

Senate • Harry Reid • Senate Democrats • Senate Judiciary Committee • Arlen Specter • Senate Appropriations Committee • party politics • switching parties

More Newser Stories

Bad News for Dems? Ben Nelson Retiring

Nebraska seat could shift to Republicans in Senate

(NEWSER) - Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson won't seek reelection next year, potentially harming Democratic hopes to hold onto the Senate majority, Politico reports. Though Nelson's approval ratings had struggled, they were on the rise this year, thanks in part to $1 million in national Democratic Party advertising. Meanwhile, Republicans spent hundreds of thousands criticizing Nelson's record, focusing on his support for health care reform. Analysts are mixed on the impact of the decision. More»

GOP Pulls 'Reverse Braveheart ' on Payroll Tax

Scots got slaughtered, points out Dana Milbank

(NEWSER) - Last night, as the House was on the verge of scuttling the payroll tax cut extension , House Republicans gathered in a Capitol basement to talk—Braveheart? “You, Mr. Speaker, are our William Wallace," one rep has said. "Let’s rush to the fight." Besides being a horrible abdication of responsibility, Dana Milbank, writing in the Washington Post , sees two huge problems with this: 1) House Republicans are a "reverse-Braveheart," clearly more like the oppressive nobles than the overtaxed peasants; and 2) the Scots they want to emulate got slaughtered. More»

Boehner Cancels Payroll Vote

House Republicans revolt, call for conference committee

(NEWSER) - House Republicans didn’t hold their expected vote on the Senate’s two-month payroll tax cut extension last night, a hairpin turn so abrupt that Politico ’s story on it is headlined, “Has John Boehner Lost Control?” The House had planned to vote down the Senate bill and push for a full-year extension, but members objected that doing so would compromise their pledge against voting for tax hikes. Instead, the House will hold a procedural vote this morning to send the matter into a conference committee with the Senate. More»

Reid Uses 'Nuclear Option' to Change Senate Rules

Move limits amendments that can be proposed after filibusters

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid shocked Congress last night when, without warning, he deployed the so-called “nuclear option” to change the Senate’s rules. No, he didn’t get rid of the filibuster. He barred senators from (stay with us) making motions to suspend the rules, a move that allows them to propose and debate on non-germane amendments after a bill has already defeated a filibuster and moved to a final vote. The new rule passed 51-48 along partisan lines, though only after some heated conversations between some Democrats and Reid, Politico reports. More»

Obama Backs Senate's Millionaires Tax

Says jobs bill will guard against Europe debt crisis fallout

(NEWSER) - President Obama delivered another plea for his jobs bill today, and said he approved of the 5% surtax on millionaires the Senate came up with to pay for it. “I’m fine with the approach they have taken,” Obama said at the press conference, though the New York Times notes he said that more tax reform would be needed to address long-term deficit issues. The surtax would replace a more complex set of tax reforms Obama had put forward. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Dems in a Snit Over Specter's Cozy Deal