On First Day as Democrat, Specter (Again) Bucks His Party

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Obama: 'Specter Has My Full Support'

President Obama said he will offer Sen. Arlen Specter his full support when Specter runs for re-election in 2010. Specter announced Tuesday that he will switch his party affiliation to the Democrats. Video by AP

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This is nothing new to Specter, who joked at his news conference Tuesday that throughout his 28-year career, he had "alienated the entire electorate."

Conservatives have never forgiven him for his opposition to Ronald Reagan's 1987 nomination of Robert H. Bork to the Supreme Court, but liberals have never forgotten him for his harsh cross-examination of Anita Hill in the hearings to confirm Clarence Thomas as associate justice of the Supreme Court. He supports abortion rights, but in 1997 -- heading into an election year -- he announced his opposition to a late-term abortion procedure that had become a key issue for Pennsylvania's many Catholic voters.

Democrats are confronting their own growing pains with Specter. He made his switch by also announcing his continued opposition to a union-organizing bill and an Obama choice to run the Justice Department's legal counsel office. Yesterday, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for noncontroversial nominees, Democratic staff had set up space for Specter on the very last seat, the most junior slot. The new Democrat didn't make it to the meeting, though aides placed a bottle of Gatorade and a pack of tissues -- necessary utilities for those coming off chemo -- on his desk just in case Specter appeared.

On the Senate floor last night, Specter never made it to the Democratic side. Instead he stood chatting with Republicans such as Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) and John Barrasso (Wyo.).

Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.), the GOP budget chief who made his own flip-flop by accepting, then rejecting, Obama's offer to be commerce secretary, walked by to thank Specter for opposing the new president's budget.

But Specter said that the political center of gravity has moved, causing Republicans to lose a great deal of ground in the Northeast and Midwest in the past three years, and that it makes more sense for him to have these intramural squabbles with Democrats now.

For the most part, everywhere Specter turned yesterday, he was reminded of his self-described "major matter." His phone lines were flooded with callers, a majority of constituents supportive and almost all out-of-state callers opposed, aides said. Some passersby waved to him, others just stared. An electrical worker from central Pennsylvania politely interrupted an interview, shook the senator's hand and just said, "Thank you very much."

Specter barely acknowledged the electrician, instead repeating words he had uttered before in his own defense:

"I don't represent the Republican Party. I represent the people of Pennsylvania."