What orchids may grow

A poll finds that not only would Tom Ridge best Arlen Specter if he is the GOP nominee in Pennsylvania, 48%-41%, but that he may even have the chance, leading Pat Toomey for the GOP nomination 60%-23%. (Polling and common sense also make clear that if Toomey is the nominee, Pennsylvania will vote for whoever wins the Democratic nomination, be it Specter or Admiral Sestak.) That, ladies and gentlemen, is not the light at the end of the tunnel; but it is a light nonetheless, and a welcome one.

Added: As they threatened they might, "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." And that relates to this post in this way: "Without any assurance of seniority, Specter loses a major weapon in his campaign to win reelection in 2010: the ability to claim that his nearly 30 years of Senate service places him in key positions to benefit his constituents ... Without that seniority, ... [Specter] would not even hold an appropriations subcommittee chairmanship in 2011, a critical foothold Specter has used in the past to disperse billions of dollars to Pennsylvania."

And: Politico reports:

In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Specter said that Reid had promised him that he could transfer his seniority to the Democratic Party.

“Sen. 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,” Specter said. “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 Sen. Reid.”

Specter said in the statement that he would “continue to be a staunch and effective advocate for Pennsylvania¹s and the nation's priorities.” But as early as Tuesday afternoon, the Pennsylvania Republican-turned-Democrat seemed to know that he’d be doing that from something akin to freshman status.

Sic semper proditores!

Post facto:
Anyone can rat (11/2/09)