Specter's Switcheroo

When principled politics gets too tough. - WSJ.com

In his 1970 book "From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor," advertising legend Jerry Della Femina tells the story of trying to see Philadelphia District Attorney Arlen Specter:

"'Are you crazy?' his people said. 'Nobody gets to meet Arlen Spector [misspelling in original]. We can't even see him.' 'All right,' I said, 'what's Arlen Specter for?' 'Arlen Specter is for getting elected.' 'All right,' I said. 'What is Arlen Specter against?' 'Arlen Spector is against losing.'"

That more or less sums up the Pennsylvania Senator's announcement yesterday that he will quit the GOP and seek re-election next year as a Democrat. "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans," said Mr. Specter. And perhaps he does, to the extent Mr. Specter has a philosophy.

But it's also true that the 79-year-old finds himself trailing former Congressman Pat Toomey, his GOP primary opponent for 2010, by 21 points in the latest polls. By running as a Democrat, he will avoid a tough fight for the nomination and increase his chances of winning in his home state, which has been trending Democratic in recent elections. More.