Looks like we can cross off Chet Edwards from the House Open Seat Watch. Burnt Orange Report has the full press release:
“While it is an honor to have been considered for the position of U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, I believe I can make the most difference for veterans, our district and country by continuing to serve in Congress. That is why I have informed President-elect Obama’s transition team that I intend to continue representing the 17th Congressional District of Texas.
With my seniority in Congress and as Chairman of the House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, I believe I can do more for our military troops, our veterans and their families in my present position than I could as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. At the same time I can continue my work to improve roads, economic infrastructure and the quality of life in the 17th District, a district in which I have deep, personal roots.
While Chet would have made an excellent choice to head up Veterans Affairs, he’s also the only Democrat who could hold his impossibly tough Texas district (old PVI: R+18). In fact, not even his re-election is assured here — Edwards only pulled in 53% of the vote against a mostly invisible opponent earlier this month. Perhaps he’ll fare better in a non-Presidential year, but Republicans will surely put more effort into recruiting a stronger challenger for him in 2010.
“In fact, not even his re-election is assured here — Edwards only pulled in 53% of the vote against a mostly invisible opponent earlier this month. Perhaps he’ll fare better in a non-Presidential year, but Republicans will surely put more effort into recruiting a stronger challenger for him in 2010.”
Doubtful; presidential elections draw out more Republican-friendly voters in the area, but in midterms Edwards’ numbers always shoot up; he won by nearly 18% in 2006, as opposed to 4% in 2004 and 8% in 2008.
Though the next reelection may be the last; if Hutchison retires, I expect Chet to make a bid for the Senate.
I thought about another Edwards. That would have been worse.
This idea has the same (perhaps less) merit as the appointment of Lloyd Bentsen to the cabinet. That paved the way for KBH to win the seat and keep it R for the next two decades.
Free IQ testing should be available to all those floating these ideas.
This should put a damper on some of the ’94 “Republican Revolution” talk that we are going to lose a ton of seats 2010 due to retirements and the like. If Edwards had stepped down we could have expected at least one loss in 2010. And just to make it clear, a seat like TX-17 would be exactly the kind of seat the NRCC would need to win to take back the House.
I want to see Chet hold his house seat for as long as possible, then if he loses his house seat or a good statewide opportunity opens up, run for that.
he’s a perfect fit for the district. There are plenty of good people who could be U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs but there is only one Chet Edwards and he’s doing a fantastic job right where he is.
I can’t really see leaving an elected seat in Congress, responsible to many voters, for an appointed seat in the administration, serving at the pleasure of one person. Can’t see it, sure can’t see why Hillary would want to do it.
Maybe if you found you were simply not cut out for a legislative role of constant compromise, going along to get along, and felt that your true talents were executive and managerial. But on a measure of power, by measure of getting-things-done, I’d prefer to have one of 435 votes to saying, “Yes, Mr. President,” or worse, having to say, “Yes, Rahm, I’ll do exactly that.”
Now, moving the other direction, like Mike Johanns from Secty of Agriculture in a lame-duck administration to the Senate, sure, a no-brainer.
It bothers me that Obama would even consider weakening his support in Congress by making such an appointment. I hope this is not a trend. BTW, this is what Carter did right after he was elected, and the rest is history.
But I think the next VA Secretary should be one John S. McCain III.
Before you figuratively kill me off here, let me explain. McCain may have ran the worst GOP campaign in decades, but there is no denying his dedication and commitment to the armed forces of your country. The tragedies at Walter Reed, plus the declining treatment of veterans in America, suggest we need someone who understands what it’s like to come home after serving your country in combat and has enough independence to tell the President when he’s wrong about the policy and needs to change it.
I think McCain can actually do that if he had the good fortune to be picked VA Secretary. He ran against Obama, so obviously he naturally fits in the role of being a rival in an Obama team (citing Doris Kearns Goodwin here), plus he’s worked more in the Senate on issues regarding the armed forces better than anyone.
If Obama can get McCain in his cabinet, it would also score a political coup the likes of which America probably have never seen.
this and ID-02 should be easier to hold in the off year.
Edwards should be ok in 2010. His seat is like former rep. Charlie Stenholm’s. Very republican and more republican in presidential election years. However, I see the only way of losing the seat is if either he gets redistricted again or he retires.
Jesse Jackson, Jr. as elected to Congress young and got a seat on the House Appropriations Committee.
JJJ was born in 1965. There are two members of the committee who are senior to JJJ and born after 1950. Edwards was born in 1951 and Patrick Kennedy was born in 1967.
By appointing Edwards to something else, Obama would conceivably create a situation where JJJ would be chair of the most powerful committee in the House for a decade or more.
1. It would make taking over what is (I am assuming) to be a likely open seat in 2010 and giving them an incumbent.
2. For someone who campaigned so adamantly about freezing spending I’m sure there are better places to apply that. Can we make him Secretary of Abstinence-Only Sex Education?
I think your idea that John McCain should be named head of the Veterans Administration is an EXCELLENT idea.
Frankly, McCain was an excellent senator for several years — before he decided in 2004 to pander to The Right to get the GOP nomination. Currently, his legacy has been torn asunder by his despicable presidential campaign and a Cabinet position might be a way to reclaim it.
In addition, Obama should name SEVERAL Republicans to Cabinet and other high-level positions. This nation is tired of juvenile, unpatriotic partisanship (particularly young people, who are far more mature than us older folks) and wants to see a bipartisan effort to solve problems caused by an administration that didn’t give a damn about the nation.
(Obama is on 60 Minutes right now, talking about appointing Republicans. Thank God!!!)
On another note, if Chet Edwards really is the best person for the VA, he SHOULD take the job. The posts on this Web site are so myopic that they strain credulity.
So what if Dems lose ONE OF 435 seats in Congress? Is that really important in comparison to having someone who can capably lead an important department that makes decisions important to MILLIONS of veterans.
The posters on this Web site are so worried about the trees that they can’t see the forest.
Don’t Tase Me Bro, I hope you are someone who cares more about this nation than a political party. This post indicates that you are and I congratulate you for your post.
Shalom,
ZWrite
McCain and his campaign made more absurd claims about Obama than I care to count. McCain version 2000 I could deal with, but McCain version 2008 has become so despicable that Obama should not even consider naming him to ANYTHING. Let him slither off into the sunset in shame in 2010, a powerless broken old has-been.
McCain may love the armed forces but he’s got a horrible record of Veterans Affairs. If your going to pick a Republican for the post, make it Chris Smith. The Rep from NJ. He’s a arch conservative and anti-choice stalwart but has a good voting record on Vets.
However if he would take it, I wouldn’t mind putting him as Sec of Homeland Security. Not ideal but he’s pretty good on immigration.
The likelihood of him taking such a offer is zero though.