P’co:
Sen. Judd Gregg will be nominated as the new Commerce secretary Tuesday morning, giving President Obama a fresh independent voice in his Cabinet but at a huge cost to Republicans and the larger Senate.
The run-up to the nomination has focused on backroom deals, from New Hampshire’s statehouse to Washington, to preserve the balance of power in Congress. And Tuesday’s White House announcement is expected to be accompanied by one by New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch that will ensure that Gregg’s seat won’t switch to the Democrats before the 2010 elections.
Brian Beutler nails it:
Surely Gregg’s desire to replace himself with somebody who will often oppose his new boss’s agenda is evidence of his deep commitment to the administration, the cabinet, and the agency he appears poised to head.
Can’t wait to see whom Lynch appoints… sheesh.
(Hat-tip: dday)
UPDATE: No, says CNN, we aren’t getting some moderate old-timer:
But state political sources from both parties said Monday that Lynch will name Gregg’s former chief of staff, Bonnie Newman, to replace him.
Newman, most recently the interim president of the University of New Hampshire, also worked in the White House during the first Bush administration and was an assistant commerce secretary during the Reagan administration.
A Democratic president is appointing an arch-conservative senator to his cabinet, and a Democratic governor is going to appoint a replacement senator cut from the exact same cloth. Are we living in bizarro-world? I won’t believe this Newman will serve as a caretaker until the filing deadline passes. (H/t: DTM,B!)
who will vote for closure on the EFCA. My guess is that he can’t.
He’s practically a Republican!!
Who will Governor John Lynch appoint?
Apparently, Lynch had been drinking the same Kool-Aid as former Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, who appointed the chief of staff to now Vice President Joe Biden, Ted Kaufman (or as I’d like to call him, Ted who?)
Lynch has decided to appoint Gregg’s former chief of staff, one Bonnie Newman:
Perhaps it’s just me, but this seems like a tad too good a year for chiefs of staffs, but the year’s young; who knows what will happen next?
I can understand from a practical, strictly political, standpoint that appointing Gregg will take some wind out of the Republican sails.
First, I suspect that the appointed Republican will not have nearly as much power of the incumbent as Gregg had. Money comes to mind particularly. The appointee may be a moderate or may just be some lackluster candidate. Everything being equal, it may be easier for out Dem candidate to beat an appointee compared to whipping Gregg.
Second, appointing Gregg will bolster Obama in the 2010 midterm and 2012 re-election if “partisanship” becomes a big issue. The Republicans will be less successful in accusing the admin of playing politics. I’m thinking Clinton in 1994.
This is my take on it but full disclosure, I’d defend a Dem administration if they appointed Santorum to Health Secretary. I blame Bush for turning me into a rabid partisan.
reports CNN.
From my limited digging it seems like she may be a vote on climate/energy and stimulus but probably not on EFCA.
Gregg would have probably held it if he ran for reelection in 2010. Just hope Hodes and Shea-Porter don’t both jump in after it.
This is a definite good move from the Senate standpoint. From the little we know of her, she’s to the left of Gregg politically and is almost certainly easier to beat if she does decide to run in 2010. Hopefully, however, she’s promised to be a caretaker and not run in 2010, as I rather have an open seat than even a weak incumbent. Maybe we’ll get the best possible scenario and she’ll run and be defeated by a conservative in a devisive primary.
My main concern is whether Gregg will be good at Commerce. I suspect this will give Obama more credibility with moderates in pushing his economic agenda, but I am concerned that Gregg may push policy to the right.
Basically on the merits. But on the electoral thing, I’d actually rather let Lynch pick a Republican than pick some DINO who might not support the Dems on economic issues (EFCA comes to mind). Assuming Hodes jumps in, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to beat someone like Newman in a general election (at minimum, it should be a lot easier to defeat her than it would be to defeat Gregg).
Hodes can beat Bass and Bradley too for that matter. The seat is ours in 2010.
Did Gregg co-chair “Republicans for Lynch” when I wasn’t looking? Note that that was in Lynch’s original election in 2004, in which he displaced an incumbent governor in a 51-49 race. Not exactly a freebie endorsement like “Republicans for Feinstein” or something.
It will be interesting to see what she says about running again. She may rule it in right away, she may also make a shermanesque that would be difficult to undo. More likely neither, but I’m interested to see regardless.
Short term, there’s something gained for us in the Senate when a old-timer (R) is replaced by a newbie. All things being equal, the old bull was gonna be more of a problem to Reid and Obama than this new heifer will be.
And Ms Newman will likely bond with her moderately moderate sister (R) Senators from Maine. That won’t make McConnell’s job easier, either.
Obama probably overestimates his ability to bring his enemies close and convert them to become his allies, but we shall see. For sure, the peer pressure on Gregg will now be completely the reverse of what he has experienced among the reichtwing Repubs in the Senate, now that his Cabinet colleagues will be all Democrats, or at least Obamicans.
As for the 2010 election, it’s very hard to predict that far away with economic conditions continuing to go to hell worldwide. But 20% unemployment with riots in the streets certainly seems like one possibility, which would make the usual electoral factors minor indeed.
I’m glad Daschle did the right thing. This doesn’t play well in Peoria.