Posts Tagged “Senate”

It comes as no surprise that Rod Blagojevich is still acting as though  a) he’s done absolutely nothing wrong and b) anyone who would imply such a thing is obviously out of their mind. While the state of Illinois continues to research ways they can send Blago and his plastic Ken hair packing, he is carrying on as if business were usual (although, sadly, a corrupt governor is “business as usual” in that state). The question, then, regarding his appointment of Roland Burris to Obama’s vacant Senate seat is not “Why did he do that knowing that his time in office is short and his favor in the Senate even shorter?” That part is easy to figure out. Blago’s ego could be used as an alternative fuel source. The real question is why Roland Burris would accept. 

Roland Burris, 71, is a former state Attorney General and comptroller but hasn’t held a public office in over a decade. He had expressed interest in the vacated Senate seat immediately following Obama’s election but Burris wasn’t seen as a contender. Burris was still second on the list after Blago’s scandal erupted and people scattered so as not to look guilty by association. Blago’s first choice- Rep. Danny Davis- turned down the position because he felt that Blago had “lost his moral authority”. 

Why would Burris accept? Does he think that Blago’s “moral authority” cup runneth over? Or is he grasping at what may be his last shot at a higher level political office? The latter seems more likely. Burris has run for governor (three times), mayor of Chicago and the Senate- all without a victory. But why grasp at an opportunity if it comes tainted? 

While no one is accusing Burris of any wrongdoing, his association with Blago is paving his road to office with debris. Efforts will be made to prevent Burris from taking that seat. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White refused to certify any documents pertaining to Blago’s appointed Senator (though the move is more ceremonial than effective). But the Senate Democrats have considerably more bite behind their bark. The fifty sitting Senators had signed a letter calling for Blago’s resignation and making it clear that they wouldn’t allow a Senator chosen by him play in any of their reindeer games. 

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I mentioned yesterday that Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) has announced that he doesn’t plan to run for reelection in 2010. There is going to be stiff competition for his seat and it was even being mentioned (as somewhat of a long shot) that former Governor Jeb Bush might put his name into the race. 

I began a draft post this morning based on information from Marc Ambinder that the “long shot” might be decidedly shorter than expected: 

Two sources close to Jeb Bush, including one who has spoken to the former Florida governor within the past few hours, say he is seriously considering a run for Senate now that incumbent Republican Mel Martinez has retired.

“He is receiving a lot of encouragement from both in and out of the state,” an longtime Bush adviser said tonight. “He is going to take his time and approach this very methodically.”  Bush will weigh, according to this adviser, how a run would impact his family, his business, and whether the Senate would be the best platform for the causes he’d advocate — education, immigration, GOP solutions to health care and energy.

Bush did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

But Jeb Bush had already responded to Politico by email last night, saying: “I am considering it.” It is speculated that if J.B. does get into the race, the other Republican candidates- including Rep. Connie Mack- will back down. But the path might not be so smooth if current Governor Charlie Crist decided to enter the race. J.B. and Crist aren’t fond of each other- with Bush suggesting that Crist is “Democrat-lite”. Crist was a strong contender for John McCain’s v.p. pick back in those innocent days before we all knew (and feared) Sarah Palin. He wa such a favorite that Crist- a long time bachelor- managed a rather, um, conveniently timed engagement to a woman no one knew he had even met. And if you know anything about Crist, that “woman” part says quite a bit, too. 

“But, surely,” you say, “In an America when even the still delusional George W. Bush acknowledges that the Bush name might be somewhat tainted, another branch from the dull shrub wouldn’t make it into the Senate?” Unfortunately, Jeb Bush remains fairly popular in the state. And portions of the still fractured Republican party may back J.B. just to spite the “other” Republicans. 

In summary: Yes, we are already covering the 2010 elections.

The election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden and the appointments following have left some Senate seats open. And there are still Senate races left to be decided. Politics- it’s fluid. 

A brief rundown on the seat shifting: 

Hillary Clinton’s Seat

Former President Bill Clinton doesn’t want the spot . Governor David Paterson has taken himself out of contention, as has Robert F. Kennedy Jr (who was rumored to be under consideration for the EPA spot) and Rep. Nita Lowey.  A long list of names are being floated around as a potential replacement- including Andrew Cuomo and Caroline Kennedy- but it seems that it is mostly speculation. Gov Paterson will make an official announcement in January when Clinton formally leaves her seat for her new job as Secretary of State. 

Joe Biden’s Seat 

Biden didn’t offer his resignation at the same time as Obama, which struck some as odd. It appeared that Biden might be holding on to his seat until incoming Delaware Governor Jack Markell took office in January. Markell and current Governor Ruth Ann Minner are both Democrats but it was believed that Markell would be more comfortable with replacing Biden with someone who would not want to run again in 2010, thus leaving the seat open for Joe’s son, Beau Biden (who is currently serving in Iraq). 

But the wait for Markell wasn’t needed. Gov. Minner announced that Ted Kaufman- friend and former aide to Biden Sr.- would take over the seat until 2010. Kaufman has already stated that he has no plans to run for the seat in two years.

In other words: they’re holding your seat for you, Beau. (Yes, Beau will actually have to run for the seat but since there’s been a Biden in the Senate since humans rode on dinosaurs, it is a sure thing.) 

Barack Obama’s Seat 

Though Obama gave up his seat a couple of weeks ago, Illinois Gov. Rod “Blago” Blagojevich has yet to put a new body in that position. He formed a vetting committee and rumored candidates include Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., State Sen. Kwame Raoul and V.A. Direcotr (and wounded Iraq vet) Tammy Duckworth

Other Senate News: 

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AL)- who is planning on running for reelection in 2010- is nervous that Gov. Sarah Palin is going to make a run at her job. Also nervous about the prospect of Sen. Sarah? The entire (non-fundementalist) world 

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) will not run for reelection in 2010 and the competition for his seat is likely to be fierce. Speculated Democratic contenders include Rep Ron Klein, Sen. Dan Gelber and possibly State CFO Alex Sink (who had decided not to run before the Martinez announcement and now may change her mind). Potential Republican candidates: Rep. Connie Mack, State A.G. Bill McCollum and- in the long shot column- former Gov. Jeb Bush. 

Though 171 more uncounted ballots just turned up in the Minnesota recount, Five Thirty Eight is still calling the race for Republican Norm Coleman. 

And the Georgia runoff election happened today More on that and the Franken-Coleman battle to come later

Well, it looks like they’re trying to keep Joe in the fold after all:

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) easily won a vote to remain chairman of a key committee today and will stay in the Democratic caucus despite his high-profile criticism of President-elect Barack Obama and his support of Sen. John McCain during the presidential campaign.

Lieberman agreed to surrender his position on the Environment and Public Works Committee, leaving the panel and his subcommittee chairmanship there. But Lieberman will remain chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and head of the subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee that oversees air and land power issues.

Not much of a surprise, really, even though plenty of folks hoped to see him get bounced. Frankly, that includes me, as I would’ve derived more than a little schadenfreude at seeing Holy Joe without a political home. But it makes sense that Reid wants as many votes as possible on his side and that he doesn’t want rancor in the air.

Howard Dean, who knows one or two things about politics, sees it as a shrewd maneuver. Via HuffPo:

“You know, the desire of revenge is great, of course. But the truth is public policy doesn’t run on revenge very well,” he said. “And when you see the trouble this country has gotten into in terms of foreign policy, where Bush basically ran a foreign policy based on petulance because he was mad at, for example, Mexico, for abstaining on the Security Council when the Iraq War came up, if you have to actually run the country, it is best not to do it based on feeling of anger towards your enemies.”

Others on the lefty side of the blogospheric spectrum have been a tad less sanguine; Jane Hamsher, for example:

I hope this puts to rest the notion that this is all some master stroke of kumbayah, of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.

This is about telling you that you mean nothing. That democracy is a nice word, but it should never threaten the entitlement of the most exclusive club in the world.

No matter what Joe Lieberman does, the people who are protecting him hate you much more than they hate him.

Yeowch. Kos has a thing or two to say about it as well:

I’m done with Reid as Senate leader.

He’s dead to Kos, you hear, dead! Until the next time he does some genius thing, probably in about a week, at which time this will all be forgotten.

And this will (mostly) be forgotten. Oh, nobody will forget it completely, but the outrage will transplant itself to some new locus by this time tomorrow, and will move on again by next week. All is drama in BloggyWorld, and the attention span is about as long as the transmission time of the pixels.

No, Dean’s right; this was the right move. Bush and his Republicans, after all, would’ve banished Joe to the farthest reaches of Purgatory just because he could, and part of the point of this election is that Democrats are not Republicans and are not Bush. Bloodlust is fun and all, but sometimes it just isn’t the right move. Actually, most of the time it isn’t the right move.

Come to think of it, it’s hard to think of any time when bloodlust and/or revenge accomplish anything more than letting the aggrieved party feel a little less terrible for a few minutes.

As long as the Senate Dems aren’t stupid enough to ever turn their back on Lieberman again for as long as he continues to inhale and exhale, it should all work out okay. And some new world-ending party-rending outrage will be all over the place soon enough — I’m guessing it’ll be when Obama makes his first Cabinet pick.