Political scramble if Kerry joins Cabinet

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Boston Globe

US Senator John F. Kerry's widely reported place on Barack Obama's short list for secretary of state raises the possibility of dramatic changes in the Massachusetts political landscape, just days after Kerry won easy election to a fifth term.

Kerry's leap to a federal Cabinet post would spur what strategists and even potential candidates are already describing as a mad scramble among a dozen or more Massachusetts political figures over a tantalizing opportunity, a rare open seat in Washington's most exclusive club.

"These Senate seats come up once in a lifetime," said Dan Payne, a Democratic media consultant who has worked for Kerry's campaigns. "Anybody who has ever thought they wanted to be a senator will assemble the kitchen cabinet and take a good, careful look at it."

A special election to fill an open US Senate seat would probably attract a huge crowd, from Attorney General Martha Coakley and Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill to US representatives including Michael E. Capuano, Stephen F. Lynch, and the dean of the delegation, Edward J. Markey.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/11/06/political_scramble_if_kerry_joins_cabinet/

[TheDebbieDee]

1. Isn't Barney Frank a congressman from Massachusetts?

[newscott]

2. Yes.

[Catch22Dem]

6. Hmmmm, Senator Frank has a nice ring to it.

[closeupready]

38. Agree.

n/t

[MannyGoldstein]

12. Yes, He's My Rep

He's done such an excellent job spearheading the financial bailout extravaganza, he should be rewarded. But a promotion was not exactly what I had in mind...

[camera obscura]

15. My first thought too but

he might not want to relinquish his rather powerful role there unless he's promised a prime seat on some important committees.

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. Yes, but he is the chairman of an important in the House

In the Senate, he would be the guy with the least seniority. He may not want to make that trad-off.

[BlueManDude]

3. I can't stand Lynch and would never vote for him even in a general.

[2Design]

4. ben affleck ? maybe -

[Ken Burch]

24. Is Ben actually a Massachusetts resident? I thought he lived in S. Carolina

Maybe he just has a house down there.

Does anybody know?

[underpants]

39. Virginia

Albemarle county I believe (near Charlottesville)

Howie Long and Sissy Spacek and some other celebs have homes out there. BEAUTIFUL country. Virginia horse farm area.

[dropkickpa]

37. Ben Whofleck?

I love Mango!

[Mark D.]

5. Joe Kennedy?

He was a Massachusetts Congressman before, he could be a great Senator. Great preparation for him as a possible running mate in 2016 for Democrats (since Biden will likely not run then) if they have Montana's governor at the top of the ticket. Or if RFK Jr. were at the top of the ticket? Okay, I'm getting a little too optimistic here.

[TheDebbieDee]

9. Wasn't Joe Kennedy involved in a scandal regarding

him having sex with his children's "Nanny"?

[MannyGoldstein]

13. Different Kennedy

And that one had a run in with a tree on a ski slope, and has shed his mortal coil.

[Bombero1956]

27. no

he tried to have his marriage annuled by the Vatican.

[crossroads]

47. I really respect Joe Kennedy! Do we dare dream this could be so?

[KamaAina]

7. Would the special election involve a runoff, or winner-take-all?

If the latter, a repuke could easily sleaze in with, say, 20 percent of the overall vote, with the rest split among a dozen or so Dems. :scared:

[never cry wolf]

8. I don't like it one bit, who knows how long Teddy can hang on?

I hate to say it but Teddy Kennedy has a fatal disease and I doubt he will see the end of his term in 2 years. I don't know the protocol in Mass. regarding replacing a leaving, sitting senator, they probably would not hold a special election when Teddy goes but they will for Kerry. That means two open seats within the next two years where there has not been one for the past 24. We would lose two good Dems, Great Dems, and the odds of getting two to replace them are slim. The odds of the pukes sneaking one in are good. Don't ya think Mittens is salivating at the possibilities?

[No Elephants]

42. Mittens was an absentee Governor who used the office to make his national bones and left the state

with a massive deficit.

[Thothmes]

52. With the willing assistance

of the State Legislature.

[Taverner]

10. Only two people can fill that role. Yes, I'm talking about Ben Affleck and Matt Damon

[theboss]

11. Only if they dress like Good Will Hunting and his friend

That would be awesome.

[Ken Burch]

25. If that's gonna be our model for filling Senate vacancies.

will THESE guys take over any vacant seats in New Jersey?

[elleng]

14. PLEASE

NO!

[Hulk]

16. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.....

There are other great people for that position....MUCH better than John Kerry. And WHY take a newly elected Democratic strong voice out of the Senate, when someone more qualified, with greater worldwide and national respect can fill the position?

We are already losing Joe Biden and Barack Obama in the Senate. Do we need to drain it dry? Stop the foolishness before we find ourselves up to our neck in repugs again.

[karynnj]

18. There are no people better as Secretary of state than John Kerry

There is no one with greater national or world wide respect. Who would those people be? The only one I can think of as equal is Gore and he would not want the job. If you mean HRC, Kerry is better and has more foreign policy experience.

There is a good argument that he will be an incredibly strong Senator and he has a broad range of issues that he has been very good on.

[elleng]

19. Sorry, don't want to start a ruckus,

but I absolutely fail to see that there is no one with 'greater national or world wide respect.'

JUST ONE: GENERAL WESLEY CLARK

Then there's Madeleine, and then there's Richard Holbrooke, for just a couple.

[WildEyedLiberal]

21. Is this the 2004 primaries?

It's so sad how, four years later, some people can't let go of their partisanship from the primaries, for God's sake.

[karynnj]

28. Kerry is at least equal to all of them

On the national level, people had the choice of Kerry or Clark - and they chose Kerry.

Here's what Biden said of Kerry - and this was on Iraq policy - Biden's plan did NOT gain traction until he made changes that Kerry had called for for at least a year and it was Kerry signing on that made a difference - listen to Biden By clicking on the Biden picture:
http://www.kerryvision.net/2007/09/biden_gives_props_to_senator_k.html

[blm]

32. Kerry is tops on global terror networks AND global water issues. Water wars will dwarf oilwars

very soon.

[ozone_man]

54. Wouldn't he be better in defense?

I don't think we need or want a general for SOS. Someone more neutral. I'm not a Kerryite by any means, but if that was the choice, that's how I would choose.

Madeleine Albright is too much status quo, conservative. This is about change, right?

[elleng]

58. You should learn some things about Wes Clark,

before you suggest he's not 'neutral.'

He understands how everything works, and he's a student of history, economics, and diplomacy, among other things.

Take a look:

http://securingamerica.com/taxonomy/term/5

[roguevalley]

23. I agree with you about Clark. Personally, I haven't felt good about

Kerry since he packed it in in 2004 and didn't use the army of lawyers he had assembled. Just my opinion.

[karynnj]

26. That has nothing to do with his foreign policy savvy

In addition the leaders of that army of lawyers told Kerry he had no case. He did use the lawyers to look into what happened. (Kerry was on a call with lawyers in Ohio at 5am on election day this year.)

The fact is they still do not have proof that he won. Even the RFKjr article used votes not cast because of suppression. Kerry did deal with that going forward - before 2006, he and Feingold wrote legislation that called for paper ballots (to be counted as regular ballots) to be available if machines failed or the wait was too long. They knew it wouldn't pass, but that it could be used as a model in states. (I don't know if it was)

[blm]

33. Did you applaud McAuliffe's DNC that assured Kerry wouldn't have the evidence in Ohio

he would need to continue in court?


And for some HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE....can you NAME ONE lawmaker in DC who has done more than Kerry to CONFRONT and counter the fascist agenda of BushInc over the last 35 years?


Some of you are so underinformed you don't even realize how many Democrats worked WITH BushInc to stop Kerry from getting into the WH, as THEIR asses would be exposed on IranContra and BCCI matters that led to 9-11 and Iraq war, along with BushInc.

[politicasista]

44. **crickets** n/t

[Zhade]

48. Yep, and one of those who collaborated in the cover-up was CLINTON.

NT!

[elleng]

43. ditto

.

[blm]

46. how did you feel about all those wellknown Dems siding with Bush on Iraq war over Kerry?

How did you feel about Clinton loyalists undermining Kerry's campaign and McAuliffe running the party infrastructure into the ground for four years and carville sabotaging Ohio Dem voters on election night? You blame Kerry?

Most of you antiKerry posters don't even know your history....Kerry BOTHERS you now though he is still the one lawmaker who did more to get between the fascist agenda and YOUR citizen's right to open government than any lawmaker of the last 35 years?

[elleng]

56. You know nothing about me.

Your kerry and the other dems had a fine time taking advantage of/sabotaging Wes Clarks efforts, and the game continues.

[blm]

59. Bullshit - Clark's 'efforts' to do WHAT? Sabotage? See 'stalking horse for Clinton' c2003 stories.

Clark was NEVER the nominee....Kerry was....Clinton WANTED to be. Kerry sabotaged Clark according to you.....what a LOAD.

[blm]

34. Kerry has a great deal of international respect AND knows global terror networks better than anyone

or have you never heard of IranContra, BCCI and CIA drugrunning that Kerry SINGLEHANDEDLY as a lawmaker worked to uncover and expose?

Gee - you think international banking matters might matter these days?

[goforit]

61. Agreed!!! Keep ALL Skul&Bonesmen OUT!!!!

[ray of light]

66. omg. You sound like a racist! grow up! was it ok for Palin's supporters to discriminate?

[MasonJar]

17. Markey is terrific; he gets my vote. If Kerry wants to move to Sec

of State, he has earned it. I like him in the Senate, but he must want a new challenge.

[JanusAscending]

22. YES !!

I would like to second that (e)motion!! Markey has the experience and the resume to take over....but he's got some big shoes to fill.I adore John Kerry, and I'm sure he'll make the choice, if asked, to do what's best for the country. Remember also, he knows "where the bodies are buried"!!! He would also make a great Attny. General for this very reason. I would love to see Robt. Kennedy Jr. offered that post though.

[RufusTFirefly]

20. Wait! What about Powell? Or Rahm Emanuel?! He could hold two jobs, I'm sure!

It's all good.

Then again, there's always Albright. We think it's worth it.

[karynnj]

31. Shocking that Kerry who would bring change to foreign policy

is being attacked here and in the media - while the Clinton (or Bush in Powell's case) people are being pushed. It is interesting that in a 2006 book on foreign policy one person mentioned with praise was Kerry - and his 1966 Yale speech was quoted. The point was that she then was speaking of issues he was speaking of as early as 1966! (The year is not a typo)

Kerry was one of the people who was with Obama at the foreign policy debate and there were many answers Obama gave that were very similar to things Kerry was saying at the same time. Do we really want the change that Obama represented? Kerry is more in line with that than Albright or Powell. Can you see Kerry referring to thousands of children dying as "collateral damage"?

[Zhade]

50. I know! powell over Kerry? Are people really THAT misinformed?

I swear, just when you think people are waking up...

[Zhade]

49. POWELL? The guy who knowingly LIED to the U.N. to help launch an illegal war?

That's sarcasm on your part, right?

And as far as Albright, what about her contention that 500,000 dead Iraqi kids was "worth it" to keep the sanctions in place?

[RufusTFirefly]

51. Sorry. I thought the over-the-top nature of my post made the sarcasm obvious

Especially when I followed my remarks about Albright with the phrase "We think it's worth it," a direct allusion to the callous quote you just cited.

As for lying to the UN about the illegal Iraq invasion, that's just one of Powell's many transgressions, trangressions that date all the way back to his whitewashing of My Lai.

Heck, even if I actually liked Emanuel, would I suggest that he serve as both CoS and SoS at the same time?

I must be losing my touch.

[Zhade]

57. No, I just read it wrong, my bad!

Duh.

:hi:

[ozone_man]

53. He could sex up the intelligence on Iran too.

Like he did Iraq. I think Powell soiled the reputation he might have had with Iraq, though he does seem to have been involved in a whitewash of Vietnam civilian mass killings. He follows orders.

[Bombero1956]

30. Secretary of State

should be Bill Richardson. He has foreign policy experience as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and was U.S. Secretary of Energy. He's also secured the release of political prisoners from Cuba, North Korea and Iraq.

[crickets]

64. Agreed.

Richardson would be a fine choice. Kerry would not be a bad choice, but under the circumstances he should stick to that Senate seat like glue. We need him there more.

[alfredo]

35. When Senator Kennedy passes through the reeds, Kerry will become the

senior senator from Ma, and Barney Frank will be appointed to fill the vacant seat.

* Passing through the reeds is an old way of describing death in Egypt.

[No Elephants]

36. What about Frank? He is the best of the Congressional bunch.

[eringer]

40. Kerry Will Never Leave the Senate Which is Fine with Me!

Makes more sense to have a former President assume this critical role (saves money too). How about Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter? As for the SecDef job, Obama needs to remove all of the political appointees in the Pentagon and needs to tell them immediately. Given the autonomy they have had there the last last 8 years, if he does not, I am afraid that they will undermine him.

[politicasista]

62. It's not up to us. It's Obama's decision period

It shows that Obama respects Kerry more than people here, who claim to support Obama. That says more about them than Obama.


If people can't deal with the fact that Obama thinks highly of Kerry, then that's their problem.

[VaYallaDawg]

41. Best thing about it is, look how many talented experienced people to choose from.

[politicasista]

45. Interesting hearing crickets chirp after some fact-filled posts in this thread n/t

[KakistocracyHater]

55. Max Cleland for Pentagon

I'd rather have that.

[Hawkowl]

60. Kerry for Attorney General

I'd much rather have Kerry as AG. His work with BCCI was outstanding. Also, he just may still have an axe or two to grind against Bushco. If nothing else, it'd give the rethuglicans screaming nightmares.

[dailykoff]

65. That would be my first pick too.

I think Kerry wants SoS but he would make an awesome, awesome AG. The payback would be rich!

[RCinBrooklyn]

63. I'm not thrilled by the prospect of Kerry as SOS.