Lynch to appoint Republican if Gregg is appointed Secretary of Commerce

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Mon Feb-02-09 03:18 PM
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Lynch to appoint Republican if Gregg is appointed Secretary of Commerce

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/02/lynch_will_appoint_republican.php

Lynch Will Appoint Republican If Obama Nominates Gregg

Gov. John Lynch (D-NH) indicated today he'll appoint a Republican to replace Sen. Judd Gregg if Obama nominates the New Hampshire senator to be Secretary of Commerce. In a statement, Lynch said that Gregg made it clear that he would not resign the seat if it would tip the balance in the Senate, and that Lynch believes that the president ought to have the advisers he wants.

"I have had conversations with Senator Gregg, the White House and U.S. Senate leadership. Senator Gregg has said he would not resign his seat in the U.S. Senate if it changed the balance in the Senate. Based on my discussions, it is clear the White House and Senate leadership understand this as well," Lynch said.

"If President Obama does nominate Senator Gregg to serve as Commerce Secretary, I will name a replacement who will put the people of New Hampshire first and represent New Hampshire effectively in the U.S. Senate," he said. Full statement after the jump

Here's the full Lynch statement:

"We are in the midst of a national economic crisis, and it calls for cooperation on all of our parts. We all need to work together to do what is in the best interest of our country and our state.

"I have had conversations with Senator Gregg, the White House and U.S. Senate leadership. Senator Gregg has said he would not resign his seat in the U.S. Senate if it changed the balance in the Senate. Based on my discussions, it is clear the White House and Senate leadership understand this as well.

Three points of observation;

1) People who thought that Gregg would resign without some kind of gentleman's agreement in place were being unrealistic.

2) There really is no ironclad '60 seat' majority to break a filibuster. Any issue that has the support of the House, the President and every single Democratic Senator is almost certainly going to attract one moderate Republican. More likely is that in most legislation there will, because of regional and other factors be a few Democratic and a few Republican Senators voting outside of their caucus.

3) If Lynch appoints a 'place holder Republican it will still assist our Senate campaign in 2010. It is much easier to run against another office seeker than the incumbent. Moreover it is an increasing sign that incumbent Republican Senators are not interested in sticking around for the decade plus time that is likely to get back into the majority. Republican Senators are more likely than Democratic Senators to have personal fortunes and other business interests to pursue rather than hanging around in the minority. If the Democrats achieve a 60 seat caucus in 2010 it will significantly increase the incentive for Republican Senators who don't really like living in DC to retire early.