I'm assuming that the Senate Democrats and the the White House have "Byrd Insurance"?

[bluestateguy]

I did some checking of the West Virginia constitution the other day. It seems that it calls for gubernatorial appointment in the event of a senatorial vacancy, and then of course a special election in 2010 (I'm guessing at this point that it would be in November). Now Governor Joe Manchin is a Democrat who is pro-life on abortion and he did endorse Obama in the campaign, even though Obama has never sold well in Appalachia. Is it fair to assume that Manchin would give us a Democratic senator who was pro-real health reform? I would like to think that the White House, Jay Rockefeller and others have looked into this.

Byrd is almost 93, and we just have to be responsible here. I'm sorry if bringing this up makes anyone feel uncomfortable. That was not the intent.

[LuvNewcastle]

1. Do any WV Congressmen stand out?

In a lot of states, the Governor will pick one of its Congressmen to fill the vacancy. Is there a Democratic Congressman in WV who is pro- health reform? Maybe they will look to an Atty. General or a Lt. Governor. I can't believe that this hasn't been discussed by the Governor, Senator Byrd, and even the President. There's probably someone waiting in the wings.

[Staph]

3. Both of the WV Democratic Congressmen

voted for HCR. The Republican Congresswoman, of course, did not. She would really like the job, so Governor Manchin needs to choose the strongest possible candidate, if and when Senator Byrd needs to be replaced. Congressmen Mollohan and Rahall are sufficiently senior that they may not want to change houses and start at the bottom of the seniority list.

Scuttlebutt around the state says that Manchin would like the job for himself, but I'm not sure if it is legally possible for him to appoint himself. There is no lieutenant governor. The attorney general (D) is not well liked (he belongs to a family that views political office as a right rather than a responsibility). The secretary of state (D) has obvious ambitions and would be a good candidate, but she has some baggage among sports fans. She was the first female Mountaineer (the mascot of West Virginia University) nearly twenty years ago and many of the male fans hated her for taking that job away from its rightful owner (i.e., someone with external genitalia and capable of growing a beard!). She was handily elected in 2008, but there is simmering resentment among the Neanderthals, especially in light of this year's Mountaineer, the second woman to hold the job (who is not so affectionately known as the Mountainette -- calls have been made to require her to wear a leather bikini a la Raquel Welch in One Million B.C.).

Politics in West Virginia are never simple!

[eleny]

2. I was wondering if Sen Byrd would retire when he reached his big milestone

And I thought his comment about serving another great number of years was only rhetoric for the record. So I'm a little surprised that he hasn't resigned already.

We always discuss these things "after the fact" in a flurry of concerned postings. I don't think your OP is out of line. It's something we think about. Surely, it's been on the governor's mind.