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Lynch Makes Deal with Gregg to Appoint Republican

by: Dean Barker

Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 14:42:44 PM EST


It's official - the top priority in this appointment is making sure Judd Gregg has his cake and eats it too:
"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.

"It is important that President Obama be able to select the advisors he feels are necessary to help him address the challenges facing our nation.

"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."

I've been clear since this began that I'm fine with a caretaker Republican, provided that person is more moderate than Gregg.

But appointing a Republican should have been based on the fact that Judd was duly elected for six years, and you could make an argument that that's what the NH electorate voted for in 2004.  To appoint a Republican because it's what Judd Gregg demands is a perversion of the entire process.
Dean Barker :: Lynch Makes Deal with Gregg to Appoint Republican
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Lynch Makes Deal with Gregg to Appoint Republican | 68 comments
This Was A Loss-Loss From Day One (0.00 / 0)
This entire episode was a loss-loss from Day One for Democrats, and, IMHO, we shouldn't have been looking at it otherwise.  We end up with a man of Judd Gregg's views in the White House Cabinet Room, running a major high-level federal department (www.commerce.gov), opening up the 2010 NH Senate race to John E. Sununu if he wants it where he can be an even tougher competitor than Judd Gregg, and the effect on the Senate numbers game is essentially unaffected.  

I'm still hoping Barack Obama doesn't go through with the Judd Gregg nomination.  If not, I'm hoping John Lynch will select a Democrat replacement, but I'll understand that he might not be able to do so because of some arrangement with Barack Obama.  Fact is, this didn't turn out too well. And if we keep building up Judd Gregg now as Commerce Secretary, we just make his new post look even better on his resume if he does something in 2010 or 2012.    

Boy, Judd underestimated Democratic weakness (0.00 / 0)
Your catch, Dean, from 2000:

"In generic terms only, I don't think you'll see any member of the Senate taking a position unless they come from a state with a Republican governor because it would cost us that seat and thus the majority," Gregg said.

[ Parent ]
Frustration (4.00 / 5)
Hi - I'm new to Blue Hampshire, but so frustrated right now, I just need to get this off of my chest. Last time I checked, we won by large margins across the whole country. Why are Republicans still calling the shots? Newflash to the Democratic leadership... You WON, act like it. So angry, frustrated and disillusioned at the moment. I'm trying to have faith that President Obama knows what he's doing, but I'm really starting to wonder.

This news about Lynch has put me over the edge.  

[ Parent ]
What DOES the President Want? (4.00 / 3)
Isn't that the real question here?

The rumors are flying about who wants what and why, but if, as the governor indicates, "it is clear the White House and Senate leadership understand" Gregg will take the job only if the Senate numbers remain unchanged, shouldn't we be looking to the White House, not the State House for an explanation?

If President Obama wants Judd Gregg as Commerce Secretary, great. Presidents should have the right to select their own team. But if "the White House...understand[s]" that means the new senator will be a Republican, why are we yelling at the governor?

It's awfully difficult - and in these times, perhaps impossible - to say no to the president if he calls and says, "Look, governor, I need Judd Gregg. And that means I need you to appoint a Republican to replace him."

It appears from the governor's statement that that's what happened - although I doubt the president himself made the call.

If, on the other hand, this really is a play to lock up a fillibuster-proof Senate, has the White House called the governor and said, "Sheesh, John, the whole idea was for you to appoint a Democrat to get us to 60. What's the problem?"

I'd feel better if the administration stepped up and took the lead here rather than leaving Gov. Lynch out there on a limb by himself.


Can You Imagine Bobby Jindal Naming a Democrat to Replace Mary Landrieu? (4.00 / 2)
Democrats have got to learn how to stand up to Republican pressure better than this.  Governor Lynch had an opportunity to show leadership here, and instead he weakened his Constitutional appointment power by kow-towing to Republican demands.

If Mary Landrieu were the one being nominated, you can bet Bobby Jindal wouldn't name a Democrat to replace her, if only because Republicans would declare his political future DOA.

I must be missing something (4.00 / 2)
How does this translate into John Lynch making a deal, or John Lynch kow-twoing to Republican demands?

Judd Gregg won't leave the senate unless he has a Republican replacement.  So, if Barack Obama wants Judd Gregg, he is going into that knowing it will result in a a Republican replacement.

John Lynch is getting a lot of grief for being a good soldier for Barack Obama by helping him get the economic team he wants at a time of econimc crisis.    



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

Disagree (4.00 / 1)
I don't think several people saying "I'll be disappointed/amgry if Lynch appoints a Republican" amounts to giving him grief.

However, if it does turn out that Obama picked Gregg and didn't care whether the seat stayed Repblican, I will be be disappointed in the president.


[ Parent ]
I think you ignore the most likely scenario, (4.00 / 5)
As. Kathy posited it, the president most likely felt that bringing Gregg into the cabinet was important enough to outweigh the replacement in the senate with another republican.

Of course if the republican chosen has better across the board positions than Gregg, the president would be getting who he feels he needs in the cabinet AND ending up with a better senator who would support him on a wide range of issues.

That scenario doesn't involve the President not caring about who is the senator -- it means he gets his cake and eats it too.

It also leaves the State with a better Senator for the next two years. (I assume the person will agree to not run in 2010, otherwise the price would be too high, at least in my estimation.)



"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

[ Parent ]
The real problem (4.00 / 2)
is we're not hearing enough from the Obama administration about why they're looking at Gregg, of all people. He's just been floated out there. Apparently there have been secret talks between the principle players: Gregg, Lynch, Obama. His suitability for the position has not been addressed by the Obama administration. Nor have Obama's goals with regard to his selection been outlined.

Everybody, the public and the administration, is suffering from a lack of information.

What I expect to happen from here is Gregg gets appointed, the Obama people make a boilerplate statement about his qualifications, and he's met with zero Senate opposition. What happens as far as his replacement goes, is totally up to Lynch.

[ Parent ]
OK (0.00 / 0)
But there is still too much "too clever by half" going on, in my view.

Everybody could sleep better if Lynch just appointed a Democrat, even a Democratic placeholder. Giving Senate seats to the other party -- forget the 60, I'm talking about one seat -- is bad business.

[ Parent ]
How can it not be called a "deal"? (4.00 / 2)
the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives governors complete authority to appoint Senators to fill vacancies.  For Lynch to accept any conditions on his apppointment power is perforce a "deal."  
[ Parent ]
Disagree (4.00 / 4)
He isn't. He is saying, if Barack Obama wants Judd Gregg, and if Judd Gregg needs to know a Republican will replace him to join the cabinet, then "Mr. President, at this time of economic crisis, I am willing to use my appointment power to help you get the cabinet you want."

I don't think that is making a deal - it is respecting the wishes of the President.

Listen, I know some of you would like to pillory John Lynch, but remember why this is a possibility: it is because the White House is considering Judd Gregg for commerce. That wasn't John Lynch's decision, it was the President's. I for one am willing to give this whole Judd Gregg thing the benefit of the doubt if it is what Barack Obama wants.      



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

[ Parent ]
It could also be characterized as (0.00 / 0)
respecting the wishes of the person on the other side of the deal.
[ Parent ]
Not quite - (0.00 / 0)
The 17th Amendment gives state legislatures the authority to empower "the executive" of the state to fill vacancies.

That doesn't affect your point - but people should know that the federal Constitution allows but does not require the legislature to delegate.

[ Parent ]
This is a free choice, not a deal (0.00 / 0)
A deal implies that Gov. Lynch gets something out of all this. The only thing I can see that he is getting is a lot of anger and grief. Again, it is Obama who wants Gregg in the cabinet. This is John Lynch supporting the president.
[ Parent ]
But It's Still "Let's Make A Deal." (0.00 / 0)
...and I thought we were putting that kind of politics aside in 2009.  I was wrong.
[ Parent ]
Disagree. (4.00 / 1)
People have rejected offers to be in the cabinet previously. There are many capable Democrats and Republicans and independents who can serve in Obama's cabinet.

Judd Gregg made the condition, and apparently the WH is okay with that.

But neither Barack Obama nor Rahm Emanuel nor Judd Gregg should be making any demands or decisions for the person in charge of an appointment that involves serving the people of New Hampshire in the presence of a vacancy.

John Lynch should have based his decision with what was best for New Hampshire, even if that meant a Republican. In this case that means using his own judgment and leadership, since in this undemocratic appointment process it falls on him alone. Instead he's doing the bidding of others.

The reasoning made explicit in his press release is pretty shocking to me.

birch, finch, beech

[ Parent ]
Let's Call On Obama To Find Someone Else (4.00 / 3)
Why don't we team up as I've been trying to get us to do since Friday and call on Barack Obama to find someone else?  This scene has not been good since Day One, and now that we're seeing it play out, our call should be on Obama.  If that won't work, we have to deal with what's before us -- but this nomination isn't certain yet.  

Ask him to go to the bench, as I have been.  There ARE other choices.  John Lynch and NONE of us should be in this position.  It's a loss loss for New Hampshire Democrats.

[ Parent ]
Jim (0.00 / 0)
Who is more likely to read Blue Hampshire, Barack Obama or John Lynch?
[ Parent ]
Good question. (4.00 / 2)
I will be disappointed if Obama doesn't have someone tracking this site occasionally - especially when launching an NH trial balloon.
[ Parent ]
Neither... (0.00 / 0)
...but I think the thoughts feed up through the lower staff, and anyone in government knows that's where a lot of the input upward comes from.  
[ Parent ]
"should have based his decision" (0.00 / 0)
Has it been made Dean? If so let us in on the secret.

Not in the shot
[ Parent ]
Too much speculation. (4.00 / 6)
After reading about this for the past few days, I'm more confused than ever.

I don't understand why Judd Gregg is so crucial to Obama's cabinet that his alleged demands to be replaced by another Republican must  be met.

I don't understand why Governor Lynch, who has the sole authority to appoint a replacement should  Gregg be appointed and confirmed, has to kowtow to anybody, even President Obama.

Precisely! (4.00 / 1)
Spot on, jbd!
[ Parent ]
Don't worry about the (R) (4.00 / 2)
He says:
"I will name a replacement who will put the people of New Hampshire first and represent New Hampshire effectively in the U.S. Senate."

So, there is a Republican that can do this? Maybe several?

This is a matter of trust.


www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com

www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

He always (0.00 / 0)
says that.
[ Parent ]
and he means it n/t (4.00 / 1)


Not in the shot
[ Parent ]
I must repeat (0.00 / 0)
... what I said when this first came up.

I am running out of cheeks to turn.

Wishful thinking (0.00 / 0)
Maybe Lynch's press release is very diplomatically communicating the status, nothing more, and drawing a line in the sand.

1) Everyone has been in communication and understands the others' positions.
2) Obama has the right as president to appoint who he wants.
3) Gregg has a viewpoint about his replacement.
4) Lynch has a responsibility as governor.

Nothing about any deal.

i.e., Go ahead, Barack.  Make my day.

[ Parent ]
Too wishful (0.00 / 0)
In my view.
[ Parent ]
Lynch makes a deal (0.00 / 0)
Blogo must be smiling.

And memo to Dem. Senatorial Campaign Committee:
Save the postage.  I am not sending any more money to help you get a "60 vote majority" when you are so willing to give it away.

Double F

couple of thoughts about gregg, bonnie newman and lynch (4.00 / 2)
If Obama wants to show bipartisanship and is looking for a smart articulate business savy Republican for Commerce Sect. then he could get everyone out of this pathetic mess by choosing Bonnie Newman (a highly qualified and talented woman who understands business, has worked in higher ed and knows the political landscape).

That would keep our less than competent senator, Gregg, where he is, to fight for his political life in 2010 ... that gets Lynch off the partisan hook, so that he does not look like he is making deals and playing footsie with Gregg and his party..  that gets the country a much more qualified commerce secretary at a time we need quality not political has beens... and that restores the status quo, the NH Republican party will have to rebuild their party without the help of Governor Lynch, providing them with quality Republican players in the US Senate.

As an aside: A reporter suggested that Lynch could argue that the voters chose a Republican for Senate and he is just keeping with their wishes...but in the last election, every Congressional Republican candidate got their clock cleaned and the dems swept the house, senate, exec. branch and governor's office. It would appear to me that the voter has spoken and the word was democrat.

Please remember, there is nothing wrong with a bipartisan executive branch. Obama should pick qualified folks from every party, so should Lynch...but this is not an appointment to the executive branch this is to fill the slot of an elected official. Ask Governor Sununu, if the shoe was on the other foot, would he pick a Democrat. After he threw you out of his office, you would hear him in the distance snarling that he would not appoint a democrat over his dead body.

Here's my problem with Bonnie Newman. (4.00 / 2)
She was Gregg's CoS.  It's in the job description to do whatever the boss wants.

What's to stop Judd from calling the shots on key votes from the distance of his Commerce desk?

Better, imo, to pick someone with no real ties to Gregg.

birch, finch, beech

[ Parent ]
Better, IMHO, To Pick Someone Not Named "Gregg" (4.00 / 1)
Better, IMHO, to pick someone not named "Gregg" for Commerce Secretary/Cabinet Member.  The train hasn't quite left the station yet.
[ Parent ]
Snarling (4.00 / 1)
And what is John H. Sununu doing now? Shilling for the minority party in New Hampshire.

Asking "What would John H. Sununu do?" is not the bar I would set.




"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

[ Parent ]
John H. Sununu And John E. Sununu (4.00 / 1)
I'd bet John H. Sununu and John E. Sununu are smiling, and have had a good few days, as has Judd Gregg with Democrats locally and nationally saying rather sweet things about him.  If this is at all about 2010, Sununu/Sununu can benefit from all of this, just as can Judd Gregg.    
[ Parent ]
Bonnie Newman does seem to have (4.00 / 3)
a better resume for Secretary of Commerce than Judd does. She has headed the NH BIA, she has worked in industrial development.

Budget analysis and tax law is not particularly relevant to promoting American commerce.

If you had both resumes in front of you for the job, she would get it, based on my understanding of the responsibilities.

[ Parent ]
I wouldn't be so sure (0.00 / 0)
"Budget analysis and tax law is not particularly relevant to promoting American commerce."

There are huge business policy implications for tax law and how budget analysis data is used.

...but on the whole, I agree.

[ Parent ]
Why Do They Call Elwood "Elwood Dowd" on Daily Kos? (4.00 / 1)
Sorry for going off topic, but they're discussing the same issue over there and this is at least the third time they've called him that.
Google Harvey n/t (0.00 / 0)


www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com

www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com
[ Parent ]
First Thing I Got Was Milk (0.00 / 0)
So naturally, I am now hungry for a bowl of cereal.  
[ Parent ]
Elwood Dowd is the character (4.00 / 2)
played by Jimmy Stewart in the movie "Harvey". If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

That's where our Elwood gets his moniker from, not the Blues Brother of the same first name.

[ Parent ]
Give the man a cigar. (0.00 / 0)
I signed up on dKos first, then got more informal here.
[ Parent ]
Thanks For Setting Me Straight! (4.00 / 4)
I always thought our Elwood was just a wayward blues musician from Chicago Keene who wore sunglasses at night and was on a mission from God.  
[ Parent ]
he is all of those things (4.00 / 4)
AND a large invisible rabbit.  
[ Parent ]
I am not pleased... (4.00 / 1)
I am having a hard time reading the gleeful and breathless updates provided by the UL, politico, etc. At this point, I think Lynch should stand up and say "No." There are mixed signals about how involved the WH is in the process. A Republican seatholder is not a satisfactory conclusion and I cannot fathom why Gregg has been able to successfully leverage the situation in his favor. I just wish Lynch told Gregg that if he wants to take Commerce, good luck and best wishes. If the situations were reversed, Republicans would laugh at us if we demanded this. I do not care if the Republican placeholder is the reincarnation of Lincoln, they are unsatisfactory to me. I thought that when we win elections, we were able to make the decisions? Ah, to be a Democrat.

res severa verum gaudia
Bullseye. (4.00 / 3)
Since Day One this has played like a Republican handbook.  
[ Parent ]
A Senator under Gregg's terms (4.00 / 1)
I share Kathy's opinion that if President Obama thinks Senator Gregg will make a fine Commerce Secretary, then I have no reason to doubt that could very well be the case - we'll see in time.

Nor do I place 100% of the blame on something that hasn't happened yet - the appointment of a NH Republican as US Senator - on John Lynch, although Lynch supporters should not be surprised at the level of anger it will arouse in NH Democrats. That's the Governor's choice and his responsibility, and from his actions will come criticism, much of it valid.

I will say this though - the idea of a "deal," of Judd Gregg dictating his terms to President Obama and Governor Lynch regarding appointments to Commerce Secretary and the U.S. Senate sickens me (and I speak only for myself writing this).

Can anyone explain to me or the many other young people in NH just getting involved in politics:

1) how Judd Gregg's political terms, and the leveraging of these terms, are beneficial to the NH citizenry? and
2) why those terms should be accorded such deference by two fine Democratic executives like Pres. Obama and Gov. Lynch?

"Where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can." - Barack Obama

From the Telegraph (4.00 / 2)
Here is Kevin Landrigan's analysis from this afternoon:

With Gregg, Obama gets something he lacks in the cabinet [-] a Republican with close relations to the Senate Republican leadership that can stall Obama's agenda with filibusters on Capitol Hill.

Obama also gets a fiscally conservative Republican who agreed with Obama on immigration reform and the bailout of Wall Street.

In naming Newman or someone like her, Lynch gets a trusted friend who would unlikely oppose the governor's wishes on any issues Lynch had interest in the Senate.

This pick would also allow Lynch, 56, to avoid having to pick sides and give some Democrats a leg up on the Senate seat in 2010.





"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

[ Parent ]
Gee I thought Obama (4.00 / 1)
had "close relations to the Senate Republican leadership."

I'll be waiting to see Mitch McConnell put someone on his payroll because they have a "close relationship" with the Democrats. And then I'll be waiting to see those filibuster threats go away.

But I won't be holding my breath.

[ Parent ]
Good Observations, Garth (4.00 / 1)
I do disagree with your opening statement, that if President Obama thinks Senator Gregg will make a fine Commerce Secretary, then you have no reason to doubt it.  I do.  I look at his anti-labor record, his support of $0.00 as a minimum wage, his pro-corporate welfare/Wall Street-giveaway record, and of course his long list of votes against woman's choice, gay/lesbian equality, anti-hate crimes, anti-health care access.

But you make good points about how can we cheer a "deal" of any kind.  Judd Gregg/The Republicans dictating the terms of his release from the Senate so he can become a Cabinet Member/Commerce Secretary is frightening.  

I don't think Barack Obama and his advisors have thought this through.  I'm hoping if a vacancy does occur that John Lynch will appoint a Democrat.  I'll understand if he doesn't just because he was put in a tough spot -- one Barack Obama has backed him into, and which he himself was backed into by a very politically-manipulating Judd Gregg.  

But this is something none of us who are Democrats should be celebrating.  This situation has gone wrong from Day One when we saw some Democrats jumping with glee that we might get Judd Gregg to leave the Senate.  He saw the "value of the office" (who else said that recently?) and he offered a "deal."  Let's hope our Democrats can stand above all that.  

[ Parent ]
i'll give it a try, Garth (4.00 / 6)

Almost all politics is a deal in the sense that parties with different goals communicate and attempt to reach an understanding that is mutually beneficial to them and the people or interests they represent. In order to do that, often times each will have to  give up something to attain something.
Very rarely are there situations where all interested parties think that exactly the same outcome is best.

1. In this case, the President apparently thinks it is important to get Sen Gregg into his cabinet. He would no doubt love to have Carol Shea-Porter or Paul Hodes be President--- each supported him early and each believes in his agenda for America. But he cant have that (see gregg , below), so he settles for a nominal republican who will support him in more areas than would Gregg.

2. Senator Gregg wants to be in the cabinet and he would also like a strong conservative who will have a leg up on the 2010 race replace him. He can have the first, but is willing to settle for the same nominal republican who will support the President far more than Gregg would like.

3. Governor Lynch understand that if the President fails to meet the economic challenges confronting him , we are all toast. He wouldlike to name a strong democrat to the senate seat who would have a leg up in the 2010 race, but like Gregg and Obama will settle for a moderate GOP placeholder because a. it leaves a better senator than we now have and b. it enables the president to have the team he has chosen to deal with the economic disaster.

So the three talk, as people are supposed to do, each gives a little and they reach an agreement, which while not perfect from anyone persons point of view, is satisfactory to each. This is significantly different than what Blago is alleged to have done or tried to do (sell a seat to benefit himself financially). The people get  a president whom they just elected by a good margin with a team in which he has confidence and as a bonus (from my point of view at least) get a better Senator.

The alternative is to say no--- then the president is denied the team he feels he needs and Gregg stays as Senator. He would probably support the President on many economic issues but would obstruct on myriad social issues and perhaps on foreign policy. I prefer to live in the world where this is not so, but others can differ. Apparently both Barack Obama and John Lynch also like the first outcome better so they strike a deal to reach it. We elected them to make hard choices and it is not a matter of deference, its a matter of getting things done to create better situations.



"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

[ Parent ]
If John Lynch Says "No," What Happens? (2.67 / 3)
If John Lynch says "No," what happens?  Barack Obama would have to look somewhere else to help his economic team?  Well, then I hope John Lynch says NO.  Judd Gregg is not the best and brighest -- I don't think any of us agree he is.  So, Just Say No!
[ Parent ]
"John, why didn't you warn me about Gregg?" (4.00 / 4)
A good friend and adviser to the President doesn't always say Yes.
[ Parent ]
And that's something... (0.00 / 0)
that Obama himself has stressed from the beginning...

He wants to be told he's wrong when he's wrong...

[ Parent ]
Great analysis (4.00 / 2)
Well said Paul. What has most upset me about this story is how little I understand it - whether it's in emails or Super Bowl party conversations, I've been at a loss for words on how to explain why Gregg is leveraging these offices and why Democrats are showing deference to Gregg. Today I've felt as though I understand the complexities of this less than I did when the story initially broke.

Perhaps it is a President, Senator and Governor each respectively undertaking a match of three-dimensional, state & federal, partisan chess. This kind of sausage-making honestly troubles me and leaves me with a somewhat queasy stomach for NH politics.


"Where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can." - Barack Obama

[ Parent ]
Don't Swallow (0.00 / 0)
Well Garth, you don't have to swallow that sausage.  Take it off the plate. This "deal," "arrangement," "understanding," or whatever it's called -- it doesn't have to happen. From Day One we've been out-maneuvered  by Judd Gregg and the Republicans on this one.  The price is too high.  
[ Parent ]
too late its ovah n/t (4.00 / 1)


Not in the shot
[ Parent ]
Given that Gregg (4.00 / 1)
had a hand in creating the big financial mess we're in, the best thing Lynch could do would be to just say no.  
[ Parent ]
Differnt than Blago... (0.00 / 0)
This is what I keep thinking about.

Right, no one is talking about selling anything here.  I get that. But if it was so unethical for Obama to have had even a conversation with the former Gov about his Senatorial replacement in Illinois (a conversation which he did not have); why is it then ethical for Gregg to have a say in who replaces him?

That's what I don't really get.

I trust President Obama.  I don't like Judd Gregg, haven't since I was in high school and have the t-shirts to prove it.  That being said, I'd rather have him under the watchful eye around the Cabinet table then free in the Senate.


Feeling hopeful since 2004...now "Secretary" of the New Boston Democratic Caucus

[ Parent ]
Another thought (0.00 / 0)
Foster's Daily Democrat brought up the name of Peter Spaulding.

Any thoughts on that?

Simple observation: (4.00 / 4)
If New Hampshire used a special election to fill Senate vacancies, there would be no bargaining.

The GOP would whine that the seat might go Blue, Judd would be torn on whether to take the job, Obama would have nobody to call, Lynch would get back to work on state business.

The big point is: We should use special elections.

The lesser point is: Just because we don't right now, is no excuse for this trading game.

big point-- agreed (0.00 / 0)

little point-- not so much,

but that is what makes the world so interesting.  

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

[ Parent ]
DEMOCRACY! (4.00 / 1)
Imagine that. Like a breath of fresh air from this hothouse atmosphere.

birch, finch, beech
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Politics and Parlor Games - Lynch and Gregg (0.00 / 0)
What makes this 'deal' so difficult for me to accept is the following:

a. I really care about the Democratic agenda.  Things like universal health care, regulating industries, green and environmental issues, affordable education, are really important to me.  It's why I vote and why I work to get people elected who will advocate for these issues.

b. In this past election I worked very very hard.  I canvassed several times, I gave money every month, I phone banked, I held signs, I did poll watching. I worked for Obama, Hodes, Lynch, and Shaheen.  So now I'm faced with the fact that to Lynch, and maybe the rest of the party leaders in NH, this is all a parlor game.  We worked to get power but instead we'll just make a deal with the very Republicans we worked so hard to defeat.  We'll cut a deal to make sure a Republican stays in position to veto our agenda or that may be the one vote that keeps us from getting something like healthcare reform enacted in any meaningful way.

Well, we can parse the strategy and politics of Lynch until the day is long but for me - I'm through.  I've watched Democrats capitulate, bend, fold, and multilate on every issue since we took the Congress in 2006. No more money. No more time. No more slogging it out for Democratic candidates.  I feel betrayed. If they can't stand up for me, I won't stand up for them.

Maybe it's good politics for Lynch.  Maybe there is a grand scheme behind it all to further the cause but I'm still battered and bruised from the last 8 years and I'm waiting for some real tenacity and courage from my Party.  Time is about up for me. I know I'm not alone.

check out my comments on NECN last night and take a look at newman's resume...she should have been the commerce secretary and not Judd. (0.00 / 0)
http://www.necn.com/Boston/Pol...

6 hours 58 min 28 sec ago
Newsnight: Sen. Gregg for Commerce post?

Play video

(NECN) - On this segment of Newsnight, host Jim Braude discusses whether or not Judd Gregg will say "yes" to a Cabinet post in President Obama's Administration. Monday evening an official says Obama plans to nominate New Hampshire Republican Senator Judd Gregg as Commerce Secretary.

According to the AP, the officials disclosed Gregg's pending nomination on condition of anonymity because a formal announcement had not been made yet.

Jim talks about the pending nomination with political commentator Arnie Arnesen. She predicts Gregg will take the position, and New Hampshire Governor will "find his inner-Republican and appoint Bonnie Newman." Arnesen however says Newman will be in a better position than Gregg, because she is more competent and more prepared to be Commerce Secretary.

Sadly, as you note from her resume below, Bonnie is the more qualified candidate for Commerce Secretary.
No matter what Lynch and Newman say today about the fact that she will only serve for two years...Do you really think she won't want to run in 2010? If she finds her footing and her voice she wont leave - trust me, she loves this stuff. Why do you think she stayed as Exec Dean at the Kennedy School for so long? (The JFK School of Govt, lives and breaths politics and is a womb for political junkies.)

The Lynch-Gregg Deal, to appoint a Republican, flies in the face of NH voter sentiment and has partisan folks like Buckley and Sullivan morphing before our eyes to explain the unexplainable.
Let's be honest -Did the NH voters in '08 suggest they wanted a Republican in office in Washington? I don't think so.

Lynch's legacy? After 6 years in office he will have followed the Republican line on fiscal policy by continuing to shift and shaft property tax payers, maintained all the current inequities in the system (The NH disadvantage), served in the corner office as the first person, in nearly one hundred years, gets the death sentence (let's not forget it was the white guy that got life in prison and the black guy that got death), and put more Republican women (remember our AG) in positions of authority than any other elected official.
(Lynch will have a plaque in his name at the NH GOP headquarters as the godfather of the "New" Republican party.)

BIOGRAPHY OF J. BONNIE NEWMAN

The former Executive Dean at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, J. Bonnie Newman's career spans the public, private, nonprofit and academic sectors.  She is presently engaged as a
Corporate Director.

Ms. Newman is a Director of Citizens Advisors, Lumina Foundation, Markem Corporation and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.  She is Chairman of the United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors and a member of The Economic Club of New York.

Her past appointments include service on the President's Export Council, an advisory board on US trade policy, and the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. She is a former Director of NYNEX Telecommunications, New England Telephone and Telegraph Company, Perini Corporation, Consumers Water Company, Sallie Mae Corporation, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Strawbery Banke Museum, New Hampshire Public Television, the New Hampshire Industrial Development Authority, Indian Head Banks, Fleet Bank of New Hampshire, and Public Service Company of New Hampshire (electric utility).

In the public sector Ms. Newman served in the Reagan and Bush administrations. From 1989 until 1991 she served as Assistant to the President for Management and Administration, where she oversaw all administrative operations for the White House and Executive Office of the President during the transition and administration of George H.W. Bush.  President Ronald Reagan nominated Ms. Newman to the position of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and the United States Senate confirmed her appointment in February 1984.  Earlier she served as Associate Director of the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House and Chief of Staff for New Hampshire Congressman Judd Gregg.

In addition to serving from 2000-2005 as Executive Dean at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Ms. Newman's academic positions include engagements at the University of New Hampshire as Interim Dean of the Whittemore School of Business and Economics from 1998-1999, Dean of Students from 1972-1978 and as Assistant Dean of Students from 1969-1972.

In the private sector, Ms. Newman has been active as a private investor in the financing and development of early stage entrepreneurial opportunities. Ms. Newman is the founder and former owner of Coastal Broadcasting Corporation, licensee of WZEA-FM radio.  She also held the position of Executive Vice President with Exeter Trust Company.  From 1985 through 1988 Ms. Newman served as President of the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire and in 1988 was named President of the New England Council Inc., a regional business association. She served as Executive Director of the Forum on New Hampshire's Future from 1978 through 1980.

A resident of North Hampton, New Hampshire, Ms. Newman received her B.A. degree in sociology from St. Joseph's College and her M.Ed. degree in higher education administration from The Pennsylvania State University. She has honorary degrees from Rivier College, Notre Dame College, Keene State College, St. Joseph's College, and New Hampshire College. Awards include the University of New Hampshire's Granite State Award for distinguished public service, the Public Relations Society's Yankee Award for outstanding accomplishment as a public relations professional, the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire's Lifetime Achievement Award for professional, community, and state-wide leadership, the New England Council's Leadership Award to Women in Business, the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus Abigail Adams Award for her commitment to the political, economic and social advancement of women and in 2005 she was named an Alumni Fellow by The Pennsylvania State University.  


A Better Choice: Newman For Commerce Secretary (0.00 / 0)
You're correct, Arnie -- those of us opposed to Judd Gregg being named to Commerce/Cabinet Member aren't opposed to bipartisanship.  Bipartisanship can be a good thing.  But bipartisanship means finding the right person to do good things in the right job.  

Bonnie Newman is/was a much better choice for Barack Obama for Commerce Secertary than Judd Gregg.  In fact, there were many better choices among the Republican bench.

I think all this happened because of some advisors and staffers who backed Obama into a corner, giving him limited options because they were embarrassed by the first round of their choice, and they wanted to make a high-profile decision quickly.  Like with getting us deeper into Afghanistan, he's been ill-advised.

It happens.  Unfortunately, too many of us contributed to it by wanting Gregg "out of the way" so we cheered.  I think this decision will come back to haunt Obama, and New Hampshire Democrats.  All that, of course, IMHO.  

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Hmmm (0.00 / 0)
"I'm not sure I'm one of [the potential 2010 candidates]"

Not sure? Got something to tell us, pochow?

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Lynch Makes Deal with Gregg to Appoint Republican | 68 comments

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