Tracing the Origin of the Judd Gregg-to-Commerce Concept
The Beltway media circuit is minorly abuzz this morning about the possibility that Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) could be named as Barack Obama's Commerce Secretary. The New York Times reports that the Obama administration "has approached" Gregg -- whose nomination would ostensibly trigger a Democratic appointment from New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, bringing Democrats to the edge of a pivotal 60-vote majority.
But the original report in Roll Call, as well as subsequent reports, source the notion to the Senate and not the Obama camp. If you were Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and you wanted to send a message to the GOP about its perilous hold on the ability to filibuster with a major stimulus bill coming up ... how would you do it?
Late Update: Gregg acknowledges the talk of a Cabinet slot in a statement just released by his office.
I am aware that my name is one of those being considered by the White House for Secretary of Commerce, and am honored to be considered, along with others, for the position. Beyond that there is nothing more I can say at this time.
And then he pulled off an article of clothing, in the slow striptease of a moderate Republican up for re-election ...
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
We've all been watching Reid's maneuvers for some time, Elana. I've personally been watching and marveling at the Obama team's astuteness since the fall of 2006.
I'll credit the Obama folks with this one. It's politically smart and savvy. Get the popcorn bag from the microwave and sit back, folks. This is entertainment deluxe.
January 30, 2009 10:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think Majority Leader Reid could find his way out of a paper bag, so this probably didn't come from him.
January 30, 2009 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
I tend to agree, but I'm left scratching my head over how this clown ever got to the Senate and managed to float his way to the top of the pecking order.
January 30, 2009 11:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a review on Amazon of Reid's book "The Good Fight"--Reid is actually very tough. Years ago I drove through his "hometown" Searchlight, Nevada. It was a desert nothing, miles and miles from anywhere, a few broken-down trailers with whores plying their trade:
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!, May 13, 2008
By Noel Harrison - See all my reviews
I would venture to say that most of the other reviewers of this book
(so far) haven't bothered to read it, but are instead just teeing off on
Harry Reid because they don't like his politics. I know, reading can be hard,
but do yourself a favor and ignore those other reviews. Read this book.
Like Harry Reid, don't like Harry Reid, whatever. Read this book. It's kind
of an unbelievable American story, shockingly candid, and well told. The odds
of anyone emerging from Searchlight, Nevada, when Reid came up there, and
to then go on to do anything of note, are infinitesimal. But the man we
only know as the soft-spoken, kind of opaque leader of the senate, has
actually lived an astonishing life. To be where he is, an impossible life.
Raised in a broken-down town with 13 whorehouses and no churches, taught honesty
by a "whoremonger" because his parents were too drunk to bother, hitchhikes
across the desert to high school, fist fights with his future father-in-law,
defends a murderer in a case right out of In Cold Blood, take on the mob in
Vegas (blacklists Lefty Rosenthal!) and gets a bomb planted in his car
for his troubles, and now faces his biggest problem - Bush. Unlike many
books by politicians, which are full of falsity and pomposity, The Good Fight
doesn't is told plainly and doesn't prettify anything, isn't pompous, and
doesn't read like a collection of tired speeches. This is a surprising book,
and a good story. Highly recommended.
Comment
January 30, 2009 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
This just over-puzzles my puzzler: where's the grit and gumption that carried him up to 2006? Somewhere between Nov '06 and now, he was beamed up by aliens in Area 51, gutted, and invertebrated, because lately he's been showing all the steel of last week's leftover tapioca.
January 30, 2009 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nobody outside the Senate really knows what goes on inside. There must be good reasons why the Dems keep re-electing him their leader, last time unanimously. The bloggers think he's a fool and the senators seem to know differently from personal experience.
I get passionate about this because years ago in the 80s I was in Las Vegas at a restaurant when he came by and schmoozed with my relative, who was a bigwig in L.V. Afterward Reid left, I could tell he was considered kind of a joke (maybe from the wrong side of the tracks?), but I've always remembered that incident and thought he proved them wrong. He just kept rising in power and influence. He doesn't look like a powerful man, granted, but among all the senators the Democrats want him to lead them.
January 30, 2009 4:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agree with these nuts pussy, you are just lucky I don't shit down your throat.
March 19, 2009 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
The 60-seat threshold is more imaginary than real. Cloture votes are rarely along strict party lines. There are several R Senators who are already mostly on board with the stimulus bill, including both Snowe and Collins. Gregg, Specter and Martinez are all up for re-election in 2010 and are probably not suicidal enough to vote against it. Two or three others can probably be persuaded.
This might be a shot across McConnell's bow, but I don't think it's about the stimulus bill specifically.
January 30, 2009 10:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Martinez is NOT up for reelection. He was the first of the 4 GOP senators to announce their Retirement in 2010 (before Brownback, Voinovich, and Bond)
he can do whatever he wants. I suggest we wait and see what that might be
January 30, 2009 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
There are more than one reason to give this report credibility. Gregg isn't denying (oops, Politico now says he's confirming it and he's honored to be considered). Gregg may have an interest, as well. New Hampshire is reportedly drifting blue (comment, anybody?), and Gregg may have a difficult time holding onto his seat in 2010.
Some say he will only jump if it is promised that the Democratic governor promised to name a Republican to Gregg's Senate seat, and anyhow, Obama wouldn't want the kind of confrontation that forcibly moving Gregg's seat to the Democratic column would yield. I don't know, the Republicans are signalling that confrontation is the only thing they do want and that governing is not even on their agenda: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18204.html
Since they want Gingrich-ist confrontation, maybe they should be given it.
January 30, 2009 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Gregg doesn't have any negotiating power in this. Gregg will not get any sort of promise from a Dem governor--and after Blago will most assuredly stay completely "hands off".
January 30, 2009 10:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Agree, could comment on Blago, and see my answer if you like to FreeRider next below.
January 30, 2009 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, "good" comment you made on Blago.
January 30, 2009 12:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is just stupid. Gregg is the most endangered republican senator for 2010 so he has ZERO leverage over Obama or the NH governor. If he takes this position, he saves his own ass. Period.
Gregg's skills aren't so critical that Obama would give up anything to get him.
January 30, 2009 11:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I just researched ever-so-slightly; you may know better than Chris Cilizza's The Fix/The Line in WaPo and I don't doubt that you do. You and the Line mainly agree, though, as we'll see below. The Line has Jim Bunning as the most endangered and doesn't offer the tho old Hall-of-Famer much hope at all.
The sixth most endangered (by their count, which includes open seats) is indeed Gregg, and they note things may get a lot worse for him soon:
"6. New Hampshire (R): Sen. Judd Gregg is one of the last Republicans standing in the Northeast, and the changes in the Granite State over the last two elections show that he will stand for reelection to a fourth term with a very different electorate than in races past. Rep. Paul Hodes (D) said earlier this week he is taking a serious look at the race and national Democrats believe he is the real deal. This is a race that could move up the Line quickly in the coming months."
Ouch! Now, if they were writing this about you or me, we'd have to be looking at career options, no? Politics being sometimes called a "dirty" business, I think there is this operating as well: if Gregg jerks Dems around on this, the Rahm Emmanuels of the world may target his seat with particular *verve.* The link that Elana provided shows Gregg ahead of the leading challenger only by 47-40. That isn't comforting for an incumbent. So I'm agreeing with you, and more.
And if I were one of the "last Republicans standing in the Northeast" in a state trending blue, I too would be "honored" to be considered for this gig. Like, in a big way.
January 30, 2009 11:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
As a NH voter, I'm going to ave to disagree with you a bit there. Gregg is very popular in NH, last i checked, almost as popular as Lynch (who is one of the most popular Governors in the country). Noone who takes the time to rank senate prospects for 2010 considers him terribly in danger. Nate Silver has him ranked pretty low right now. Heck, unless Lynch himself or Shea-Porter ran against him, I'd be likely to reelect him myself (I'm no fan of my Rep Paul Hodes). That said, I think he is a fine choice, while rather conservative he is an honorable man, with nothing but good intentions, and has a record of supporting small businesses, not the mega-corporations.
Not to mention, the Commerce Secretary, whoever it is, needs to be someone who's career isn't promising and on the up and up, as the Census has a track record of ruining Commerce Secretaries
January 30, 2009 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gregg could be using this publicity to help him run for re-election in 2010 as reason why he didn't shoot it down - "I'm not so bad New Hampshire, after all Obama wanted me for his Cabinet".
So Gregg can tell the GOP Senate leadership he's not going to take the offer, but wants the publicity from it. Of course Obama also gets publicity from the fact he's looking at another Republican to join his Cabinet - beefs up his bi-partisan/post-partisan claims at a time when Republicans are voting down party lines.
Martinez, Voinevich, Brownback and Bond all retiring can free them from having to worry about getting re-elected - they can be partisan and obstructionist to their hearts content. On the other hand they don't have to worry about Party anymore either, and could vote however they wanted. It will be interesting to watch how this group votes over the next two years.
January 30, 2009 11:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
Leak a week or so before announcement has been the O!MO for 2 months now
I'd bet on it. Judd's got no life left...moderate in a minority loony bin for the rest of his career?
January 30, 2009 11:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
(1) Gregg is not a moderate; he has the profile of a reliable conservative.
(2) As I noted in the earlier post, it is very possible Lynch appoints a Republican.
January 30, 2009 11:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
>>(2) As I noted in the earlier post, it is very possible Lynch appoints a Republican.>>
Not. gonna. happen.
NH is becoming increasingly blue. People are fuming at the republicans' obstructionist ways. If a Democratic governor in a state that went 10 points for the very popular democratic president appoints a republican to the senate, then said Democratic governor will be known as the ex-governor.
January 30, 2009 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am also leaning this way. Look, the House Republicans have already declared war. They have been given a chance to collaborate, and they choose conflict, and have promised at their resort retreat to offer nothing but more conflict. Why should the GOP's wishes then not be honored? You wanna be quarrelsome, let's start by you giving us a Senate seat while we take one of your best people.
January 30, 2009 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Also worth noting that if Lynch appoints a Dem, it will be a very centrist Dem, which will hurt the chances of a more progressive Dem mounting a primary challenge for the seat in two years time.
What should be telling, is that Obama waxed poetic about how Commerce was going to have an expanded scope in his administration when asked if Richardson getting the post was a "slap in the face". Was that all hot air, or did Obama have to chance the parameters of what he expected out of Commerce when Richardson was forced to withdraw.
How's the Richardson issue progressing down in New Mexico? If Obama drags his feet long enough could there be an outcome there soon enough that Richardson could be re-nominated if cleared by the FBI in all matters.
January 30, 2009 12:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like Olympia Snowe better. Ah, well....
January 30, 2009 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink