CNN's Inside politics report that Rove offered Nelson (D. Ne) Sec of Agriculture..Rove is BRILLIANT

INside politics..CNN

[ken5050]

Judy (hmmm?) Woodruff just had a report that Karl Rove had offered Nebraska Sen Ben Nelson the post of Secretary of Agriculture. Nelson is up in 2006...and facing a hard race from popular GOP Gov Mike Johanns. Nelson is among the most conservative of Senate Dems..Does this make sense, because Nelson votes with the GOP on most of the key issues..?

[ken5050]

There was an earlier report that Nelson would be asked to switch parties, and stay in the Senate but that if he did so it would have to include an agreement that Jophanns not run against him in the GOP primary in 2006.

Either option seems a good bet for Nelson..If he runs as a Dem..it'd be hard race, no guarantee of winning, and even if he won..he'd only have another 6 years in the minority to look forward to..

Sounds to me like Rove is either trying to bump up the GOP numbers..56 sounds better than 55, or possibly stock the larder in case there's a defection or two in the near future..in either case..getting Nelson OUT, and getting a conservative GOP in the Senate seat makes a lot of sense NOW..

[Red Badger]

Specter Insurance:^/.....

[bushisdamanin04]

Rove is brilliant. Maybe he can add another GOP seat to the Senate. And who cares about Ag!

[Greg the Republican]

Well did he accept it?

[anniegetyourgun]

Yep....good assessment, ken. And Ag is a great shelf on which to set anyone aside, while making them feel good about it.

[KeatsforFirstDog]

is the gov in Nebraska (R), I assume?

[Wisconsin]

In Nebraska would there be a special election or would the Governor appoint?

[mrs9x]

This is a brilliant move...IF Nelson accepts the post. Does Nebraska have a GOP governor (I assume they do). The GOP could just appoint a Pubbie Senator in Nelson's spot. Watch them whine and cry about it, but notice how not a peep was made when Zell Miller was installed in Georgia.

[EagleUSA]

We need three or four more "Rove" clones working in the top ranks of the party. On the other hand, the libs are getting easier to beat since they are losing control faster than we can keep track of....ala the latest sliming of Condi Rice which was one of the MOST STUPID THINGS THE RADICAL MSM COULD HAVE DONE....

Go Rove! Too bad Zell Miller will not switch...or maybe after today, he might...

[Dems_R_Losers]

Excellent strategery. Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore did this a few years ago, appointing two Democrat state senators to cabinet positions. The GOP picked up both seats in special elections.

I'm pretty sure Nelson has a conservative record on agriculture issues. He would be a fine choice for USDA.

[billorites]

Is a Cabinet post Rove's to offer?

[graf008]

I think Rove is facing some possible defections from the GOP - as well as wants to remove the Dems from putting a more centrist face on their leadership.

I wouldn't say the Dems will be in the minority for the next ten years, though. We have at least two years - but I think the numbrs (as far as re-elections) are stacked in the Dems favor in 2006.

[Rocko]

Yes.

[Heartland Mom]

Does Nebraska have a GOP governor

Yes, Johanns is GOP.

[Bluegrass Conservative]

Alright, I'm feeling pretty proud right now. I suggested this idea on an earlier post here two days ago: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1280539/posts (see #10)

Either 1) Karl Rove and I think alike or 2) Karl Rove reads FR and liked my idea. : ) Either way, not too bad! lol

[RockinRight]

Hehe... Specter Insurance...sounds like a real company!

I can almost hear the 'jingle' now!

That said, I think it's a good move. Nelson would of course be great at Ag since he's from Nebraska, and he's relatively conservative.

The NE GOP governor would then fill his spot with a Republican giving us 56 instead of 55.

Now, do we have a job for Joe Lieberman and BILL Nelson?

[West Coast Conservative]

Also, according to TNR, Lieberman is a possibility to take over from Rumsfeld.

But with Powell's departure, what members of the Bush team knew as soon as the first shot was fired in the Iraq war became apparent to the nation at large: The argument has been settled in the latter's favor. Not because of the Pentagon's bureaucratic weight (Rumsfeld and the neoconservatives around him will be departing soon enough--replaced, in all likelihood, by a Senator, perhaps even Joe Lieberman).

[SNIP]

Nor will the expected departure of Rumsfeld and his lieutenants at the Defense Department dilute the president's robust foreign policy preferences. Were a Joe Lieberman or, by an outside chance, Paul Wolfowitz catapulted to the top Pentagon post, the new defense secretary may end up promoting an even more aggressive foreign policy stance than the president himself. But, even at the cabinet level, ideology's no longer the point.

TNR

[Lunkhead_01]

Incumbency often translates into sufficient name recognition to give the incumbent a few points on election day. If Nelson is Secretary of Agriculture and Governor Johanns appoints himself to finish out the last two years of Nelson's term, Johanns becomes the incumbent with no strong challenger on the horizon.

In addition, if Nelson decides to become Secretary of Agriculture, the Senate becomes:
Republicans: 56
Democrats: 42
Independents: 1

[OldFriend]

It was long rumored that Nelson was going to switch.

I am wondering too if Breaux will become Energy Secretary.

There are good people who can serve their country well and I welcome them.

[graf008]

Miller is a lame duck. He could switch, but what would that do?

[Numbers Guy]

Couple points: First, John Breaux was offered Secretary of Energy 4 years ago, but turned it down since he would have been replaced by a Republican. There was tremendous pressure applied to him by the Democratic Party not to take the job because the Senate was 50-50 at that time.

Second, by making it sound like a Rove idea, CNN has pretty much guaranteed that the Dems will put a tremendous amount of pressure on Nelson not to take the job.

[Galactic Overlord-In-Chief]

Yep, Mike Johanns, who seems to be eager to challenge Nelson in 2006.

[Txsleuth]

I think this would be great if- Nelson does switch and when Chuckie Hagel is up for reelection.. the GOP contender could run against him and take it from that idiot.

[Red Badger]

Bill Nelson, Head of NASA......

[anniegetyourgun]

Think about it, billo....Card and Rove do "completed staff work".....so that NO ONE says no to the President. Ya' see how this works?

[SoDak]

I think he should offer it to Senator Tim Johnson(D), so that Governor Rounds can appoint Larry Diedrich to the Senate. Getting rid of two rat Senators in SD in a matter of weeks would be too much to ask?

[RockinRight]

I disagree.

The only GOP Senator in danger of losing might be Santorum, but that will depend on how this Specter debacle turns out.

OTOH several Democratic seats could be beaten.

[alwaysconservative]

Nebraska's governor is Mike Johanns, I believe, and he is a Republican, who could appoint Nelson's successor until 2006.

[Savage Beast]

You gotta admire Judy Woodruf for carrying on so bravely while in the throes of an advanced case of PEST.

[Van Jenerette]

...switch?

[EagleUSA]

Thanks Graf! Yep, he does now quack...but it would fly in the face of the left because he has been, and would be, very VOCAL ABOUT WHY HE IS ABANDONING THE DEM PARTY. Such a move might even encourage more fence sitters, Kennedy type Dems, that are fed up with the lunacy and irrational far-left behavior of the party.

Every little bit helps!

[RockinRight]

Hmmm...

[GraniteStateConservative]

Ha! Ha! Ha!

[el_texicano]

Ahhhhhh, i can hear the silent (or maybe not so silent) screems from the leftist media and the liberal democrats.

BWwwwwahaahhahahahahahahahahahahahaha "Suck 'em dry"

[Bikers4Bush]

If he takes it this would be the perfect time to reign in the moderates. Specter included.

[comebacknewt]

I think Rove is facing some possible defections from the GOP - as well as wants to remove the Dems from putting a more centrist face on their leadership.

I wouldn't say the Dems will be in the minority for the next ten years, though. We have at least two years - but I think the numbrs (as far as re-elections) are stacked in the Dems favor in 2006.

I would say your analysis is absurd.

First of all, who is going to defect from the GOP so that they can serve in the Minority?!? No one. Not even Chafee. These guys are all about power.

As for the RATs taking over in 2006, that is nothing more than a pipe dream. I will acknowledge that as things stand right now, we appear to have more tough seats to defend than they do, but at worst, I don't see us losing more than a net of two seats. If we knock off the Nelsons, we may even wind up with a net gain of two seats.

Not even Harry Reid would share your optimistic assessment of the RATs chances of regaining the Senate.

[BigMacGOP]

56-43-1

[Dems_R_Losers]

Tim Johnson would be a good choice for Comptroller of the Currency too. He has been great for the banking industry and does not get along with Paul Sarbanes, who is ranking Democrat on the Banking Committee. He was reeelected in 2002, but will probably have a tough race in 2008, since he only beat John Thune through vote fraud in 2002.

[Uncle Vlad]

Yes, Mike Johanns, Nebraska's governor, is a Republican, but he's a RINO. If Nelson was offered the Secretary of Agriculture position, he would do a good job. Johanns would certainly appoint Nelson's successor, but the successor might be another RINO like Hagel, then we'd be stuck with two of them. While it is a good idea, there are some downsides to is as well.

[MahaMarty]

2 simple words...Tom Osborn.

[Luddite Patent Counsel]

I think Spectre Insurance is a sister company of Ghostbusters.

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

Bill Nelson, Head of NASA......

Is he related to the astronaut, Tony Nelson?

[Red Badger]

No, but he played one in real life.....

[SoDak]

Great choice for either, I doubt he can do much damage as Sec of Ag. Plus, more potential good news, rumours are that our Rep Herseth is contemplating switching parties. That rumour doen't come from the media, that rumour comes from mutual aquaintances.

[Graybeard58]

Miller is 73 years old and I believe him when he says he is retiring to be with his family.

[Hank Rearden]

And who cares about Ag!

I do. They squander hundreds of billions just like the rest of Big Stupid Government.

[Defiant]

What has the TNR been smoking?

[OneTimeLurker]

Which state looses a senator ;)

[Bluegrass Conservative]

I'd love to see that. Herseth is a very attractive candidate (in more ways than one, I might add!). From what I've heard she's to the right of center. However, isn't her family a VERY prominent Democrat family in South Dakota? Would they let her switch?

[lysie]

Y'all see this?