Posted on 08/07/2009 7:38:39 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
LMFAO
Undoubtedly. And I would put my money on him putting another Martinez in that place -- Bob Martinez, the former GOP gov and Tampa mayor, who is in his mid-70s and would probably love to end his career coasting for a year and a half in the Club of 100.
A family man with children would be nice.
I can dream, can't I?
Jeb’s chances at the white house died after eight years of his brother failing to defend himself from the lefty press and moveon.org types. I doubt a Bush could be elected dog catcher, and I do not have a problem with that.
It is popcorn time!!!
“Crist will probably appoint a rat.”
Yea, himself!
Article X to the FL Constitution is inapplicable here, since it speaks of vacancies in state offices, and Martinez’s U.S. Senate seat is not a state office.
You are correct that the FL statute authorizing the Gov. to make appointments to fill temporarily vacancies in the U.S. Senate (in accordance with the 17th Amendment) probably does not specifically exclude the Gov. appointing himself, but it would probably be interpreted to so exclude that possibility under the old common-law principle that no man may be the judge in his own cause. In any event, Article I of the Constitution provides that each House is the sole judge of the qualifications, elections and returns of its members, and if a governor “appointed” himself to the Senate (which no governor has ever dared to do) it is probable that the Senate would exclude such person because he wasn’t properly appointed.
This is one of those issues, such as the hypothetical presdiential power to pardon himself, that has never been expounded upon by a court because the act smacks of unconstitutionality and no one has dared try it. If Crist really wanted to be appointed to the seat, he would be foolish to try to appoint himself instead of making a deal with his Lt. Gov. so that he (Crist) resigns and the Lt. Gov. becomes Gov. and appoints Crist to the seat.
Gov. Bob Martinez is (or at least was) a conservative, so I wouldn’t mind that at all.
I think that Crist will appoint someone politically influential in return for that person endorsing him for the Senate. He may think about appointing a Cuban-American (which Bob Martinez isn’t—Bob’s from one of Tampa’s old Spanish tobacco-rolling families) to try to win favor with that constituency, but it could be a double-edged sword for Crist, because if Cuban-American Republicans see the Senate seat as a “Cuban seat” then it could help Rubio pull off the upset.
Charlie probably looked at the history of what happened to governors taking the promotion with all but one losing when the election rolled around.
All that said, I find it far less odious if a governor did appoint themselves directly rather than "make a deal with their successor." It is the more honest route. And ROFL if the Lt. Governor took the step up and said Foxtrot Uniform to the ex-gov. and appointed their wife or hubby instead.
Kottkamp is a hand-picked Crist lackey.
Yes, it would indeed be hilarious if a conniving Gov. resigned so that the Lt. Gov. can name him to the Senate, and then have the Lt. Gov. backstab him and name someone else.
In many states the Lt. Gov. becomes acting Gov. if the Gov. is away from the state, and I guess in such a state the Gov. could leave the state temporarily and tell the Lt. Gov. that if he wants to become Gov. that he’d better appoint him to the Senate while he’s away; the Gov. could then return to the state, feign surprise at the appointment, and accept.
Hey, where are all the stories about him being a quitter who is not fulfilling his promises?
So Rubio is pro-illegal alienism?
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