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..?

[Right Wing Professor]

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.

I'm not sure why you think this. Johanns is solidly pro-life and anti-tax.

Hagel, of course, is despicable.

[graf008]

Moderates should go. They just make things difficult anyways.

[Southack]

"moderates in both parties have left. In that environment, true power may come from a third group."

That's the type of nonsense that poli sci profs would tell their students while still high from last night's party. It has no bearing on the real world, however.

Power in the Senate comes from holding the Majority. That's who chairs committees. That's who decides when to bring up "which" legislation and nominations. Moreover, it's the majority Party that decides on the final content of bills during the House-Senate conferences after all but the final voice votes are taken.

Buck the Majority party in the Senate and you lose your plum committee assignments. You lose your Party campaign funding. You lose support for your own legislation and nominations. In short, you lose.

So "power" doesn't come from so-called moderates who buck the Majority Party's Senate leadership.

[Bluegrass Conservative]

Yes, a Governor can appoint any qualified person, including him/herself.

[Mountain Dewd]

Ben Nelson is probably nervous about loosing his seat in 2006. The Omaha World Herald has a survey showing Nelson and Johanns in a virtual dead heat for the seat before any campaigning has even begun.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1273668/posts

[Bikers4Bush]

Yup.

[Howlin]

Moderates should go.

Excactly WHO are you talking about?

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[Howlin]

For instance?

[Southack]

"You get dangerous when the Dems pull within 2 or 3 of control. Defections are bound to occur..."

Rubbish. Senators don't switch to be in a minority Party. No Senator wants to lose *both* seniority as well as Majority status. Goodbye chairing committees. Goodbye getting your pet legislation introduced on the floor, much less passed. Goodbye campaign funding. Goodbye prime Senate office space. Goodbye top-level staff funding. In short, goodbye.

[Frank L]

Did you eat today? Do you wear clothes?

As ag is the food and fiber industry, you might want to care about ag.

[WoodstockCat]

Talent is going to have a tough fight in Missouri, there's still the midnight precincts in St. Louis...

[Bikers4Bush]

For starters Specter and Chaffee.

[alwaysconservative]

If that's the standard, then Rove should talk to Dorgan or Conrad in the farm state of ND, both Dems, both former tax commissioners, and both conservative "back home" with their conservative constituencies. (Conrad is the hilarious one who carries charts all the time, LOL! Dorgan is the one that Rush refers to as "helmet head".) The Republican governor just won overwhelming re-election, and both of them have gone as far as they can go while being from ND. It would be a step up for them, a slap to Daschle (since they were followers of his), and would allow appointment of a Republican to the Senator position.

[prairiebreeze]

Thanks for the ping. Cycling the story to see if it gets any bites.

Prairie

[Ditto]

Unless I'm mistaken, Lieberman has no military service. I don't think there has ever been a Sec of Defense who didn't serve at lease some time in uniform.

[SuziQ]

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

He's outta there in January anyway, but as long as he votes with the Repubs, that's ok by me.

[WoodstockCat]

The Omaha World Herald has a survey showing Nelson and Johanns in a virtual dead heat for the seat before any campaigning has even begun.

wouldn't be suprised is this ended up in Nelson's email inbox from Rove...

[graf008]

In the Senate: Snowe, Chafee, Specter, Collins, etc.

In the House: Amo Houghton and Jack Quinn types (Houghton and Quinn both retired).

[graf008]

Well - kinda of a skewed statistic since a few President's back we had men who served during times of conscription.