Posted on 11/27/2007 3:33:04 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
In a longshot campaign to use Sen. Trent Lott's retirement as a slap to Democrats, Bush allies are pushing for Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour to choose retired federal Judge Charles Pickering, rejected by Democrats for higher office, as Lott's replacement in the Senate.
"It would be the biggest in-your-face move if it happened," said one proponent of the move. Pickering was nominated for a federal appeals court post in 2002 but was blocked, in part because of his antiabortion position as well as charges of racial insensitivity. He was renominated and given a recess appointment but eventually withdrew his name.
Proponents of picking Pickering, 70, say it would also help to revive the issue of the role of judges and presidential preferences on the eve of the 2008 presidential race. Pickering's son, Rep. Chip Pickering, and Rep. Roger Wicker are considered the front-runners for the post, however, and GOP sources close to the situation say that Wicker has the advantage.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
Thanks, deport. I read the text of the law after I posted initially, and posted again (in reaction to the text of the law) in post #39.
You're right, but Pickering might just be able to do both.
BTTT! Great move.
Wicker is the front runner for the appointment unless Amy Tuck is interested. The Dems are insisting on a special election 90 days after Lott’s resignation. If Haley doesn’t cave in to their demands, the media will smear Haley for being a racist for not allowing blacks the right to vote in the special election. Haley must handle the appointment carefully. He is under the microscope since he is touted as a potential Veep.
Wicker is my rep and he also has the highest conservative rating of all of them.
I agree that Roger Wicker is the most likely to get the appointment. Which means a special election to succeed him in the House, and his district is not securely Republican.
I just found out something interesting:
Roger Wicker is a cousin of Fred Thompson’s.
Thanks FMDJ. Just read all the above posts just to realize I don’t have a clue to all that in-dealing, so will refrain from comment. But...
What about Lamar Alexander’s dog in the fight for Senate leadership? He’s tossed his hat in the ring and surely has a load of favors and connections to call on. Lamar! is far more recognizable to the general public than any nepotist opportunists and pretty much epitomizes “safe centrist”.
” if he were to leave office early next year, the election to replace him would be November 2008 general election”
Here’s an interesting twist....
Sen Vacant Lott was interviewed on Supertalk MS Radio this morning. What he said in the interview was that he would serve “until the end of the current session.” If Dingy and the dimwits decide to pull the same stunt thru Christmas as they did thru the Thanksgiving break, then the session will not end until after the first of the year. That could actually ruin Lott’s lobbying plans and the dimwit plans to force a spring election.
>> What he said in the interview was that he would serve “until the end of the current session.”...That could actually ruin Lott’s lobbying plans and the dimwit plans to force a spring election.
Ha! We should be so lucky. But my guess is, his personal desire to beat the lobbying restrictions will trump his integrity to do what he said he’d do... if this conflict arises he’ll be outta there by 12/31.
Lott has only announced his plan to resign before the end of the year. My guess is that he will officially resign around December 27, 2007, so that he can begin lobbying after just 1 year. If he waits until January 1, 2008, Lott can't lobby for 2 more years.
According to Mississippi law, Governor Barbour will then have up to 10 days to declare the seat vacant - which will almost definitely be after January 1, 2008 - and appoint a replacement. According to Mississppi law, 2008 is a general election year which sets a special election for November 2008.
Got it?
I don’t think your interpretation is so ludicrous. Remember, Mississippi holds its gubernatorial election in the 3rd year of the cycle (2007, 2003, etc.)
Was this law really crafted to cover vacancies created in November (election day plus one) and December 1988+4x, 1990+4x, 1991+4x, x an integer?
Surely it was crafted to cover vacancies created during Jan-Oct 1989+4x, x an integer.
The statute provides:
“If a vacancy shall occur in the office of United States Senator from Mississippi by death, resignation or otherwise, the Governor shall, within ten (10) days after receiving official notice of such vacancy, issue his proclamation for an election to be held . . . .”
The Governor does not have ten days to “declare the seat vacant,” he has ten days to call an election after having received notice of the vacancy. That presupposes that the vacancy occurs prior to the Governor’s proclamation for an election to be held.
PLEASE HALEY....PLEASE....DO IT!!
Hmmm . . . “unless the vacancy shall occur in a year that there shall be held a general election . . . .” 2007 is indeed a general-election year in MS, as is 2008. Of course, a vacancy occuring after the November 2007 general election does not really occur in a year “that there shall be a general election,” since the general election already passed. In the case of a vacancy occurring on, say, November 1 of a general election year, it would obviously be too close to the general election to allow the special election to be held that same year, and I assume that the Governor would have to call a special election within 100 days of receiving notice of the vacancy. The November 1, 2007 vacancy scenario may be instructive, since it would be a vacancy taking place within a calendar year in which a general election is held, but the special election would not be able to be held on the 2007 general-election date; the same would be true for a December 31 vacancy. Of course, the difference between the two scenarios is that the Nov. 1, 2007 vacancy would take place more than one year from the Nov. 8, 2008 general election date while the Dec. 31 vacancy would take place less than one year from such date. Very interesting.
BTW, another reason why we’re far better off with the special election being held in November than in April is that probably the most dangerous Democrat candidate, socially conservative Congressman Gene Taylor, could run for the Senate in April without risking his November reelection to the House.
also pay no attention to Blog Gossip about Haley considering Michael Epsy as Lott’s heir. That’s just internet hearsay.
The rumor is that Haley will appoint Espy in return for his endorsement. Espy will switch parties. Yeah right. Espy has no reason to switch. Besides even if he did, I would not want him. During his US House tenure, Espy’s ACU rating was in the 30s - Lincoln Chafee territory.
Actually, Espy’s overall ACU rating was a 12%.
1987-0
1988-12
1989-16
1990-17
1991-16
1992-20
1993-0 (1 vote)
I will be glad to see the last of Lott, who consorted so much with the Dems and then got eaten alive by them after his Strom Thurmond moment.
I would like to see either Pickering take Lott's place--esp. the sr. Pickering for the interim period. It would be a finger in the eye of Dems who so richly deserve it.
vaudine
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