Posted on 02/02/2009 12:18:49 AM PST by Yosemitest
Republican Sen. Judd Gregg has told colleagues that if he becomes commerce secretary, his replacement would affiliate with the GOP, denying Democrats' total dominance, his party leader said Sunday.
That would require an agreement involving President Obama, who would appoint Gregg to his Cabinet, and New Hampshire Democratic Gov. John Lynch, who would name Gregg's successor to the Senate. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky suggested that such an arrangement was in the works.
Lynch's spokesman, Colin Manning, declined to comment on any agreement, saying only that
Replacing Gregg with someone other than a Democrat willing to side with the party would deny Democrats the legislative dominance they seek in the Senate. Sixty votes are required to end debate in the 100-member chamber, but Democrats have just 56 seats, plus two independents who caucus with them.
In spite of being in the minority, Republicans can bottle up legislation through a filibuster as long as they retain at least 41 votes. The outcome of Minnesota's disputed Senate contest would decide the matter.
Officials say Obama is set to make Gregg his third Republican Cabinet official as early as Monday.
Many officials in New Hampshire and Washington now think a scenario is almost certain in which Lynch names a Republican or an independent as Gregg's successor. Democratic leaders have warned supporters in private that Gregg's departure would not automatically mean a Democratic replacement.
McConnell's second-in-command praised Obama's consideration of Gregg despite its potential political implications.
Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., cautioned that it's not a certainty that Lynch would appoint a fellow Democrat to replace Gregg. He also said he doubted that Republicans would lose the ability to filibuster if Gregg left, but he was less direct in discussing any potential deal among the White House, Gregg and Lynch.
Asked if Republicans might pressure Gregg to stay, Kyl said:
He added that Gregg
Lynch, a political moderate who named Republican Kelly Ayotte as his attorney general, enjoys broad popularity and won re-election with 70 percent of the vote. Picking a Republican could help him build on his governing coalition.
Lynch is leaning toward naming a "placeholder" senator in the seat, someone who would not seek the job in two years. Former Reagan and George H.W. Bush administration official Bonnie Newman is leading the pack of potential replacements. She was a former top aide to Gregg, a Harvard dean and one of Lynch's first Republican supporters.
Others being discussed include former Republican state House Speaker Doug Scamman, a Lynch ally, and Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes, who was eyeing a Senate run in 2010 against Gregg.
Obama's Cabinet already has two Republicans:
If Gregg were nominated, he would be Obama's second choice. A grand jury investigation over how state contracts were issued to political donors led New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to withdraw from consideration.
.....If a Republican is appointed, the Democrats will be no closer to their goal of holding 60 Senate seats, enough to cut off Republican filibusters if all Democrats vote together. They now have 56 votes. Two independents usually vote with the Democrats, giving them 58 votes. The outcome in a still-disputed Senate election in Minnesota could bring that to 59 votes.
The Republican expected to get the seat until a new election is held in two years is Bonnie Newman, who served as Gregg's chief of staff when Gregg was in the House. She is a veteran of the Reagan White House. Under the deal that has been worked out, she will not run in the 2010 election.
The move would allow Gregg to join the Cabinet without giving Democrats' unchecked power in Congress. It also would spare him a difficult re-election bid.
An administration official said Sunday evening that the White House would worry about the Cabinet pick, not the politics.
Gregg has told colleagues that if he becomes the third Republican in Obama's Cabinet - a decision that could come as early as Monday - his replacement would affiliate with the GOP, denying Democrats' total dominance, his party leader said Sunday.
.... Gregg spokeswoman Laena Fallon had no comment on McConnell's statement.
Newman's name has climbed to the top of Lynch's short list of names, officials said. She served in the administrations of both Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. She was Gregg's top aide when he was in the U.S. House, served as a Harvard dean and was one of Lynch's first Republican supporters.
Others being discussed include former Republican state House Speaker Doug Scamman, another Lynch ally.
Many officials in New Hampshire and Washington expect Lynch to name a Republican or an independent as Gregg's successor. Democratic leaders have warned supporters in private that Gregg's departure would not automatically mean a Democratic replacement.
That's the bimbo, alright.
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