Fit To Print

60 is the new 59

January 30th, 2009

The AP is reporting that NH senator Judd Gregg, a Republican, is high on the list of potential Secretary of Commerce nominees. It is rare, but not unheard of, for someone to leave the senate for a second tier cabinet position. Gregg, however, is up for election in 2 years in a state that Obama won by ten points. So maybe he sees the writing on the wall.

Obama can kill two birds here, answering calls for a more bipartisan cabinet, and also possibly adding that magical 60th Democratic senator, as the governor in New Hampshire is indeed a Dem. Obviously this part of the deal is not an afterthought, and is likely the primary calculus behind picking Gregg for the spot. And Gregg is a relatively moderate guy, with Commerce Sec being one of those unimportant posts that probably should be folded into another department.

I won’t believe this until I see it, because it certainly seems like Gregg would be taking a demotion, and one can only imagine what kind of threats the GOP leadership will make to keep him from abandoning ship.

I’m working on some broader posts about Obama and Congress, so I won’t get into this too much now, but I think this would be a great move.  I think the only reason Obama didn’t try more of this is because he thought it would be hard to find takers. 60 Dems doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s worth remembering that the stimulus bill just passed in the House with zero Republican votes. Having the option of busting up a filibuster with absolutely no Republican support would sure be nice, especially if Senate GOPers decide to be anywhere near as uncooperative as House conservatives.

Entry Filed under: Politics