Skillful maneuvering
President Obama may nominate a Republican for Commerce secretary. What a wonderful example of rising above political divisions, right?
Maybe not: That Republican is a senator from a state with a Democratic governor. And since there are 58 Democratic senators and one senatorial election yet undecided, replacing an elected Republican with an appointed Democrat might help the Dems get a filibuster-proof Senate majority.
Could this really be a partisan play disguised as bipartisanship? It's inconceivable that President Obama hasn't thought through the ramifications for the Senate. But it's also difficult to believe he would award a Cabinet seat solely to flip a Senate seat, especially when it's the Commerce job in a tough economic time. Plus there's some doubt that he'll succeed in flipping the Senate seat. Still -- it's probably a factor.
Maybe not: That Republican is a senator from a state with a Democratic governor. And since there are 58 Democratic senators and one senatorial election yet undecided, replacing an elected Republican with an appointed Democrat might help the Dems get a filibuster-proof Senate majority.
Could this really be a partisan play disguised as bipartisanship? It's inconceivable that President Obama hasn't thought through the ramifications for the Senate. But it's also difficult to believe he would award a Cabinet seat solely to flip a Senate seat, especially when it's the Commerce job in a tough economic time. Plus there's some doubt that he'll succeed in flipping the Senate seat. Still -- it's probably a factor.