Inspired by Al Giordano’s musical chairs consolation prize theory, I thought I’d look at how Obama can use the selection of Joe Biden as running mate to move his key allies into important positions. It starts with moving Biden into the Naval Observatory, opening up the chairmanship of the Foreign Relations committee. As Al points out, the chair would naturally fall to Chris Dodd. But, by appointing Dodd (who is retiring in 2011 anyway) to head the State Department, the Foreign Relations chair would fall to John Kerry. In this situation, the three top members of the committee would be dispersed to where Obama could use them to maximum advantage. Biden would be VP and have a seat on the National Security Council with Secretary of State Dodd. Kerry would head up the international relations effort in the Senate.
The only downside to this is that Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell would be able to appoint a Republican to fill out the remainder of Dodd’s term. Yet, considering that the seat will be open during the 2010 election, this is hardly that big of a hit to take to get the foreign policy team in place that you want.
Of course, the musical chairs would not end there. Dodd’s promotion would open up the chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota (an Obama endorser and ally of likely chief of staff Tom Daschle) would be next in line. If Johnson’s health prevents him from assuming the position, it would fall to VP short-list candidate Jack Reed of Rhode Island. Who better to clean up the banking fiasco and enact Obama’s Urban Policy than a good progressive like Reed?
There would be other power shifts, too. Assuming she wins reelection, Sen. Mary Landrieu would be in position to take over Kerry’s chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, thereby increasing the female institutional power of the upper body (Feinstein currently chairs Rules, while Boxer chairs Environment & Public Works). It’s also possible, if Teddy Kennedy cannot continue on as head of the Health Labor Education & Pensions (HELP) committee, that the position could fall to Barbara Mikulski of Maryland (a key Clinton supporter).
Meanwhile, the Governor of Delaware (most likely to be a Democrat) would appoint Joe Biden’s replacement in the Senate. It’s not unlikely that Joe’s son, Beau, would get the nod. Beau Biden would join a new senator from Illinois (Jan Schakowsky?) as key young allies of the new administration.
If Obama decides to tap Kerry as Secretary of State rather than Dodd, most of these chips would fall the same way, but it would be Obama’s dear friend, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who would appoint Kerry’s replacement. You can take your pick from five Massachusetts congresspeople that endorsed Obama: John Olver, Richard Neal, Niki Tsongas, Michael Capuano, or William Delahunt. My money would be on Delahunt.
It’s amazing how one little decision like who will be your running mate can be utilized to change around so many fiefdoms and power structures.
Let kerry head State.
If we can get to 60, I don’t want to remove even a single D from the Senate.
that’s a pretty stupid way of staffing your administration.
What’s the difference? Kerry and Dodd have strong and fairly equivalent credentials. Thus, you go to the tie-breaker – what is the party of the replacement.
My idea is better.
Floters
McCain-Rommney
McCain-Whitman
McCain-Lieberman
vs.
Obama-Sebelius
Obama-Biden
Obama-Gore
Steve Clemons has his ears to the ground-it’s radio silence but insiders says it’s not Kaine.
From what I’ve been reading Biden does not play well in the AA community.
Obama-Gore is my sleeper choice.
There’s rumors floating around DC tonight that Obama has indeed settled on Kaine, to the point where an emergency succession meeting for Kaine’s replacement was held in Richmond.
That’s kind of a hard thing to head fake.
given Kaine’s on the short list and the Obama camp has yet to notify the pick, that meeting is prudent.
picking from the short list is rather a yawn.
a Gore selection – a long shot but a nice fit that would really explode the game.
outside of Gore, with the current landscape I do not expect Obama to win the GE…Bradley effect, Nice Try meme – but he’ll bring out down ticket votes.
Just as well.. let the GOP clean up their mess..but they won’t – it’s all out of control so we’ll get McWars and total global financial collapse for a super depression nearing 2011. 88% of liquidity is debt; comprised of OTC derivatives amd seciritized debt that’s 944% of global GDP. (sourced: BIS)
I don’t think Gov. Patrick will get to pick a replacement Senator in Massachusetts. There would be a vacancy until a special election could be held.
In 2004, the Democrats did not want Gov. Romney to appoint Kerry’s replacement to the Senate if Kerry had become President. So the Massachusetts legislature changed the procedure to fill a Senate vacancy.
Why in hell should anybody get appointed to a position solely on basis of heredity?????
NO damned dynasties!!!!!
N.O. NO!!!
This is America and we are supposed to rise by merit and experience, not by accidents of birth or by the name we marry into.
No more families thinking that they are entitled to rule based upon name recognition alone. NO! This goes for Democrats as well as Republicans. Those dynasties can move to third world countries if they want to set up inherited thrones.
And if you think I’m overreacting, remember that all politicians start somewhere. Bush got all those positions and all those favors, decade after decade, solely because he was the heir to the Bush dynasty, not because of his own skills.
We have to curb all infringements upon equal rights… and getting the nepotism and incestuousness out of government service is a necessary step. With millions and millions of Americans, many of whom are talented, why ought we rely upon a bare handful of families to rule over us?
“Should” or “deserves” has nothing to do with it – name recognition and association go a long ways when you’re dealing with human beings. Positive feelings for the father will naturally flow to the son, just like negative feelings for one brother will flow to the other – the main reason why the GOP nominee is John McCain instead of Jeb Bush.
By putting Biden’s son up to replace him the party doesn’t have to use any resources to replace him, allowing the party to allocate money to races that would be more difficult to win. In an ideal world everyone runs on their own merit and experience and voters make logical, rational decisions, but in the real world emotions have a much larger sway over the decisions that people make, and those are easily and predictably manipulated.