Listen to what Gregg says very closely. He gives NO ANSWERS in his vagueness. He tells us NOTHING on insuring the millions that are uninsured or underinsured in this country. It is all about keeping the insurance companies in BUSINESS. Again, if the insurance companies were honest brokers with the American Public through the years, we would not even have this discussion NOW.
We can toil, argue, posture all day and all night over this Judd Gregg mess, but the bottom line is why this guy was even ASKED to be Commerce Secretary when in the past he wanted the Commerce Department abolished.
One also must question why Gregg dumped this announcement right before Obama was speaking in Peoria, Illinois at Caterpillar about jobs. Talk about stepping all over a message. Oh, we can not forget the Gregg presser, while speaking nice of Obama, repeated that this is a White House that would not work with him. Again, talk about stepping all over the White House.
My thing is this, the Obama Administration needs to work with Republicans who are willing to work in good faith, and so far the good faith thingy has been a bust. The Obama White House can only offer that olive branch, so far. Now, is Obama making inroads in his attempt of bi-partisanship, absolutely, and hopefully it will pay down the road but right now it is a wash.
Many were stating during the Daschle fiasco, that we need Daschle and he will be nominated. In fact, I was very much for Daschle moving aside but acknowledged that he was needed for HHS, but in the end the perception always wins out. The image of Daschle driving around for three years with a free car and driver from a political associate did not look good for many reasons. It made Obama look like a hypocrite because it was these same images of Washington, D.C. fatcats that he campaigned against. Daschle in the end had to go. The Geithner mess, and here we go again about taxes, has weakened him somewhat in his duties as Treasury Secretary. I am sure that will wan out in time, but right now many have scrutiny about his appointment.
The thing is that the Obama White House, if they knew about Gregg, was slow off the mark, AGAIN, in getting ahead of this story. If anyone in the White House knew that Gregg was contemplating removing his name for Commerce and did not reveal that information to the White House Press should be fired.
Perception to the public is everything. Ask Wall Street. Those fatcats are having a very hard time justifying their rich spending habits, on the public's dime, and are squirming to where the money went, which much of it did in bonuses. The Obama White House needs to get ahead of the perception curve, and get out of the campaign mode; they are still figuring this out. The Judd Gregg announcement should never have stepped on President Obama's speech in Peoria, Illinois today, but it did.
Bi-partisanship only works when both sides are working for it. This is not the case here for President Obama. How many times will the Republicans continue to undermine him, while he is frantically trying to woo them in? Barack Obama work with those who want to work with you, everyone else, push them aside. That fraction of the Republican Party will not come around for you; this is something that must be realized so you can move on.
"Senator Gregg reached out to the President and offered his name for Secretary of Commerce. He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the President’s agenda. Once it became clear after his nomination that Senator Gregg was not going to be supporting some of President Obama’s key economic priorities, it became necessary for Senator Gregg and the Obama administration to part ways. We regret that he has had a change of heart".
Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire abruptly withdrew his nomination as commerce secretary Thursday, citing "irresolvable conflicts" with President Barack Obama's handling of the economic stimulus and 2010 census.
"We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy," Gregg said in a statement released by his Senate office.
Gregg, 61, is a former New Hampshire governor who previously served in the House. He has been in the Senate since 1993 and currently serves as the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, where he is known as a crusader against big spending.
He was Obama's second choice to fill the Commerce portfolio.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew several weeks ago in the wake of a grand jury investigation into alleged wrongdoing involving state contracts. He has not been implicated personally.
In his statement, Gregg thanked Obama for the nomination, and said, "I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle."
In citing the stimulus and census, he said, "Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy."
In a conference call with reporters on Thursday to discuss his withdrawal from the Commerce Secretary nomination, Gregg also said he did not intend to run for reelection in 2010.
And the replacement or placeholder for Gregg's seat is Bonnie Newman. A former Chief of Staff for Gregg. It is understood that this is just a 2 year tenure. The announcement from Governor Lynch of New Hampshire.
Even Claire McCaskill said he was going to be nominated tomorrow on Rachel Maddow's show.
President Barack Obama will nominate Republican Sen. Judd Gregg as commerce secretary, a White House official confirmed Monday.
The announcement was set for Tuesday morning, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Gregg is a New Hampshire senator who would be the third Republican to join Obama's Cabinet, if confirmed. The others are Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood.
Earlier Monday, Gregg revealed an apparent deal by which his Senate seat would stay out of Democratic hands if he were nominated.
"I have made it clear to the Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle and to the governor that I would not leave the Senate if I felt my departure would cause a change in the makeup of the Senate," Gregg said in a statement.
In other words a seat warmer for Gregg's seat and it will be wide open for 2010.
OK, this was the rumor last night, now out of the horse's mouth.
Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, confirmed on Friday that he is, indeed, in the mix of prospective candidates to serve as Commerce Secretary in the Obama administration.
“I am aware that my name is one of those being considered by the White House for Secretary of Commerce, and am honored to be considered, along with others, for the position,” Mr. Gregg said in a statement. “Beyond that, there is nothing more I can say at this time.”
Put it this way, if Gregg was not interested in this job, he would have SAID THAT. Now typing this, I take it he is interested in this job.
I laid out last night why HE SHOULD take it. But what will Governor Lynch do?
One of several unresolved questions surrounding this story: Would New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, consider replacing Mr. Gregg in the Senate with a Republican? That is the question being asked among Republicans in New Hampshire.
This is how the Senate math looks now: There are 58 Democrats in the Senate, (including two independents), with the number rising to 59 if Al Franken of Minnesota is seated after the court challenge to his race is completed. The replacement of Mr. Gregg with a Democrat would give the majority party exactly 60 seats, the number needed to control the legislative agenda without the threat of Republican filibusters.
Remember, New Hampshire is a very independent state. If Lynch replaced Gregg with a Republican, I would not be surprised but he will get hell from the Democratic Party. Keep in tune.
Is this true? If so, what a smooth move by Obama. Why? It would give the Democrats 60 in the senate, since New Hampshire has a Democratic Governor who would appoint the replacement. Does Gregg have a comment on this rumor?
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Gregg’s nomination was far from a done deal, but remains a serious possibility. Reached by phone, Gregg, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, said he had no comment on whether he has been in talks with the White House about the post.
Will Senator Gregg take it? Well, let's look at the realities here. New England was just swept away from all its Republican representatives in the house. Judd's counterpart, Senator John Sununu just lost his seat to former Governor Jeanne Shaheen, now Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Besides Gregg, who is up for reelection in 2010 and his seat is going to be a blood bath, the only other Republican senators left standing in the senate are the ladies from Maine. The question is this, "What is it worth for Gregg to say yes, to Obama?"
I say, "A lot".
Gregg can work with a centrist Democratic President, who is popular and won his state. He can be in that fold, instead of the weeds in the Republican senate, which many are not moderate as Gregg.
Don’t think the Republican leadership is not breathing down Gregg’s neck, they are, and it is heavy. My thing is this, "What do they have to offer?" I mean, the reality is this, again, Gregg still has to raise massive money to defend his seat, his state fell to the Democrats, and he is not safe.
My take, if Gregg takes it, RELIEF. If he does not, WORRY.
If Gregg accepts, this is a brilliant move by Obama. Let's see what happens. Besides, does Gregg and his other moderate colleagues want to hear this for the next two years? An ad, targeting the ladies in Maine and will run in New Hampshire.
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