I have to constantly remind myself that I am not normal.
When I read any News Journal article, like this one, over the past few weeks concerning speculation over Biden’s replacement, each article always contains two assumptions that I find maddening: 1) that Biden could have been appointed to fill his father’s Senate seat, and 2) that no one knows who will run for the Senate seat in 2 years if a placeholder is appointed. It was based on these assumptions that the news of Beau Biden refusing an appointments to the Senate was news in the first place. When I read his statement, I said, “well duh.”
Of course he is refusing it. He can’t cut short his tour of duty in Iraq to serve in the Senate. That would be political suicide for him and his father. But the News Journal writers, or their editors, believed that that was a viable option for the Biden clan. And thus it is BIG news when Beau read that statement.
And now that Kaufman has been appointed, an example of the advancement of cronyism over merit, the News Journal is finally speculating that this appointment was done with an eye towards Beau running in 2010, but it is still treated like a remote possibility.
For example, here are two quotes from the story:
“Ted may or may not be a placeholder for Beau,” [Kent County Democratic leader John]Mancus said. “Beau may not want to run in two years. At least it puts the seat back in the hands of the voters.”
“It does kind of fit the pattern that they used with the Attorney General’s Office,” state Republican Chairman Tom Ross said, referring to Carl C. Danberg’s appointment to the justice post until the regular election.
“Essentially, they cleared the way and put in a good soldier, so to speak, and allowed things to occur so the seat would be open for Beau Biden. I don’t know that’s what will happen, but it does seem to fit the pattern.”
I know why those assumptions are there, of course. They can only report what they are told from those they interview on the record and on background. On the record, people like Ross and Marcus, and probably Daniello and Betts, were all saying “Who knows what Beau Biden is going to do? He may run for reelection to the AG’s office.” Off the record, the reporters and editors probably have the same opinions and speculation as I do, but just can’t report it.
I am a political junkie. I am not normal. Normal is not thinking about politics until election time. For me, it is a 24/7/365 deal. It is like a baseball season that never ends. And I love it.
You got to the heart of what is pissing me off about all this.
It is the pretend, make believe bullshittyness of it all. Everyone knows what is going on. It is a paper mache Potemkin village nestled in Disney’s “It’s a Small World After All” attraction.
This pretext could not be more fake and phony if they built it out of styrofoam.
“This pretext could not be more fake and phony if they built it out of styrofoam.”
That shouldn’t be what pisses you off.
What SHOULD piss you off is this:
95% of the people don’t care.
If I let that pissed me off, I’d never get out of bed in the morning.
95% of the people don’t care.
And that is why the spinmasters spin and why the NJ reports the spin.
and why the NJ sucks
What I enjoyed most about this was:
I have to constantly remind myself that I am not normal.
I’ll help you out with that!
😀
I know I’m not normal. I was constantly told this as a teenager growing up in KY, where gender roles are very rigid (girls aren’t smart and girls aren’t scientists). So, hearing I’m not normal doesn’t surprise me one bit.
Kos says reading Daily Kos is like getting the newspaper two weeks early. Delaware Liberal is the same.
Jason, Al Mascitti quoted you this morning. Then he went into talking about the sex life of married people including personal anecdotes….yucksters…
….getting back….
The general sentiment floating among disgruntled Delawareans : “And now that Kaufman has been appointed, an example of the advancement of cronyism over merit” has been getting some pushback from Tobin, Mascitti and weirdly enough, FSP’s citing him as “Biden’s Brain”.
I am willing to look on the appointment glass-half-full and hope that Senator Ted will indeed vote similarly to what we have come to expect from Biden and just sent him -sort of- back to the Senate to do.
What about ‘seniority’ has Minner/Biden missed by this much of a delay in this decision? Anyone?
Nancy,
I read somewhere that Biden is being sworn in on Jan. 6 with the rest of the Senators. If he resigns his seat after that then Sen. Ted will have the lowest seniority of all senators. I hope that’s just a rumor.
UI, you should try keeping up with the Eschaton commentors sometime. Same as Kos but normally much more fun.
This place is ok but it has got nothing on Kos ‘or Duncan Black’s crowd.
UI — Biden has to wait until Jan 6 to resign, because he has to at least begin the term he was just elected to before stepping down. If he steps down before that, Kaufman will only be Senator until 1/6. Kaufman didn’t win the election.
FSP,
That makes sense but I guess that means Biden will have to resign twice? The new Senator can still get seniority between now and Jan. 6.
Nancy,
I love Eschaton, but I have a hard time following the long, unthreaded comments section.
I just love Nancy’s condescension. Nancy…UI is a Kossack. As am I, and XStyker. But thanks for calling us “ok.”
I am not sure Dave is right. What if Biden was not Vice President Elect, and lets say he was just reelected. And lets say he dies on 11-25. Doesn’t Minner get to appoint a replacement right now to serve until 2010, and doesn’t that appointee get to take office immediately, rather than wait until 1/6?
Not that seniority is much of a concern for Senator Ted. He is outta here in 2 years. Seniority is the concern of those staying for longer than that.
Probably would have to be twice-inaugurated via two appointments (now and again to replace the Senator-Elect).
DD, scrub the beer crusties off of your tongue and put it back in the puss of yours.
FSP, UI, So, Obama’s resigning is going to result in a special election or is that in his state’s statutes anyway rather than an appointment?
The Illinois Gov can make a selection to fill the rest of Obama’s term and there’s a bunch of effort to get that Gov to pick a placeholder so they can have a special election and let their fairly deep bench fight out a primary for the seat.
“What if Biden was not Vice President Elect, and lets say he was just reelected. And lets say he dies on 11-25. Doesn’t Minner get to appoint a replacement right now to serve until 2010, and doesn’t that appointee get to take office immediately, rather than wait until 1/6?”
Yeah, but he’s not dead. Consider the precedent you’d be setting.
“an example of the advancement of cronyism over merit”
so the argument is to pick the primary loser over the man who walked the halls of the senate for 20 years because it will help keep peace within the democratic party.
that’s the merit over cronyism case? please help me out here.