All the GOP Reps signed a pledge to vote for a GOP Speaker. This was important because, while in the minority, several had voted for a Democrat for Speaker.

While not specified in the pledge, the unspoken promise was to vote for the GOP Caucus’s nominee for Speaker. That was Jason Mumpower. Our new Speaker, Kent Williams, despite having signed the pledge and verbally committing on the radio to vote for Jason, got a sweet offer from the Dems and took it.

All 49 Dems voted for Williams and so did Williams. He became Speaker and kept his promise to “vote for a Republican.”

If a squishy Republican would do this, I have no doubts a Dem would do it in a heartbeat. Will Lynch? I’m not predicting either way. We’ll see when it happens. But in cases like this it’s often political disaster be damned! Full Liberal speed ahead.

Any real conservative would have to say a polite “thanks, but no thanks” simply on the core of their convictions alone. To say yes shows that you are a pawn and a power hungry sycophant. Especially when your nomination weakens the already decimated GOP members of the senate.

This would be a disgusting display of power before convictions if Senator Gregg says yes.

They had the dreams they’d had smoking dope in college dorm rooms in the ’60s dashed by Gingrich’s counter-revolution. It won’t happen again if they can help it and so far, it’s all going according to the book.

I’m quite confident they’d have no problem finding a handful of Senators to vote in favor of either of your posits. They would water down the Fairness Doctrine stuff and let the FCC ratchet it up and as far as guns go, it come in as the ability for local governments to act appropriately as “their” constituents saw fit.

or

Gun confiscation
====
Also, if there is a 41+ vote fillibuster, there will be less pressure brought to bear on any Democrat who happens to vote his conscience and go along with the Republicans – even if he changed his vote the Republicans could still fillibuster. If a fillibuster can’t succeed without at least one Dem voting in favor of it, there will be tremendous pressure brought to bear on all Dems not to break ranks.

I don’t envy Gregg’s situation in this case.

My bottom line is that “next year” won’t matter. He’ll have his agenda in concrete by June 1. Health care might take till Nov 1, but he’ll get that too.

By the time the squishies and the blue dogs wake up the rose garden will have been long plowed under.

Only Obama knows what he has up his sleeve for later. The one thing that is clear is that if history is any indicator, there will come a time when Buyer’s Remorse of major magnitude will set in. Obama is trying to set up the machinery so that even when it does, he has control and the votes to do what he wants.

Just because he is not likely to dissolve Congress and the Constitution and have himself granted emergency powers ala Hitler and Chavez doesn’t mean his goal is any less similar.

He’s taking nothing for granted. It’s a smart move and one that will probably work. The GOP, far from doing their job from 80-06 merely played and the playground bullies are back and able to pick up pretty much where they left off.

I agree that Obama has the votes he needs today. But he’s thinking about the votes he’ll need this time next year after even the Squishies can no longer stomach his plans.

My $.02

If I were the Dems that’s exactly what I would do – tell Gregg whatever he wants to hear, get him to officially resign from the Senate, swear him in, and then force Lynch to appoint Shea-Porter (a very, very reliable liberal vote) to Gregg’s Senate seat.

I mean, what would happen if the Dems did this? Would Gregg immediately resign to a position he was just sworn into? Not likely!

And there’s virtually nothing Senate Republicans could do either.

(If Obama were really smart, he follow up such a move by putting the full court press on Olympia Snowe to switch parties. Then the Dems could go ahead and force a seating of Franken before the court cases go to trial.)

Second, if the Democrats were really smart, they would forgo all of the above, have Lynch voluntarily yield his appointment power, and have the NH State Legislature call for an immediate Special Election to replace Gregg.

This second strategy is particularly brilliant because in now deep Blue-NH, the odds are extremely good that a Democrat would win any Special Election.

And this scenario achieves the same result as the first scenario, with the added benefit of looking ‘clean’ to the public. (Then they can *really* go after Olympia Snowe to switch!)

Bottom line: Gregg is a fool and a traitor if he takes this position, and the Senate GOP will be in even more trouble with the base if they let him.

This is very smart politics on Obama’s part, and once again shows the shallow vanity of (most) Senate Republicans.

Won’t happen.

Tax cheats to cabinet level positions? Nope.
Perjurers for AG? Nope.
SCOTUS Justices of any liberal stripe? Nope.
A trillion dollar “stimulus” bill that doesn’t stimulate? Nope.

There’s lots of reasons to say Gregg shouldn’t accept a cabinet position in this administration. 60 votes ain’t one of ‘em.

And BO’s already got “bipartisan” covered with Gates and whats-his-name the faux Republican retired congresscritter.

It is, thus, not the disaster it could have been but it fails to be any sort of victory for the GOP and the people of our country. Obama and the Left are marginalizing GOP principles and the ability the party has to push for them.

Once they gain enough ground outside the electoral process, they will abandon any pretense to bi-partisanship for autocracy. If Obama truly wanted bi-partisanship there are any number of others he could appoint to Commerce or offer the job. Walter Williams comes to mind. The reasons why WW wasn’t offered the job are immediately apparent.

This was a fork move against the GOP that was successful at only the lowest level now. Who knows how it may play out eventually? In any event, this will not be Obama’s only attempt at subversion.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) won’t accept a position as President Obama’s secretary of Commerce unless he is guaranteed his Senate seat remains in GOP hands, said two Republicans who know Gregg well.

Departing the Senate without one could give Democrats 60 members and a filibuster-proof majority.

“Gregg would never allow his seat to go to a Democrat, the only way he would allow it is if he died,” said a Republican close to Gregg. “He would consider it to be a breach of trust to people who elected it.” …

Republicans who know Gregg well say that Lynch must agree to select a Republican because Gregg, one of the most revered leaders in New Hampshire Republican politics, would not allow his seat to give Democrats filibuster-proof control of the Senate.

“He will not take Commerce secretary unless Lynch says he will appoint a Republican,” said the Republican close to Gregg.