tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post8109162652156292748..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Old, Old, Senate UpdateJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-38402217009279384892013-06-09T09:13:50.988-05:002013-06-09T09:13:50.988-05:00In the abstract, I suppose it's good to make t...In the abstract, I suppose it's good to make the Senate younger. If it means having Gabriel Gomez instead of Ed Markey, then no thank you. <br /><br />For that matter, if it means having to root for Corey Booker instead of Frank Pallone or Rush Holt, I'm not terribly convinced.Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-67793380760330612642013-06-08T18:37:06.866-05:002013-06-08T18:37:06.866-05:00Even though these senators are older, it is not mu...Even though these senators are older, it is not much of a problem to younger senators because to become a chair of a committee you usually need experience anyway so that's fine.The World Around Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13451072855417636352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-54381837130119127632013-06-07T17:57:21.924-05:002013-06-07T17:57:21.924-05:00Also, Bonnie Newman would probably have been the m...Also, Bonnie Newman would probably have been the most liberal Republican in the Senate. She had backed Lynch in his successful 2004 gubernatorial campaign (she was co-chair of Republicans for Lynch). So Republicans were not terribly pleased by the prospect of her replacing Gregg--and neither, after some reconsideration was Gregg.David Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09260587086663631888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-58725079116826804152013-06-07T17:27:18.156-05:002013-06-07T17:27:18.156-05:00In the first debate, the candidates agreed to defi...In the first debate, the candidates agreed to define "middle class" as having an income between $80,000 and 175,000. The median income in the state is $65,000. Apparently, no special wisdom comes from being either old or young.<br /><br />Or maybe the problem is that we don't have a "fair number" of lower income Senators.<br /><br />Or maybe we should judge candidates based on their own merits rather than voting based on identity politics. (For the record, this young Republican isn't voting for Gomez.)Couveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00926561539205771774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-84779813272578121592013-06-07T12:59:29.854-05:002013-06-07T12:59:29.854-05:00I have nothing at all against having some older Se...I have nothing at all against having some older Senators. I just want a fair number of young and middle-aged ones, too.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-91523215392859429822013-06-07T12:58:16.936-05:002013-06-07T12:58:16.936-05:00Gregg made replacement by Republican a condition f...Gregg made replacement by Republican a condition for his willingness to accept the job. So Lynch had no choice about it.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-29960415629359050452013-06-07T08:42:33.156-05:002013-06-07T08:42:33.156-05:00They used to refer to him as Der Alte, the Old Man...They used to refer to him as Der Alte, the Old Man.Scott Monjenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-47877630733358230942013-06-07T07:56:12.703-05:002013-06-07T07:56:12.703-05:00I must admit I do not necessarily share Jonathan&#...I must admit I do not necessarily share Jonathan's interest in having a younger Senate "per se". Personal story: I was at a marketing class 15 years ago, and they were asking me what to do with a company that had an oldish workforce. I, without thinking, answered: "replace the old guys with younger ones". The teacher quickly retorted: "Do you know who Konrad Adenauer was?" (as a matter of fact, I did- chancellor of Germany between his 73 and his 87 years of age- rebuilt Germany from the rubble of World War II). So to sum up, I'd much rather have an 80-year-old Senator with good ideas than a vapid 45-year-old Ted Cruz. Young does not necessarily equal better, specially not in this hyperpartisan Senate.Pedro Soriano Mendiarahttp://labatallaporlacasablanca.blogspot.com.es/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-90597034185993164652013-06-06T16:21:57.197-05:002013-06-06T16:21:57.197-05:00Unrelated question on the NJ Senate seat. Gov. Ch...Unrelated question on the NJ Senate seat. Gov. Christie (a Republican) appointed a Republican to fill the unexpired term of a Democratic Senator until a special election could be held. In 2009, a similar situation arose in my state, New Hampshire. Judd Gregg, Republican Senator, accepted for a week or so President Obama's nomination to be Commerce Secretary. Our then-governor, John Lynch, a Democrat, named a Republican, Bonnie Newman, to replace him, the rationale being that voters had elected a Republican to the seat so the seat should be filled by a Republican until a new election could be held. It struck me as odd that no pundits or even partisan Democrats that I am aware of called upon Christie to pick a Democrat to fill the seat for the interim - they just assumed he would fill the seat with a Republican. Maybe it's a difference between the partisan demands of Republicans and Democrats, maybe it's a difference between the political atmosphere in February 2009 and today, maybe it's a difference between a governor with national political ambitions and one without, or maybe I just don't have enough data points (occasions when a governor of one party got to appoint a replacement for a senator of another party), but I think it's strange that no one to my knowledge thought to ask Christie to appoint a Democrat. cgwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10626069163536096203noreply@blogger.com