Gregg for Commerce
It’s a little unusual when one of Washington’s back-room deals ventures into the front room. Indeed, the arrangement under which President Barack Obama selected New Hampshire Republican Sen. Judd Gregg to be commerce secretary, leaving the Senate’s partisan balance undisturbed by Gregg’s departure, was no secret at all.
If confirmed, Gregg would be the third Republican in Obama’s Cabinet (the others are Robert Gates at Defense and Ray LaHood at Transportation). He brings to the administration an budget insider’s knowledge of federal spending and a reputation as a fiscal hawk. To get Gregg, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch was to appoint another Republican to his seat for two more years. The GOP keeps 41 seats and the option of filibustering legislation the minority opposes.
Gregg’s replacement reportedly will be Bonnie Newman, who served as his chief of staff when he was a member of the House of Representatives. Reports suggest Newman is more moderate than Gregg and has agreed not to run for a full term in 2010. For Democrats, the tradeoff is their chances of winning the seat in two years are better against a new opponent than Gregg. It also helps Obama’s push for bipartisan approaches to the country’s problems.
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