Gov. Patrick to name Mo Cowan interim senator

[TroyD]

Source: WBZ-TV

BREAKING: Gov. Patrick to name Mo Cowan interim senator.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/01/mo-cowan-senator-replacement/61574/

Read more: https://twitter.com/kelleratlarge

[Mass]

1. Excellent choice.

[mpcamb]

2. So Sorry...

So disappointed it's not Barney Frank.

[Mass]

4. Cowan is a good man. No reason to be sorry. Time to let MA decide its own fate.

[MADem]

9. I think it should have been Barney, too. But it's not our call. Unfortunately. nt

[cyclezealot]

84. It is our call.

That's why any Governor has an address for constituent mail. Anyone really think this guy will be as on the job as would Barney Frank had been . Considering pending Budget Negotiations.. I think the governor is doing a 'pay back.' With the minutia of the current Budget hassles, Barney Frank 's knowledge will be sorely missed for a senator in training.

[MADem]

86. It's too late. The appointment has been made. We all asked for Barney. We all cheered when he

said he would do it. Hell, Elizabeth Warren asked for Barney with Deval sitting ten feet away from her, and Barney there, too.

Deval wanted to let us all know that he's the governor, and we're not. I am disappointed in him, frankly.

If he wanted to "color in" the Senate a little bit, and I can understand that, why didn't he appoint councilwoman at large Pressley? She has been elected, she's a genius, she's well liked, she was a political advisor to Kerry, knows his staff, knows his ways, and she woulda been a twofer.

His choice is just a crony. We don't know him, we can't care about him. Deval wants to give the guy a leg up but the guy isn't inclined towards elective office. You can lead a horse to water, and all that...

Deval fucked up, IMO. What's done is done. On to March and June...!

[earthside]

30. Time to move on.

New, fresh faces in the U.S. Senate!

[greiner3]

33. I think there's good reason why it's not Barney;

He's tired.

If he really wants to get into the race for the seat then he will need the several months (can't recall when the actual election has been set for) to gather strength.

IMO

[valerief]

53. Barney asked to be chosen. nt

[lunatica]

56. Barney doesn't want to run for Senator

He just wanted to be there in the interim months before someone gets elected because of the importance of the crises that are happening regarding the fiscal cliff and other issues.

[MADem]

66. Barney asked for the interim slot only; Elizabeth Warren WANTED him there.

She basically came out and asked for him, too--she said she hoped he would be chosen because he was her "mentor" and her "guide" to the Hill.

Deval Patrick, for reasons that are entirely unclear, decided to throw down and say no.

There's something else going on here. Don't know what, but there IS something going on...

The election happens at the end of June. Because there will be a primary, that voting will happen March.

By the time Mo finds his parking space and the bathroom, he'll be packing up his office to leave. He'll be guided through by Kerry's staff (they are staying fortunately) so the JK COS will have his work cut out for him.

[Marrah_G]

69. I'm not

Congressman Frank has retired and is frankly a lightening rod for the RW. We are going to have a tough election ahead and the less drama the better.

[Ian David]

3. I was hoping for Mo Rocca.

[malexand]

5. Does this mean Barney Frank may be full-time Senate candidate?

Thank you, Troy D.

Mo Cowan appears to be an excellent choice and will gain invaluable experience.

Does this mean Barney Frank may be full-time Senate candidate?

[Mass]

6. He could, but he wont.

He has said he is not interested. He did not want to run for a relatively easy race last year, so I doubt he would be ready for a race which will be a lot harder.

Markey is a good choice.

[MADem]

11. Too old. He's tired. He just wanted to do this "one last thing."

Shame. I think he would have been just the guy for the brief interlude.

[TroyD]

7. More links to reporters with the news:

http://twitter.com/JoeMathieuWBZ

http://twitter.com/wbznewsradio

[Mass]

8. Deval Patrick showed some political courage here.

He is going to take a lot of s**t from people who thought Barney was the only choice possible.

[TroyD]

10. I assume Patrick did this so as not to favor any one candidate running for the permanent seat

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/01/mo-cowan-senator-replacement/61574/

[Mass]

12. He also said he wanted to appoint a minority or a woman.

in order to bring diversity to the Senate.

[graham4anything]

17. A gay male is a minority. Though probably five or six others are, but not out.

[blm]

23. Lindsey Graham (R-Scared of GOP-base) is out to everyone BUT the voters of SC.

.

[MADem]

18. I would have thought that gay elderly men were a fairly rare commodity in that body....

Or at least 'out' ones....

But whatever. I am disappointed that Barney Frank wasn't chosen. Mo Cowan is a good guy, but he has no clue how the Hill operates. He will be far less effective than Barney could have been.

He's a seat warmer. By the time he figures out the basic rules, he'll be outta there.

[Mass]

20. I am more concerned by the election itself now that Lynch seems decided to throw his hat in the ring

I have nothing against primaries, but it is clear the GOP likes the idea and, given the open nature of the primary and the fact there will likely not be a GOP primary, the results are not predictable. We may have two anti-choice candidates on the ticket for the general election.

[TroyD]

21. "I am more concerned by the election itself"

I'm concerned about it too in that I think it was a risk for Obama and Kerry to have opened up the seat in the first place, but the decision has been made so there's nothing we can do about it.

We just have to hope that the Dems in MA run a better campaign in 2013 than the one in 2010. They need to study Elizabeth Warren's campaign and learn from that!

[Mass]

25. I was talking about the democratic primary, not the general election.

[MADem]

24. I wish Lynch would just step back, but he seems determined to press his case.

We'll see what happens.

[dbackjon]

44. There are no gay males in the Senate

So Frank would have been diversity.

Plus, his legacy earned it.

[MADem]

72. Well, if you don't count Lindsay Graham.

That said, Barney Frank had the fiscal chops, and Elizabeth Warren, now the senior senator from MA, wanted him in the interim appointment slot.

[dbackjon]

73. Why would I count Lindsey Graham

He says that he is not gay.

Are we the gay police here?

[MADem]

74. No--but he's an open secret. R-Closet, is how John Aravosis puts it..

I don't think John Aravosis is a liar, do you? Here's his bio: http://americablog.com/about-us#john

And here's what he has to say about Lindsey:

http://americablog.com/2013/01/gop-sen-lindsey-graham-opposes-adding-gay-couples-to-immigration-bill.html

[dbackjon]

75. I know of John Aravosis

He has great columns, and some bad ones.

Maybe Graham is, maybe he isn't. Not the point. HE says he is straight, votes against gay rights, so no, in my opinion, and for the purposes of this conversation, Barney Frank would be the only gay Senator.

[MADem]

80. Well, you have likely heard of Mike Rogers, too, then.

Mike is hot on Lindsey's trail. He hasn't published yet, but when he does, he's not wrong-- he has a one hundred percent success rate, thus far.

All things in time. He had Larry Craig's number way before he was arrested.

As for John Aravosis, he is very wired into the Hill. He was a legislative lawyer on the Senate side back in the nineties.

The point is moot, anyway. Barney didn't get the appointment, and that, to my mind, is a shame.

[MADem]

13. Or to throw a bone to a pal--if he'd given the gig to Barney, no candidate would have been favored.

Barney had no intention of running for the seat.

[Mass]

15. But Barney would have had a hard time staying out of the limelight.

We need the focus to stay on the candidate(s).

[MADem]

19. I think that having Barney IN the limelight would bring attention to the race.

He would be the TEMPORARY senator, and when he spoke up and mentioned that people need to get to the polls and vote, they'd pay attention and do it.

Barney can get air time and pull in ratings--our new interim senator may not be that exciting an interview.

[graham4anything]

27. I wish Barney would run for the 2 year term, then Vicky Kennedy. We need a superstar in the Senate

Markey is not a superstar.

You are exactly right, for the two year term, he would get attention on major issues.
Why does one want to hide a senator?

People have a weird view of Senators these days.

We need loud voicepeople to get things rammed through.

LBJ was never silent. In their face is what is needed,
Harry Reid needs senators having his back, and to go further than he can.
Shees, it annoys me, that all 55 or whatever number aren't having Harry's back.
How possibly can he do more, if the can't even have help from the others.

[MADem]

29. Naah. Barney wants to retire, he just knew that he could help with "the financials" because that is

his strength on the House side.

Vicky just doesn't resonate with the people of Massachusetts. Half of the voters think that Ted was still married to Joan when he died--they just don't keep up. Plus, she has zero elective experience, zero national political experience, not even a hint of a Boston accent and no grounding with the people of the state-- and I don't see her Q rating as being sufficient to make the case. "Last name Kennedy" can have a negative effect in this day and age...it's as often as not something to OVERCOME as well as conveying advantages.

[Little Star]

52. I agree. I think that Barney would have, due to the air time, been a...

a big help in advocating for his soon to be replacement. That's water under the bridge now.

So I'll hop on the support Mo bandwagon. I have no previous knowledge about him but I do support what Deval is trying to do.

[MADem]

57. Deval managed to piss off the senior senator from MA with that move...

Some are saying his move was "petty" because Frank revealed that he asked Deval for the job, and Deval didn't like Barney talking about a private conversation. Guess he didn't want to feel nudged, or something.

Warren came right out and said she wanted Frank to be the pick a few weeks ago, because she regarded him as a "mentor" when it came to Hill ways. Everyone was saying Frank was the guy, that he knew better than anyone else how to steer us through the fiscal morass.

Nothing we can do about it now, though. I don't think Deval liked being pushed, so he pushed back. Naming a guy who is nothing BUT a crony, though, wasn't the sharpest move. IMO.

[Little Star]

59. Wow. I didn't know that Elizabeth had said that...

Yesterday I saw on local news the three diversity people Deval had in mind. They were one black woman, one hispanic man and Mo. I did instantly know that it wouldn't be the black woman (that would have been a little to diverse I guess) but I thought it was going to be the hispanic man. I really thought that Mo, a crony, would not be named for the spot. I agree again, it wasn't a smart move especially when he had other diverse options.

I am nervous enough about Brown and Barney could have been a big help to who ever gets the Dem nod. Sigh.
Plus, how humiliating this must be, to one of our best, Barney Frank. Another sigh.

[MADem]

60. She did it at the "hometown" swearing in over in Roxbury.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) offered strong support for former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to act as interim senator if John Kerry (D-Mass.) is confirmed as secretary of State, calling him an "extraordinary" option for the seat.

During her mock swearing-in ceremony in Boston on Saturday — mirroring her actual swearing-in on Capitol Hill on Jan. 3 — Warren praised the man she referred to as "my tutor, my guide," ...
“There is no one in or out of Washington who has worked harder on financial issues than Barney,” she said. “During the great financial crisis of our lifetime, Barney provided unparalleled insight and extraordinary leadership, resulting in landmark legislation.”
She later told reporters that "if he is appointed to be a senator, I have no doubt that he will be extraordinary."

Her remarks came the day after Frank made it clear on MSNBC that not only does he want the interim appointment, he has been in touch with Gov. Deval Patrick — who was in attendance at the Saturday ceremony — about the seat.


Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/275949-warren-frank-extraordinary-pick-for-interim-senator#ixzz2JUC4otlQ

So yeah...I think there's an element of Deval being pissy in a "Don't tell ME what to do" kind of way.

[Little Star]

61. It does appear there might be. Personally, I think it's our loss to have bypassed Barney.

[MADem]

62. I watched the post-announcement mini-presser w/Deval on the

regional cable news. He did sound a bit snarky.

It's a bit late in the day for Deval to be worrying about "diversity" in the Senate, particularly when this appointment means nothing in the big scheme of things. If I had to guess, I'd say this is more about Deval 'flexing' (while exercising, as a side benefit, a way to reward a loyal assistant) than an interest on his part towards being diverse--if that's being cynical, well, that's how I feel.

I don't think Mo has the chops that Barney has to handle the financial issues ahead. Good thing we've got over half the Senate on the D team, I guess, but BF would have been a help.

Bottom line--Deval had the power to make the pick. He could appoint anyone he wanted--he could have appointed Mitt Romney if he so chose! He doesn't really have to answer to us anymore; he's in his final term so he has the freedom to do his own thing. So, unfortunately, we don't have to like it, nor do others! Chalk it up to another "Oh, well" moment...

[Katorama]

68. Mo Cowan was a great choice. Those of us in MA didn't think it would be Barney Frank.

Nobody here though it would be Barney Frank. Just sayin'. He's just very well known outside the state.

But there were other names being floated the whole time.

[MADem]

71. "Those of us in MA?" Where do you think I am posting from, Timbuktoo?

I can tell you this, with certitude: Elizabeth Warren HOPED it would be Barney Frank, and she said so, publicly, with Deval Patrick present, mere feet away from her.

Deval never said a thing about "other names." He supposedly was working up a list in his office...but, for reasons unclear to us all, he chose a personal staffer with no elective or public experience.

Whatever. We'll just have to muddle through. Kerry's stay-behind staff will have that much more work to do in the next five months.

[Katorama]

76. There were a number of people being considered for the interim post. I'm confident Governor Patrick

knows what he is doing.

That being said, enjoy your vacation. Watch out for French warplanes, Tuareg rebels, and renegade battalions of yellowcake uranium.

[MADem]

77. I'm less confident, but at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter.

What's done is done!

[chelsea0011]

83. "Those in MA didn't think"? I'm from MA and was thinking it would be Frank

I think this is an astoundingly bad choice. There were far better candidates with Washington connections who were already well versed in the upcoming debates on some very important issues and picking someone who is basically the Governor's right hand is a big mistake. Why would he take away a person like this to work a few months in Washington?

[MADem]

67. Courage? What's courageous about appointing a crony, a personal aide?

He is going to take shit, because he didn't consider the feelings of the remaining member of the Senate delegation, and he dissed a former senior member of the House delegation....for reasons that are not clear to anyone but him.

If he wanted to appoint someone from the black community of stature, why not Skip Gates? Why not Ayanna Pressley? Hell, she was Kerry's political director, she could find the office AND the parking space!

[cyclezealot]

85. Not so sure if tonight's Lawernce O'Donnell is any indication.

O'Donnell all but kissed Deval's butt. After lobbying full time for Barney Frank.

[TroyD]

14. Annoucement to be made at 11:00 AM

http://boston.cbslocal.com/

[graham4anything]

16. The senate now has its first black Democratic senator today one of only 8 in history.(urgghh)

Too bad he or someone besides Markey isn't running for the 2 year seat.

I wish Markey would drop out and Vicky Kennedy would run.

Markey is one of those repeated incumbents that wins in his district without competition but
goes no further in a bigger race. No shame in being in the position he is in.
Shame would be in losing a seat to a republican.

imho feel free to disagree.

And how is it possible that Mo will be the only black in the senate on the democratic side?
There should be about 14 black male or female. IMHO, and about 52 female senators.
The senate should look like the population to be equal.

here is the total list prior (from wiki) Burrow is just the 8th (sighhhhhhhhhhhh)
Each of the seven senators are noted as "The first African American" in particular respects:

Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American to serve in the Senate.[1][2]
Blanche Kelso Bruce was the first African American to serve a full six-year term as senator and the only senator to be a former slave.[3]
Edward William Brooke, III was the first African American to be popularly elected, the first to be re-elected, and the first to be elected outside of the southern states.[4]
Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun was the first female African American to serve in the Senate.[5]
Barack Hussein Obama, II was the fifth African American to serve as a senator.[1] He resigned from his office to become the first African American President of the United States.[6]
Roland Wallace Burris was the first African American to be appointed and the first to succeed another African American.[7] He was appointed by Governor Rod Blagojevich to succeed Barack Obama.
Timothy Eugene "Tim" Scott was both the first African American and the first to be affiliated with the Republican Party to represent a southern state since the end of the Reconstruction Era. He was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley to succeed Jim DeMint.[8]

[MADem]

22. Vicky Kennedy is a nice lady, but she's a carpetbagger. She's from New Orleans.

Mo is from North Carolina. He is not experienced in electoral politics as a candidate--it is way different to advise than actually do the running.

Markey has served Massachusetts for years as a Congressman. He's a good candidate, and he's got experience on the Hill. He'll probably only do a couple of terms, tops. He's no spring chicken. Of course, now he needs to get past the dapper Steve Lynch.

Of course, we need to beat Scotty, if he jumps back in, and signs suggest he intends to do just that.

[graham4anything]

28. Vicky Kennedy helped Teddy beat Mitt. She also is #1 on the anti-gun issue. and she is a woman.

She has a following and nobody considers her a carpetbagger after all the years with Teddy.
We need muscle.
She has muscle. She directly helped Teddy beat Mitt.
and she is an entity into itself.

[MADem]

31. Teddy beat Mitt in debate. He rolled him up and wiped the floor with him.

Sorry--I voted for Ted in that election, and Vicky didn't affect my vote in the slightest.

She's an out-of-towner. A nice lady who did help Ted clean up his act and return to a path of purpose, but that's not a qualification for a seat in the Senate.

[graham4anything]

32. If you recall the timeline, Mitt was closer than he should have during the lead up

Ted knocked him out before the end, but it was getting a little sweaty
(much like when Bill Bradley almost lost because he just figured he was a shooin, in NJ)

[MADem]

34. And it was the debate--nothing Vicky said--that did it for him.

That debate was the gift that kept on giving. Barack Obama used that debate footage to attack rMoney THIS time around.

Ted kicked his ass all over that stage. It was a decisive victory, and it was clear sailing for Ted after that trouncing. No contest.

[graham4anything]

39. Who do you think helped prep Teddy and made him take the race serious

you do Vicky a great diservice.

She is highly political, and she comes from a very political family.
She is no vapid model

[MADem]

40. Oh, please--that's like saying that we should elect Jim Carville

to the Presidency because he "prepped" Bill Clinton. Or that George "Stolen Briefing Book" Will should have ascended to the Presidency after Reagan.

I never said she was a "vapid model." Those are your words, and you, and ONLY you, brought that accusation into the conversation--not me. Let's be clear on that score. Don't insinuate and then try to blame it on me. She is a bit long in the tooth to have that characterization, anyway--but I never once said that. I said she's a carpetbagger from New Orleans, and she is an unknown quantity to the vast majority of Massachusetts citizens.

We only have till June to play "Meet the Candidate." She can't lean on Ted's legacy--it just doesn't work. There's also a not insignificant "Kennedy backlash" that exists in the state, too--things can be easier, but they can also be harder, if your name is Kennedy. And if your name is Kennedy and you replaced "Saint Joan" of Troubles, you're climbing more than a few hills before you get to the start line.

She's not going to run, anyway, so why carp about it? Markey has already gotten the key endorsements, Lynch is getting in there to shake things up, and notwithstanding the usual third party gadflies, we pretty much know what the field is, here.

I mean, if we're going to play the "Waaah, waah, I want my candidate" game, let me whine that I would have liked to have seen the OTHER Warren jump in--the Newton mayor. But such is life--we need to move on and elect a Democrat.

[graham4anything]

45. The correct example would be Hillary45.

Your example is imho the wrong one

Your example would be more apt if you used Hillary45 being Senator of NY as an example.
Female
Highly political
came from another state
winner

that would be the example to use

what is needed is voter excitement
not to stop someone like Brown, but to generally be excited about the candidate themselves,
like President Obama's voters in 2008 and 2012, and Hillary45's voters to be in 2016.

the voting against someone never works

and from the polls, it appears voters in Mass. actually love Scott Brown the person for some reason.
Go figure.

Does anyone outside of his district know Markey?
mass. is a big state. and has in the past elected 2 republican gov's and 2 repub senators
(Brown and Brooke).

sorry for attribution to you, did not mean to do that.
(someone just did similiar to me, so I know how it feels. Sorry).

[MADem]

49. No, my example was just fine, and we need to wrap this up.

I have better things to do that ramble on about shit that is never going to happen.

Markey is one of the senior leaders of the MA delegation. He's not in my district, and I know him. Even clueless people will know his face, if not his name. His area of expertise is energy policy, and he could be characterized as a progressive/liberal. If Warren shares her roladex with him, it will help.

[graham4anything]

51. What is their relationship politically?

Warren and Markey.

How avid was Markey for Warren?

How often did he campaign for her/

(have not googled to look it up. Someone better informed on the specifics can answer.

Will her fans come out at all costs to vote for him on the first week of summer after school closes.

Key is to lock up all early votes the day early voting starts.

[MADem]

55. Their relationship is, assuming that Markey makes the cut and is the nominee, that they're both

Democrats and a straight (D) presence in the Senate makes for a better working relationship. I think they did at least one joint appearance (one hand washes the other) right before election day.

He has hired her fundraisers, which is significant:

Michael Pratt, who served as ­Warren’s national finance director, and Colleen Coffey, who headed fund-raising in Massachusetts, were labeled a “dynamic duo” Friday by a Democrat familiar with the hirings who confirmed them for the Globe.

Pratt and Coffey helped Warren outraise not only her Republican rival, Senator Scott Brown, but every other 2012 congressional candidate in the country.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2013/01/11/edward-markey-hires-elizabeth-warren-two-top-fund-raisers-work-his-senate-campaign/fluM41fSlFmvsVELjVS07K/story.html

Elizabeth Warren came right out and said she wanted Barney Frank as the interim pick, so she's disappointed, I'm sure. She's not alone.

[4Q2u2]

46. MADem is Right

Mitt was a broken puzzle after the debate, he was torn into so many pieces he was not recognizable. It was so bad that he has spent all those years trying to become a better debater. He knew the election was over then. I also think Ted's debating skills were probably honed at home with his brothers and sisters who tended to know a little about MA and National politics. He also had his long time political crew with him, it took a re-dedication of him to himself that was the spark. Their marriage did add to that spark yes.

Her political Family has some pretty big holes in it. Louisiana politics does not always sell outside Louisiana. The recent appointment of Cowan the and election of Warren may also hurt her chance. Neither are originally from MA and the voters maybe getting Carpet Bagger fatigue. Are you going to tell us that in the Great State of MA their is no home grown talent that would serve the people of MA well in the Senate.

[graham4anything]

47. we can answer that question in June. And in 2014 six yr. race. And the gov race in 2014

until then it is all hyperbole on all sides.

I like to be an optimist.
My sister is a pessimist.
She lives in Mass (and she told me 20 years ago how great Elena Kagen was, and sure enough Elena Kagen is great and she was right.)

so let's see in June how it goes.

I want to win and for the democratic party to keep a big lead in the senate after 2014, as 2016 will be better suited for winning bigtime.

I really don't care about anything but winning.
anything but being seated is losing in the game of politics.
gentleman's game it isn't now, nor never has been.

I don't care about little wedge issues, about over reaching.

Just want to win. No matter what.
That means the Alist #1 big name in every district everywhere. Anything B list is less than an A.
Because the other side is going with their A-team. We need to do the same.
Whomever it is.

And a superstar name brings in national money, and national attention.

[onehandle]

26. We better be prepared to kick the shit out of Scott Brown.

The tumblers seem to be falling exactly where the GOP wanted them to.

[meegbear]

35. John Keller ... BOOOOOOOO!!!

[MADem]

41. I know a few people here dislike that "douchebag" word....

...but if anyone personifies the term, it is that smarmy, sleazy, insinuating asshole John Keller.

He's walking, talking fingers on a blackboard. Sets my teeth on edge.

[meegbear]

48. Hear! Hear!

[Katorama]

79. Did you mean Jon Keller? His son Barney is a Comm Director for some GOP thinktank:

http://www.clubforgrowth.org/aboutus/?id=891

[MADem]

81. Yes, Old Keller at Large, and getting larger by the minute. He's a smarmy bigmouth.

I want to slap the smirk off his face every time the little turd shows up on my tee vee!

Figures his spawn would work for Satan! The little shit looks just as smarmy as his old man!

[DallasNE]

36. How Reliable Is Keller

And why should we listen to him? I will wait another 10 minutes and find out for real. There is just something about this that just doesn't feel right so I will withhold my judgment.

[DallasNE]

63. So It Panned Out

It still surprised me because this person lacks stature. That's not to say he won't prove to be a good choice but it reminds me of the no-name that replaced Obama as Illinois Senator and we know how that worked out.

[MADem]

65. By the time he finds his way to the bathroom, he's gone.

He's only there till June. He's not wired into the system, he will be hauled along by Kerry's staff, who are staying on to help (good thing) and I will wager that the chief of staff will be calling a lot of the shots.

I still don't quite understand Deval's motivation in picking this total unknown with zero experience in public life. It's very different to be a staffer for someone in public life; that takes a very different skillset than being an aide (which is hard as hell, too, but it's just not the same). I think there's something else going on here besides his sudden desire to make the Senate look more representative. If that were the case, there are plenty of forceful and knowledgeable black females in public life in Boston that would have been a better pick than his personal assistant.

I think something's going on--Deval feels dissed, or snubbed, or is annoyed about something...? Or maybe there's something or someone else in the mix?

This is just a real "left field" selection.

[Katorama]

78. Chief of Staff is far more than a personal assistant, as you suggest.

If there is anything Governor Patrick ISN'T, it's "left-field".

[MADem]

82. The guy has never held elective or public office. He has only worked as a staffer.

I maintain that the pick was an unfortunate one, and if he wanted to make a mark by picking a person of color, he should have chosen someone like councilwoman at large Pressley.

She used to work for Kerry, she knows the ways of the Hill, and she's been elected. She has a resume that is long and deep--unlike Mo's, which consists of two items--worked at a law firm/worked for Deval.

If anyone deserved a boost, it's her.

The world will not end, but I think less of Deval because of this. It looks to me like pissyness and cronyism, all wrapped up in a bow.

[jeanmarc]

37. Can he beat a Scott Brown?

That for me is the most important question. If he can't beat Scott Brown, this is not a good pick.

[MADem]

42. He doesn't have to beat Scott Brown. He's not running.

He's a placeholder for five months. That's all.

[Marrah_G]

70. He is not running and will not be running in the future

[Beacool]

38. Who????????

It should have been Barney Frank. He would have shaken things up in the senate.

[MADem]

43. Who? Someone who is close to the governor, who is getting a

boost from him, and who knows nothing about the Hill, at a time when our "senior" senator is new to the chamber and doesn't know the inside tracks and is still learning herself....

Obviously, Mo wants in on state/national elective politics. This is a way to walk the runway and get his name out there without having to spend a fortune or start out in very local politics. He's been good to Deval, so Deval is being good to him.

I gotta say, though, if he was playing the inclusive card, I would have preferred him to just nominate himself, or Setti Warren.

Frank would have been the best choice to finish out the session.

[Beacool]

50. Yeah, Patrick's former chief of staff.

That is one way to get him in the national limelight. The Sr. senator has been in office all of a few weeks.

Whatever......

[hughee99]

54. Well, I'm glad to see it wasn't our former Highway Safety directory

who, as it turns out, was one of the worst drivers in the state.

I don't know too much about this guy other than his stay will be brief. The special election isn't that far off.

[MADem]

58. Well, that was a plain patronage job, and she slid off into the distance.

This guy is a crony, but he has worked as a staffer for some years now. He's not a "patronage" appoinment, he actually has talent as a staffer. Talent as a staffer, though, doesn't always translate into talent as a principal.

It doesn't really matter, though--he'll be gone in June.

[gateley]

64. I was hoping for Barney (because he'd go in kicking and screaming) or Markey (to

help ease him into the seat next election), but I defer to those of you who feel Mo Cowan is a good choice. Glad to see he's got support from those in the know.