Chris Christie's Lautenberg Dilemma Is 2013-as-2016 All Over Again

[Cha]

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie can name a successor for Frank Lautenberg, who died at the age of 89 on Monday, becoming the 299th Senator to pass away in office. But it's yet another moment when what's good for Christie in 2013 might not be good for him in 2016. Christie, after all, is a Republican running a state that voted for President Obama by almost 18 points. "Replacing a Democrat with a Democrat and then saying the voters should decide what happens next in November would no doubt be very well-received by Democrats and moderates," The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan writes. But that would mean Republicans who are already annoyed with Christie and his Obama-hugging antics would disown him.

So, if Christie appoints a right-winger, he angers the Democrats he needs to be reelected. If he appoints a Democrat, which he probably won't, he infuriates the Republican base he would need in the 2016 Republican primary. But splitting the difference won't work, either. Salon's Steve Kornacki points out that appointing a non-controversial old Republican as a caretaker for the seat is not without risk. The last time a Republican New Jersey governor did that a Democrat won the seat. His name was Frank Lautenberg.

The whole article is good..

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/06/chris-christie-frank-lautenberg-replacement/65826/

RIP Sen Frank Lautenberg

"So what now in New Jersey?"

snip***

Timing became an issue. There is already a statewide election taking place this year in New Jersey, for governor. State law holds that if a Senate vacancy occurs more than 70 days before a regularly scheduled election, the governor gets to make an interim appointment and then has a choice: either to hold the special election for the vacated seat on the same day as the regularly scheduled election, or to hold it on a free-standing date sometime before the regularly scheduled election. If the vacancy occurs within 70 days of the election, the governor can delay the special election until the next year.

Because this year’s regularly scheduled election is still five months away, there will have to be a special Senate election sometime this year. In terms of raw politics, this is not the ideal situation for Gov. Chris Christie – and it may not be the preferred scenario for Democrats either. Here’s how it looks from each perspective:

***snip

http://www.salon.com/2013/06/03/so_what_now_in_new_jersey/

[Tx4obama]

1. Additional article on the link below

Lautenberg Vacancy Pick Is Christie’s Political Challenge

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-03/laurenberg-vacancy-pick-is-christie-s-political-challenge.html

[Cha]

5. Thanks Tx! Christie has a "dilemma" alright..

"In comments today at the Patriots Theater in Trenton, Christie alluded to his political differences with Lautenberg -- a feisty partisan best known for championing gun-control measures and authoring laws banning smoking on airplanes -- even as he complimented the Democrat’s combative spirit."

"It’s no mystery that Senator Lautenberg and I didn’t always agree; in fact, it’s probably more honest to say that we very often didn’t agree,” Christie said, adding that the two had “some pretty good fights.” In March 2012, Christie called Lautenberg a “political hack” and urged him to retire.

“But never was Senator Lautenberg to be underestimated as an advocate of the causes he believed in,” Christie said. “Senator Lautenberg fought for the things he believed in. Sometimes he just fought because he liked to.”

[onehandle]

2. Please proceed, governor. nt

[Dawson Leery]

3. +1

Barbara Buono awaits your partisan appointment.

[Cha]

6. Oh yes, that's going to be very interesting. Guaranteed, somebody's

going to be pissed off.

Better not appoint a moron to the Esteemed Senator Lautenberg's seat.

[sadbear]

4. Christine Todd Whitman?

I don't know what her status is right now. Is she a possibility, albeit an obvious one?

[sheshe2]

7. Please Proceed Governor~

Show some spine, you know you can.

RIP Senator Lautenberg.

Thanks Cha. When I heard of the Senators passing, I never thought about the need to fill the seat.

Thanks for the reminder.

[Cha]

8. You're welcome, she. And, thank you for the RIP for

Senator Frank Lautenberg.. and, the K&R!

Senator Reid Honors the Legacy of Senator Lautenberg..

h/t TOD http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/03/this-and-that-81/#more-122468

[freshwest]

9. We need a Democratic Senator from NJ. Who knows of any names being suggested?

[Cha]

10. Well Cory Booker is going to run in 2014 but right now

Christie has a big problem of who the heck is he going to appoint in the interim that doesn't piss off the repubs and the Dems.

Senator Frank Lautenberg has some big shoes to fill. RIP

thanks freshwest for the K&R!

[freshwest]

11. I know it's crazy, but I'd like Biden & Booker to run in 2016...

[Cha]

12. Well, we all have our

favorites! I'm thinking Martin O'Malley and whomever he chooses. Wonder if Biden even wants to run?

[freshwest]

13. I haven't heard if Biden is interested. I'd even love Kerry to run!

Last edited Tue Jun 4, 2013, 01:22 AM - Edit history (1)

I mean, look, Nixon lost and ran again years later. Biden ran for President and didn't make it through the primaries some years ago,

Now he's set to do a Bush, Sr., if a VP of a popular POTUS would get the nod. The thing about O'Malley is lack of name recognition. I don't think he's well known enough. The same could be said for Obama.

And I've just been enjoying our Ebony & Ivory presidency. Silly, I know, but don't think Michelle would run, nor Hillary.

The GOP is lining up skeet to shoot on their side, but the country tends to swing to the other side every 8 years. That would be an unmitigated disaster to have the Koches finally own the White House.

Because they only need their very own 'Robosigner' to rubber stamp their plan. USA no more, it'd be the kingdom of the Koch. FFS.

We've still got 2014 to get done, and it's going to be very nasty.

[Marie Marie]

14. I'm with you on Biden.

I think he would make an excellent President but not feeling hopeful that it's going to happen.

[davidpdx]

15. He'll appoint a Republican

While I'm sad Senator Lautenberg died, I don't understand why people like him (Senator Kennedy, Senator Byrd, etc) continue to stay in office until they die.

I understand it's their life's work. At the same time their party risks losing seats, costly seats that are difficult to win back (flipping a senate seat is not only more expensive, but the probability of it happening is very slim). If you know you have health problems maybe it is time some of these people help elect their a successor (whomever the party nominates). We have gone through this 3 times in the recent years, with two times being really lucky we got a Democrat elected as a replacement. The third one, Massachusetts we had to fight to get rid of playboy Scotty.

[Cha]

17. You have a good point.. there was Senator Inouye

in Hawai'i, too.

[davidpdx]

18. That's like 5 since 2008

I have a feeling Feinstein will end up staying until the end as well. We are lucky we only temporary lost one of those seats. I think the NJ seat is probably safe, the problem is we now have to wait for a primary and special election which could be months before both are finished. Then we are pretty much right smack dab in campaign season again.

[forestpath]

16. Of course he'll appoint a Republican. And Obama will praise him.