What do you guys think of Sen. Judd Gregg as Commerce Sec?
 

President Obama wants Sen Judd Gregg, Repo/Con Senator from New Hampshire to be Commerce Secretary. Fiscal conservative low tax kind of guy...

QUOTE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013101782.html?hpid=topnews

" GOP's Gregg Appears To Be Commerce Pick

By Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 1, 2009; Page A10

President Obama appears set to nominate Republican Sen. Judd Gregg as commerce secretary, a move that could happen in the next day or two, Democratic officials said yesterday.
Gregg (N.H.) acknowledged Friday that he was under consideration. But administration officials took it a step further yesterday, saying he is atop the list to fill the job, and other officials said they thought he was all but certain to be tapped. His nomination and confirmation would give a leading economic role in the Obama Cabinet to a fiscal conservative, while bolstering the president's argument that he has built a truly bipartisan administration.
Two other Republicans -- Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Illinois congressman, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, a holdover from the Bush administration -- are already in place in Obama's Cabinet.
Republican officials said they are resigned to Gregg's departure from a critical Senate seat that Democrats had already intended to challenge.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) was nominated Dec. 3 to head the Commerce Department, but he withdrew his name from consideration a month later because of a federal investigation involving state government contracts.
Gregg's nomination would also offer the White House the chance that New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D) would appoint a Democrat to serve the two remaining years of the senator's term. That, combined with the seating of Al Franken if he prevails in the disputed Minnesota election, would give Obama the 60-vote majority he needs for a filibuster-proof Senate.
It is likely that New Hampshire's two representatives in the House, Democrats Paul W. Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter, would at least be considered for such an appointment. Potential Republican candidates for the seat would include J. Bonnie Newman, a former president of the University of New Hampshire; Doug Scamman, the former state House speaker; former governor Walter R. Petersen Jr.; and former attorney general Thomas D. Rath.
Gregg is a Republican Party stalwart who has firmly opposed abortion rights even as his state has grown increasingly moderate in recent years. His strong support of the business community and his standing among fiscal conservatives in Congress could help Obama persuade Republicans to join him on initiatives regarding government entitlements and the federal budget.
Gregg, a three-term senator, is a former chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and he helped devise the $700 billion bank rescue package that passed last year. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday that Gregg is "somebody that the president has talked to recently about the economic crisis."
"I know they spoke before the president was sworn in, on a couple of occasions, about financial stability and the recovery plan. Obviously, the president shares his concern about the growing federal budget deficit. So . . . it's somebody the president talks to on a host of economic matters," Gibbs said. He said it would be "accurate" to say that Obama likes working with Gregg.
Gregg, 61, has a familiar political name in the New Hampshire: He and his father, Hugh, both served as governor. Judd Gregg, a wry, low-key figure, won more than $850,000 in 2005 after buying $20 worth of Powerball tickets at a D.C. convenience store.
Staff writers Chris Cillizza and Shailagh Murray contributed to this report."

Probably going to regret writing this but ...

At this point I don't really give a damn.

B

Don't know much about him.
On a somewhat related note, I respect Bill Richardson a lot more than Daschle.

My crook is better than your crook.

Terminal cynicism.

Foolish naivete.

NH has a Democrat Governor. I heard Gregg will only take the job as Comm. Sec'y if he is replaced by another Republican. Losing that seat to a Dem. would give the Dems 60 senate seats and a filibuster proof majority.:rolleyes:

Prove Richardson's a crook.

And that is exactly wht he is being considered.

In New Hampshire, many of the people who call themselves Republicans, well, let's just say they are "RINO challenged". I'm sure Lynch can find a suitable set of sheep's clothing. At this point the "60 seat" thing is a myth - Northern Republicans are all in danger of losing their seats to Democrats as the Republican Party recedes into it's newest self, the White People's Christian Party of the Glorious Confederacy, with Mr. Limbaugh at the helm. For example:

http://bangornews.com/detail/98359.html

And of course, there is the Democrat's favorite Republican, John McCain, who now is very angry at Palinism. He should come in handy.

Where are you getting that? I haven't heard of any friction between the two, just some sour grapes from his campaign staff.

The gov. said on the news this morning that there had been an agreement to replace him with a Republican the day he was apprised Gregg was a candidate for the post.

Ah yes, proof of my predictive powers:

From http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=As+Gregg+deal+done%2c+Lynch+eyes+Republican&articleId=98da145c-bcf3-45c4-9f2a-7030ea9b9776

Yes, it looks like New Hampshire's next Democratic Senator will be a Republican.

Mr. Gregg......the IRS is on line one.

:D:D;):eek:

No doubt that will be next. Or a gay love affair will come out of the closet.