On This Day In 1982

Jan. 15, 1982:

The Democratic National Committee changes the rules for their 1984 delegate selection, announcing the creation of "superdelegates" -- party regulars and elected officials -- who will automatically become delegates at the convention. The change was orchestrated former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt and New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, who headed up a party commission looking at changing the nominating process.

The move will be seen as an indication that Democrats do not want to see a repeat of what happened in 1972, when an outsider like George McGovern could win the party's presidential nomination, and repeated in 1976, when a similar outsider like Jimmy Carter won the nomination. By making Democratic governors, members of Congress, and state party officials automatic delegates, Democrats were saying that it was time for the "adults" in the party to put their foot down when it came to nominating presidential candidates.

(P.S. The first Democrat to benefit by this change in the rules was Walter Mondale, the former vice president, who won the 1984 presidential nomination thanks in part to the role played by the superdelegates. Mondale lost 49 of 50 states that year to President Reagan.)

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

2:27 PM ET | 01-15-2009 | permalink

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Burris Is Sworn In; 4th Black Senator Since Reconstruction

The improbable journey of Roland Burris to the United States Senate is complete. A former Illinois attorney general and the pick of disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill the seat left vacant following the resignation of Barack Obama, Burris was sworn in today at 2 pm, the fourth African-American senator since Reconstruction.

BIDEN. Joseph Biden, the vice president-elect, gave his farewell speech in the Senate today. The Delaware Democrat was first elected in 1972 and was re-elected six times, the last time in November. He is the 14th most senior member in the history of the Senate. His appointed successor, longtime aide Ted Kaufman, will be sworn in tomorrow at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

CLINTON. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) also gave her Senate swan song speech today. The Foreign Relations Committee voted 16-1 to confirm her as secretary of state; only David Vitter (R-LA) voted no. NPR's Robert Smith is hearing that New York Gov. David Paterson (D) may be closer to naming a Senate successor to Clinton than had previously been thought. And it may indeed be Caroline Kennedy:

The end is nigh for New York's favorite political guessing game. Paterson indicated yesterday that he was ready to end the months of speculation and finally pick a Senate replacement for Clinton. He's been waiting for Clinton to actually resign the seat, but he now he's ready to get the whole thing over with. He told reporters that she is "floating right through" her confirmation hearings, and now he "feels the duty to act."

Thank God. The speculation over Clinton's successor has been a huge distraction to the state. Poor David Paterson has been trying to rally the state to drastically cut its budget and increase revenues. But all the reporters want to ask him about is Caroline Kennedy.

The moment the Kennedy name got uttered as a possibility for the seat, the whole process has turned into a referendum on Caroline. Is she too aloof? Too private? Does she has too little experience? Kennedy didn't help matters by bumbling through her quasi-campaign for the seat. Running from reporters, then refusing interview requests. Then when she did sit down, peppering her answers with "um"s and "you know"s.

Her approval ratings with the public dropped. If it were an election, polls show she'd be losing to Cuomo. But the smart money is that Paterson will apoint Kennedy anyway, "you know"s and all. The governor's been backed into a corner. Caroline may not have much experience, but she has a lot of sympathy. Does Paterson want to be the man who keeps Kennedy from following in her father's and uncle's footsteps to the Senate? Picking someone else at this point would seem like a personal rejection of Caroline.

Women's groups have already made it clear to Paterson that they would not appreciate a man being named to take over from Clinton. Upstate communities are already steaming over the prospect of another New York City senator. Unless Paterson can pull a very attractive longshot candidate out of a hat at the last minute, its hard to imagine that he can say no to Kennedy.

A Marist College Poll out today pretty much mirrors the one released yesterday by Qunnipiac University. It has New Yorkers giving Cuomo 40 percent, to 25 percent for Kennedy. (Others: Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi 6%, Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Steve Israel 5% each, and Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand 3%.)

Note: Twice have New York governors appointed senators, and twice the senators have been defeated at the polls at the next election. In 1949, Gov. Thomas Dewey appointed John Foster Dulles (R) to fill the seat of Robert F. Wagner Sr. (D), who resigned because of illness; and in 1968, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller (R) appointed Rep. Charles Goodell (R) to fill the seat of Robert Kennedy (D), who was assassinated in his pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination. Dulles lost a special election in 1949 to ex-Gov. Herbert Lehman (D), and Goodell lost a three-way race in 1970 to Conservative Party candidate Jim Buckley.

2:05 PM ET | 01-15-2009 | permalink

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Senate Updates: Portman Announces In Ohio; Lynch Won't Run In N.H.

Here's the latest on some Senate seats:

Florida: Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) has become the first candidate to officially declare for the seat being vacated by Republican Mel Martinez. Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R) took himself out of the running on Jan. 6.

Illinois: Roland Burris (D) will be sworn in as the junior senator from Ilinois tomorrow at 2 p.m. Eastern time. There's nothing more to say on this one. But wow. (Previous Junkie post on Burris here.)

Minnesota: Al Franken (D), who continues to hold a 225-vote lead, has gone to the state Supreme Court to force Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie to certify his victory over Norm Coleman. Both state officials turned Franken down on Monday, saying that Coleman is still fighting the apparent result and the legal process needs to be played out.

New Hampshire: Tom Fahey of the N.H. Union Leader reports that Gov. John Lynch, the state's most popular Democrat, announced today he will not challenge Sen. Judd Gregg (R) next year.

Lynch ... acknowledged speculation in political circles that he might challenge ... Gregg. He said he plans to focus on budget issues here in New Hampshire.

"I can tell you that although I don't know what I'll be doing in 2010, I'm not going to run for the United States Senate. So, that shouldn't be a distraction as I continue to work on the budget."

Lynch made the statement before taking questions from reporters at a brief press conference today.

He has just begun his third two-year term as governor, on the strength of a landslide victory at the polls. He and his staff are struggling to close both a $90 million budget deficit this year, and a revenue gap of as much as $500 million over the next two years.

Lynch declined to say whether he will seek a fourth term as governor, referring again to his focus on budget issues and the state economy.

Gregg announced in November that he plans to run for election to a fourth term in the Senate.

New York: A Quinnipiac University poll released today shows that New Yorkers "have cooled" on Caroline Kennedy and "more voters now prefer" state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo over the former first daughter by 31-24 percent. This is for the seat that Hillary Clinton will relinquish once she is confirmed as secretary of state. Three members of Congress are well behind in the poll: Carolyn Maloney of Manhattan has 6 percent, Kirsten Gillibrand from upstate has 5 percent, and Steve Israel from Long Island 2 percent. Eighteen percent suggested someone else, and 14 percent were undecided.

(To paraphrase an old expression, the only poll that matters is Gov. David Paterson [D]. He will select Clinton's successor.)

Kenneth Lovett and Glenn Blain of the New York Daily News report today that Paterson interviewed Cuomo for the job last month. That ordinarily should not sound surprising; Cuomo's name has been mentioned as a possible Clinton Senate replacement from Day 1. But this is the first confirmation that Cuomo has taken a step to get the appointment.

Previous Junkie posting on the New York race here.

Ohio: Rob Portman, the former congressman, Bush trade rep and OMB chief, announced his candidacy today for the Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican George Voinovich.

"Just as it was an honor to serve the people of Southern Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years, so it would be an honor to serve all Ohioans in the U.S. Senate. At a difficult time in our state and national economy, I believe I can make a positive difference in the lives of people throughout Ohio."

Portman seems to be the early favorite for the GOP, but of course it is early. Among the Democrats mentioned as potential candidates are Lt. Governor Lee Fisher and Rep. Tim Ryan.

4:58 PM ET | 01-14-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1977

Jan. 14, 1977:

Still smarting over their defeat in the 1976 elections, Republicans elected former Sen. Bill Brock of Tennessee as their national party chairman. Former President Gerald Ford had preferred James Baker, his campaign manager, and GOP rival Ronald Reagan backed Richard Richards, the Utah party chair. Brock, the second pick of many, was considered a compromise choice. Brock himself was part of the '76 loss, as he was beaten for his seat by Democrat Jim Sasser.

Brock would help lead Republicans to pick up congressional seats in 1978. In 1980, when he was still chair, the GOP won the White House with Reagan and took control of the Senate for the first time since 1954.

Richards, Reagan's choice, succeeded Brock as party chair in 1981.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

12:23 PM ET | 01-14-2009 | permalink

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Today On TOTN: No Sweat For Hillary; Read Geithner's Lips: No Old Taxes

Lots to talk about in today's Political Junkie segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation::

-- It will be Sen. Roland Burris after all.

-- Easy confirmation seen for Hillary Clinton. But new questions arise for Treasury hopeful Timothy Geithner.

-- Retirements of Sens. Voinovich and Bond increase GOP exodus to four.

Remember, the Political Junkie segment airs every Wednesday at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Talk of the Nation, NPR's call-in program, where you can often, but not always, find interesting conversation, useless trivia questions and sparkling jokes.

And remember, if your local NPR station doesn't carry TOTN, you can hear the program on the Web or on HD Radio. And if you are a subscriber to XM/Sirius radio, you can find the show there as well (siriusly).

You can listen to last week's show -- Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois was the special guest -- here.

Wanna be on the Junkie mailing list? Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org.

10:15 AM ET | 01-14-2009 | permalink

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How Can The Senate Vote On The Cabinet If Obama Is Not Yet President?

With the 111th Congress all settled in, Karen Schafer of Rio Rancho, N.M., has this question:

What's the best way to find out the office address of a newly elected U.S. senator or representative?

You can find out everything you want about members of the Senate, including their office address, by going to the official Senate Web site. The same information for House members can be found at the House Clerk's Web site.

You can also always send a note to any senator c/o Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, and to any representative at House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515.

And how can they be holding Cabinet confirmation hearings if Barack Obama is not yet the president? That's what Nathan Irwin of Peoria, Ill., wants to know:

We all know that Cabinet members are nominated by the president, subject to Senate confirmation. But how can these nominations be taken up this early? Obama, of course, takes office on Jan. 20, at which point he has the authority to send his nominations to the Senate, but before that date, he's not the president.

Because Obama is, as you correctly say, not yet the president, he has not officially "nominated" anyone to his Cabinet. But he has named them. And the idea is for the Cabinet to be in place the moment Obama takes office. What happens is the respective Senate committees investigate the choices, hold the confirmation hearings and then vote on them -- that's what's going on now. Once Obama is sworn in on Jan. 20, he then officially nominates the members of his Cabinet, and the full Senate votes on them.

Here's a question from Debbie Warren of Milwaukee, Wis:.

What's the date of Obama's State of the Union address this year?

The short answer is that there is none. A newly elected president doesn't have an SOTU address, but he does give a speech to both houses of Congress, usually to discuss his goals. George W. Bush, first sworn in on Jan. 20, 2001, gave his speech to Congress on Feb. 27. There is no date scheduled as of yet for Obama's congressional speech.

Finally, a question all of America -- including Jeff Roberts of Ankeny, Iowa -- is asking:

What relation, if any, is Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper to Iowa's former Sen. Bourke Hickenlooper (1945-68)?

Actually, Bruce Gerhardt of Omaha, Neb., asked the same thing a while back. It came up when Mayor Hickenlooper was high on the list of prospective Senate replacements for Ken Salazar (D-CO) once he is confirmed as secretary of interior. So it may indeed be a question that's sweeping the nation. Just like Baby Fish Mouth.

Anyway, according to Sabrina D'Agosta of the mayor's office, there was a relationship: They were cousins.

7:45 AM ET | 01-14-2009 | permalink

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Speaking Of Entitlement ...

Yes, there has been a lot of criticism directed at Caroline Kennedy, who is hoping to be appointed to the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat in New York. A lot of people point to her family, her last name, and that she has this sense of "entitlement." Dynasty was a word thrown around a lot.

We talked about this in depth in a Dec. 18 posting. And it's not just about Caroline Kennedy. How did Lisa Murkowski come to the Senate? What about Bayh and Dodd and Pryor and those other senators whose fathers served before them? Heck, what about George W. Bush?

But now it's gone even further.

Tonight, on the season premiere of Fox's American Idol, the new judge will be Kara DioGuardi.

Yes, that's right. The daughter of former Rep. Joe DioGuardi (R-NY). How else do you explain she got her job?

This entitlement stuff has now gotten out of control.

5:53 PM ET | 01-13-2009 | permalink

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On This Day In 1978

Jan. 13, 1978:

Sen. Hubert Humphrey (D-Minn.), a former vice president and the Democratic nominee for president in 1968, died of cancer at age 66.

In 1948, as mayor of Minneapolis and a candidate for the Senate, he gave an electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention on civil rights that caused Southerners, including South Carolina Gov. Strom Thurmond, to walk out and form their own party. That year he unseated GOP Sen. Joseph Ball; he was re-elected in '54 and '60. Humphrey also sought his party's presidential nomination in 1960, losing out to Sen. John F. Kennedy.

He became President Lyndon Johnson's running mate in the 1964 election, and the ticket went on to win in a landslide. When LBJ decided in late March of 1968 against seeking re-election, Humphrey declared his own candidacy. He entered no primaries but won the nomination at a riotous convention that summer in Chicago. With his party split in two over the Vietnam War, he lost the 1968 presidential election to Republican Richard Nixon.

Humphrey came back to the Senate in 1970, winning the seat vacated by fellow Democrat Eugene McCarthy. He again tried for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972, losing out to Sen. George McGovern. After his death at his Waverly, Minn., home, his body was flown to Washington, where an estimated 60,000 people came to pay their respects.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

3:00 PM ET | 01-13-2009 | permalink

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N.Y. GOP Wants Special Senate Election; Whither Caroline Kennedy?

As Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton goes through the motions of her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, there is still no word on whom New York Gov. David Paterson will name to succeed her.

Paterson met with Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, on Saturday, and came away "impressed," according to an interview with the New York Daily News published today. And while he refused to declare anyone the "front-runner" for the seat, he did say about Kennedy, "She didn't eliminate herself in the meeting."

Faint praise indeed.

Paterson said he has now interviewed 15 people for the job. While he won't give names, those also thought to be on the Senate wannabe list include state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, and Reps. Kirsten Gillibrand, Steve Israel and Carolyn Maloney.

My prediction from the outset has been Gillibrand. But I have no idea where things stand now.

I've Got A Secret. Several good government groups have decried Paterson's refusal to reveal either the names of those he has spoken to or the answers these candidates gave to a questionnaire he sent to each of them. The governor says the list of candidates is "personal." The Associated Press' Michael Gormley quotes a disappointed Barbara Bartoletti of the League of Women Voters as saying, "The law is on his side as far as whether he has to do any of this with transparency. But good government is not on his side here."

Wanna Be A Senator? Here's the questionnaire Paterson sent out to the hopefuls. Good luck!

Isn't That Special. New York state Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco wants Paterson to call for a special election to resolve the issue, rather than fill the seat via appointment. Tedisco has, if nothing else, a great sense of humor.

Not Happy. Julie Sells of Cincinnati sent the following note:

With regards to the Jan. 7 Talk of the Nation program in which you appeared, it was very disappointing to hear your cutting remarks about Caroline Kennedy. I could not begin to tell you how many people I know or have met who insert "you know" into their conversations. It's always hard to hear ourselves but I probably say it too without realizing it. Please listen to that interview and count the number of times you say "uh" or "ummmm." Isnt that the same? It certainly was with Barack Obama. His campaign coordinators even hired a speech therapist to help him prior to some of the debates. ...

I really don't like ever to criticize someone for their speech difficulties and wish you would show more courtesy to others as well since after all few of us speak perfectly. ...

I think the media has been really nasty in the way [Caroline] has been treated. It should be about a person's qualifications, not the deficiencies in the way they speak. A big fat zero to NPR on this one!

Julie, I respect your argument but I'm not sure I agree with your conclusions -- except for your point that it should be about a person's qualifications. I think the media have been far more tolerant in their coverage of Kennedy than they have with anyone else with similarly limited qualifications or campaign abilities.

As for her Valley Girl-esque way of talking, it's hardly just Neal Conan and I who have been critical or sarcastic. Here's the New York Times' Michael Barbaro's account of Caroline's linguistic abilities:

In her pursuit of a Senate seat, Ms. Kennedy has raised eyebrows with her penchant for what are known, informally in language circles, as filler words.

Ms. Kennedy has liberally sprinkled her interviews with "you know" and "um," as can be seen in transcripts posted on newspaper Web sites.

When asked recently by New York Times reporters about a potential rival for the Senate seat, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, she responded:

"I'm, you know, actually, Andrew Cuomo is someone I've known for many, many years, and we've talked, you know, throughout this process, so, you know, we have a really good relationship and I admire the work he's doing now and what he's done."

That's three "you knows," for those keeping score.

And the leading paragraph in a recent Maureen Dowd column in the Times went as follows:

Ask not, you know, what your country can, like, do for you. Ask what you, um, can, you know, do for your country.

I am not saying that just because Maureen Dowd does it, NPR should do it. There is a well-documented history of snarky comments made by Ms. Dowd that we don't really need to emulate. But that's not the point. Sure, you can count all the times I say "uh" and "ummm." Of course, I'm not seeking appointment to the U.S. Senate. And let's keep in mind the media have mocked the language skills of George Bush, pere and fils, for years.

I'm just saying, and have been saying, that with all those out there who could be appointed to the seat, Caroline Kennedy seems to have less of an argument than many of the others. I'm sorry if you thought our having fun with Ms. Kennedy's speech patterns was, you know, over the top.

2:15 PM ET | 01-13-2009 | permalink

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Clinton Confirmation Hearing Is Under Way

Sen. John Kerry, the new chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, talked about the historical nature of this morning's hearings that will ultimately end up with the confirmation of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. The previous committee chair, Joe Biden, is now vice president-elect. Another committee member, Barack Obama, is the president-elect.

And, lest anyone think the path to the top is easy, Kerry reminded everyone who was sitting in the room that Clinton, Chris Dodd, Dick Lugar and he are all examples of those who tried for the brass ring and failed.

One major piece of history left unsaid: if confirmed, Clinton would be the nation's first female secretary of state since Condoleezza Rice.

Check out today's New York Times' Op-Ed page for a series of questions by 10 experts that they would like Clinton to answer at her confirmation hearing.

For the record, Clinton came to the hearing accompanied by her daughter, Chelsea, but not by her husband, the former president. Bill Clinton's foundation and its taking of foreign donations was the subject of the opening statement by ranking Republican Dick Lugar.

More to come.

9:39 AM ET | 01-13-2009 | permalink

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