Bloomberg for NY Senator
Next month Senator Hillary Clinton of New York will resign her seat to become Secretary of State, and Governor David Patterson will select her successor. Caroline Kennedy, the sole survivor of the Camelot First Family, has asked him to appoint her.
Most states authorize the governor to fill vacancies in US Senate seats; Wisconsin is among the minority that require a special election . The last time that happened in Wisconsin was 1957, when Senator Joseph R McCarthy died in office. The subsequent special election was won by William Proxmire, who held the seat until 1988.
I believe that it is better to let the people select the next senator, even though it may cost millions of dollars to hold a primary and general election for just one office. (1) Since the position of senator is at least as important as that of governor, some governors have appointed themselves senators, or resigned so that the next governor would do so. Others have appointed personal friends, relatives, or the senator's widow to fill the seat. In Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is accused of seeking bribes to appoint a successor to President-Elect Barack Obama. All of this trouble can be avoided by holding a special election.
If it were urgent that every senate vacancy be filled immediately, letting the governor pick someone would at least save a few months. But there are a hundred members of the US Senate, and even if two or three seats are vacant at the same time, the work of the body goes on. The special interests of a particular state would still be defended by the other senator. Sure, some legislation might be defeated or delayed because of one or more vacancies, but a bill can always be re-introduced after the vacancy is filled by special election.
Meanwhile, the Governor of New York will have to decide who will become the junior senator from that state. Although Caroline Kennedy is an intelligent and accomplished woman, she is more of a celebrity than a politician. She has never even sought elective office, so she has no record or experience in writing laws or securing a majority vote to enact them. Someone with her resume who was not the child of a former president would probably not be a serious candidate for this post. (2)
My choice is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has governed the nation's largest city for nearly eight years. During that period, he represented more people than live in most states. He has first-hand experience in the problems of America's big cities and in federal-urban relations. Moreover, Bloomberg is one of our time's top entrepreneurs, and made his huge fortune in the financial markets. If anyone could serve effectively on Senate committees dealing with banking, securities, and the economy, it would be Michael Bloomberg. Considering the state of America's economy, if we ever needed that kind of expertise in the Senate, we need it now.
I know that Mayor Bloomberg is committed to seeking re-election next year, but a Senate seat might be too good an opportunity to pass up. Although he was last elected as a Republican, he is now an independent, and I hope that partisanship does not stop Gov. Patterson from considering him. There are two independent senators now (3), and I would not mind a third.
I urge readers living in New York state to write their Governor with this recommendation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Since Wisconsin has judicial elections every spring, in addition to a partisan election in the fall of even-numbered years, it is often possible to combine a special election with one of these.
(2) As Massachusetts senate candidate Edward McCormack chided Ted Kennedy before the 1962 Democratic primary, "If your name were Edward Moore, your candidacy would be a joke, but it is Edward Moore Kennedy, so nobody's laughing!" (McCormack was the nephew of then Speaker of the House John W McCormack.)
(3) They are Bernard Sanders (Vermont) and Joseph Lieberman (Connecticut), both Jewish, as is Bloomberg.
Most states authorize the governor to fill vacancies in US Senate seats; Wisconsin is among the minority that require a special election . The last time that happened in Wisconsin was 1957, when Senator Joseph R McCarthy died in office. The subsequent special election was won by William Proxmire, who held the seat until 1988.
I believe that it is better to let the people select the next senator, even though it may cost millions of dollars to hold a primary and general election for just one office. (1) Since the position of senator is at least as important as that of governor, some governors have appointed themselves senators, or resigned so that the next governor would do so. Others have appointed personal friends, relatives, or the senator's widow to fill the seat. In Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is accused of seeking bribes to appoint a successor to President-Elect Barack Obama. All of this trouble can be avoided by holding a special election.
If it were urgent that every senate vacancy be filled immediately, letting the governor pick someone would at least save a few months. But there are a hundred members of the US Senate, and even if two or three seats are vacant at the same time, the work of the body goes on. The special interests of a particular state would still be defended by the other senator. Sure, some legislation might be defeated or delayed because of one or more vacancies, but a bill can always be re-introduced after the vacancy is filled by special election.
Meanwhile, the Governor of New York will have to decide who will become the junior senator from that state. Although Caroline Kennedy is an intelligent and accomplished woman, she is more of a celebrity than a politician. She has never even sought elective office, so she has no record or experience in writing laws or securing a majority vote to enact them. Someone with her resume who was not the child of a former president would probably not be a serious candidate for this post. (2)
My choice is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has governed the nation's largest city for nearly eight years. During that period, he represented more people than live in most states. He has first-hand experience in the problems of America's big cities and in federal-urban relations. Moreover, Bloomberg is one of our time's top entrepreneurs, and made his huge fortune in the financial markets. If anyone could serve effectively on Senate committees dealing with banking, securities, and the economy, it would be Michael Bloomberg. Considering the state of America's economy, if we ever needed that kind of expertise in the Senate, we need it now.
I know that Mayor Bloomberg is committed to seeking re-election next year, but a Senate seat might be too good an opportunity to pass up. Although he was last elected as a Republican, he is now an independent, and I hope that partisanship does not stop Gov. Patterson from considering him. There are two independent senators now (3), and I would not mind a third.
I urge readers living in New York state to write their Governor with this recommendation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Since Wisconsin has judicial elections every spring, in addition to a partisan election in the fall of even-numbered years, it is often possible to combine a special election with one of these.
(2) As Massachusetts senate candidate Edward McCormack chided Ted Kennedy before the 1962 Democratic primary, "If your name were Edward Moore, your candidacy would be a joke, but it is Edward Moore Kennedy, so nobody's laughing!" (McCormack was the nephew of then Speaker of the House John W McCormack.)
(3) They are Bernard Sanders (Vermont) and Joseph Lieberman (Connecticut), both Jewish, as is Bloomberg.
posted by Gerald S Glazer at 12:29 PM
2 comments
