Obama Taps GOP Sen. Gregg For Commerce

New Hampshire Republican Made Deal With Governor To Keep His Seat Out Of Democratic Hands

(CBS/AP)  President Barack Obama nominated Republican Sen. Judd Gregg to be Commerce secretary on Tuesday, a bipartisan gesture that the Democratic president stressed was necessary with the economy in a virtual free fall.

"Clearly Judd and I don't agree on every issue, most notably who should have won the election," Mr. Obama said with Gregg and Vice President Joe Biden at his side. "But we do agree on the urgent need to get American businesses and families back on their feet. We see eye to eye on conducting the nation's business in a responsible, transparent and accountable manner."

If confirmed by the Senate, Gregg would complete an administration team charged with steering the nation out of a recession now in its second year and take over a sprawling Commerce Department tasked with job creation. He also would be the third Republican in the Democrat's Cabinet, joining Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

In remarks in the White House Grand Foyer, Gregg called Mr. Obama's stimulus plan "bold and comprehensive," reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller.

"This is not a time for partisanship," said Gregg. "This is a time to govern and govern well." (Read the full text of remarks by Mr. Obama and Gregg)

Gregg added he felt that when the president asked him to serve as Commerce Secretary, "I believed it was my obligation to say yes and I look forward to it with enthusiasm."

Mr. Obama initially had tapped New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson for the Commerce job, but he withdrew his nomination amid a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors.

After a monthlong search, Obama settled on the 61-year-old Gregg, a former New Hampshire governor who previously served in the House. Gregg has been in the Senate since 1993 and currently serves as the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, has agreed - in a deal struck with Gregg - to name a Republican to fill the Senate seat.

"I have made it clear to the Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle and to the governor that I would not leave the Senate if I felt my departure would cause a change in the makeup of the Senate," Gregg said on Monday in a statement.

Lynch also confirmed the "understanding," stopping just short of promising to appoint a Republican or an independent to serve out the remaining two years of Gregg's term.

Gregg, as Congressional Quarterly points out, actually voted to abolish the Commerce Department in 1995 while on the Senate Budget Committee. He later showed greater interest than many other Republicans in funding some Commerce agencies.

Knoller reports that during the announcement today, Gregg also specifically thanked Lynch "for his courtesy and courage in being willing to make this possible through the agreement that we have relative to my successor in the Senate."

Gregg said in a conference call with reporters he will remain in the Senate until he is confirmed.

Financial records show that in 2007, Gregg was worth between $3.1 million and $10.5 million, not out of line with others in the Senate. He owns stock in blue chip companies such as Verizon, Exxon, drugmaker Bristol Myers, General Electric, Citicorp, Microsoft, Heinz, Capital One and Bank of America. Some of his larger assets include real estate in New Hampshire, Florida, New York and Massachusetts. He also owns stakes in several software makers. And he's a trustee of the Hugh Gregg Family Foundation, a charitable trust.

Democratic officials say Lynch intends to select Bonnie Newman, Gregg's former chief of staff, and that she intends to step down rather than run in 2010 for a full term. That would create the possibility of a highly competitive race for a seat that long has been in Republican hands.

Choosing a Democrat would have expanded the party's majority in the Senate, moving it closer to a filibuster-proof majority. Gregg had indicated he wouldn't leave the Senate if his departure disrupted the balance of power.

The White House's exact role in the deal that led to Gregg's nomination is unclear.

In a statement, Lynch said the White House was at least directly aware that a deal had been made: Gregg would only become Commerce secretary if he was replaced by a Republican in the Senate.

Yet before Gregg's nomination had become official, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said the White House has no part in "picking senators in states that need new senators."

On Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared on CBS News' Face The Nation and said he was confident the expected appointment of Gregg would “have no impact on the [Senate’s] balance of power."

“Senator Gregg has assured me that if this were to happen, it would not change the make-up of the Senate,” McConnell told CBS News senior Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer. “Whoever is appointed to replace him would caucus with the Republicans.”

Pushed by Schieffer as to whether that will definitely be the case, McConnell reiterated that Sen. Gregg had told him his appointment would “not alter the make-up of the Senate in terms of the majority and the minority.”

The deal gave Mr. Obama his top choice for a team tasked with steering the nation out of recession. Republicans get to keep Gregg's seat for two more years, retaining the crucial 41 Senate seats they need to filibuster majority Democrats.

And Democrats, who control 56 seats and caucus with two independents, stand a better chance of flipping Gregg's seat into their ranks in two years by running a candidate against his rookie replacement or an empty seat than Gregg himself.

[abbe91]

What now repileturds - Obama is too bipartisan?
Posted by ROTFLMMFAO at 06:37 AM : Feb 04, 2009

Good point. How many democrats did Bush appoint ?

[rotflmmfao]

What now repileturds - Obama is too bipartisan?

[homespunlady]

"taxes are for the LITTLE PEOPLE"
-Leona Helmsly (shortly before going to jail for tax evasion)

[homespunlady]

Well, it''s looking like the Limbots are screaming at full volume about getting THEIRS and to heII with the rest of the nation, the economy, the poor, the kids, the environment or anything else but themselves.

I''m waiting for the day when so many of them are laid off or closing their businesses, companies, etc. that it finally dawns on them that GREED, selfishness, petulance and arrogance can really mess things up even for them and that their philosophy of TAX CUTS ONLY widens the wealth gap, encourages a CASTE system, explodes poverty, KILLS overall commerce, creates desperate unemployed people that often revolt, is a TOP creator of DEPRESSIONS and the collapse of empires.

If you''re not earning enough to worry about "income tax", and the "wealthy as shown by this article simply IGNORE paying their taxes, how much REAL BENEFIT is there in another "BUSH GIVEAWAY" to the already rolling in dough bunch? Their excesses are now being HID and while so many are losing their homes, unable to even buy food and facing lower education levels the GREEDY are still squealing like the PIGS they are for MORE!!

[samthetvcat]

I wonder if Barack would have ever considered Gregg if the Republicans hadn''t done that little thingie of all voting against the stimulus bill in Congress.

Like did he feel like he needed to ''push back'' (albeit passive-aggressively)? Because the GOP that are left after their party got wiped out last election seem like pretty die-hard partisans - and Pres. Obama''s insistence that they bring to the table ideas that we all could debate (even though their party''s in the midst of some sort of identity crisis) seems to be working now that the Senate is having their turn. They came up with some fresh ideas of maybe lowering mortgage rates and providing rebates to first home buyers (those least affected by the stock market and real estate crash) to try to get the real estate market turned around. And they''ve agreed to increase spending on infrastructure.

I hope Pres. Obama doesn''t let all the negativity dampen his idealism - hang in there Barack!

[wdh3007]

The People who wanted this President wanted a change but all wanted a tax cut. The change many were promised is not the change they are getting and are now starting to see it. Spending and buying is nice we all like to get new things but in the end it''s the tax cuts and free market reform that makes the difference show. Get the economy back on track and the people will praise you for it however if the economy continues to fail then those who are in leadership positions will eventually be long forgotten

[nycgirlnaz]

When the Dems took control of congress in 2006, it started to all fall apart.

Posted by cbk16 at 05:19 PM : Feb 03, 2009

Democrats won a majority in Congress and took office in January 2007 - they have NEVER had a majority in the Senate... The housing market started coming apart in late 2007 because the teaser rates that people had for 1, 2, 3 or 5 years started to RESET then. So backup those years and the mess started while the Republicans were in control but executively and legislatively.

[themasses100]

These boards are dead today.

[smf1957]

Well atleast he has one guy with some ethics. Two weeks in office and three dead ducks and Hillary Clintstone. Change we can believe in. Well he sure is cleaning out the crooks anyway.Keep picking Obama, maybe when your finished they will all be gone.

[willow313]

Wonder why that is?

Posted by Mortar29 at 04:48 PM : Feb 03, 2009
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most find it hard to admit they are wrong....

[willow313]

Yeah, I guess...He''s not doing so well with the dems that he is appointing....

[mrzerato]

When the Dems took control of congress in 2006, it started to all fall apart.

Posted by cbk16

A little knowledge of the republican ponzi scheme, they call their economic plan came to light and the their chickens came home to roost

[cbk16]

The only ethical person in Obama''s Administration will be the only Republican? Change we can believe in. I liked it better in 2006 when the Republicans held congress, when we all had jobs. When the Dems took control of congress in 2006, it started to all fall apart.

[samthetvcat]

PS The inflection got lost in my post - I meant to say like yeah, you''re so right :)

[samthetvcat]

---"Blago doesn''t seem like such such a bad guy after all."---
Posted by LwyrsGnsMuny

ROTFL at least Blago named a Democrat :D

[lwyrsgnsmuny]

---"Democratic officials say Lynch intends to select Bonnie Newman, Gregg''''s former chief of staff, and that she intends to step down rather than run in 2010 for a full term."---

This smacks of deal-making . . .

Posted by SamTheTVCat at 04:26 PM : Feb 03, 2009

Blago doesn''t seem like such such a bad guy after all.

[samthetvcat]

---"Democratic officials say Lynch intends to select Bonnie Newman, Gregg''s former chief of staff, and that she intends to step down rather than run in 2010 for a full term."---

This smacks of deal-making . . . it LOOKS like Gregg felt entitled to name his replacement, and that Lynch asked out of his own political self-interest that it be somebody who had no intention to run for re-election so that he wasn''t giving the replacement a foot-hold which would upset Democrats.

A lot of people balk at the idea of having special elections because of the cost, but wow how often is who the Governor chooses the person the public would have chosen had they actually had a say in the selection process? It doesn''t seem like that happens very often at all . . . don''t people have a problem with that? Senators are supposed to be REPRESENTATIVES of the PEOPLE . . .

[jon_mccain]

The problem is, while cutting taxes, we have increased spending and also increased regulations on our businesses.

Instead, if we would just give the money back to those it belongs to, cut all of these opporessive regulations, and the government just stay out of the way...we would see an economy roar to life.

But that would cause those in Washington to give up power. And they cant have that!

Posted by Mortar29

Why don''t you go munch on a dry roasted rat while you try to figure out what is wrong with the premise of your argument?

[neonink]

at this point, he may have to switch to picking all GOP, since Dem''s can impose taxes, but not pay them.

that''s mighty white of them.

[redbds]

Actually, redbds...he is!!

Which is why Gregg, Specter, McCain and the rest like them need to be purged fro mthe GOP. So we can get the GOP back to its conservative roots, where it hasnt been in over 20 years!

Posted by Mortar29 at 01:35 PM : Feb 03, 2009

We need some moderates in the party. Otherwise we will risk going too far to one side. That is what is happening to the Democratic Liberal Socialist Party.