In Delaware, Joseph Biden is ascending to the Vice Presidency, and in an example of horse-trading so transparent that it apparently doesn’t even warrant comment, twisted the arm of the governor to appoint his senior aide to the seat with the more-or-less express intent of keeping it warm for his son in 2010. The appointee, Ted Kaufman, has never received a single vote and has never held elected or even public office and, as far as I’m aware, doesn’t even have any noteworthy experience in the private sector. He was appointed over other potential candidates like the sitting Lieutenant Governor, the sitting Secretary of State, a sitting state supreme court justice, and, presumably, every other previous or sitting elected official in the state of Delaware.

In New York, of course, it seemed very likely, at least until she botched her entrance into the field, that Governor Patterson, at least in part on direction from the Obama campaign, would appoint Caroline Kennedy. Kennedy has done some good work in her life, but again has eschewed public accountability, and I think precisely nobody denies that the #1 qualification which puts her into such strong contention is her recent role as being one of the President elect’s top surrogates and fundraisers. Again, it’s not that Governor Patterson has no options, but rather no imagination. The other two names being widely floated for the seat are Andrew Cuomo and, yes, Bill Clinton. Which would be mind-blowing considering he would be holding the seat of the lady who was only put into the seat for being married to him (though at least she got elected and thus deserved it). In any case, who says the American aristocracy is dead? I’m still holding out hope that Patterson does the right thing and nominates somebody not on the basis of horsetrading and favor-rewarding, but rather looks to an actual prominent public servant in New York who deserves the ascension (unlike, say, in Delaware, where that was apparently not even a consideration). In any case, the decision right now is who needs to be pleased, the Obama camp, the Clinton camp, or Patterson’s 2010 reelection camp. The people of New York are so far running a distant fourth.

In Colorado, Senator Ken Salazar is vacating to be Obama’s Secretary of the Interior. Yesterday, Governor Bill Ritter announced that his appointment to fill the seat to term will be…Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet.

And a collective “who?” echoes throughout the rocky mountains.

However, the liberal netroots know what’s going on. As David Sirota writes here, there is only one area in which Ritter excels: he is the most well connected candidate to the big money donors in Colorado and beyond:

Considering his lack of legislative record, lack of experience in any elected or statewide office, and considerable ties to the biggest of big money, it’s logical to be concerned about how a Senator Bennet will vote on issues. Off the top of my head, I’m wondering, for instance, whether someone with this kind of resume is going to be in favor of tougher financial industry regulations?*
[...]
Colorado has no dearth of very, very qualified people to be U.S. Senator. More specifically, we have a lot of people who have worked very hard passing good public policy and building the grassroots of the Democratic Party for years here. Looking at this bench, and then selecting a person with almost none of those qualities confirms that what gets rewarded in politics today is not legislative accomplishments nor even political ones – what counts is money, inside connections, Ivy League pedigree and a Beltway-padded resume.

And then you have Illinois.

There, the controversial but innocent-until-proven-guilty governor apparantly rethought his standards and decided to go after a candidate who was the least offensive and most obviously squeaky clean and qualified candidate for the office possible. The Illinois legislature punted on holding a special election, despite their protestations that they wanted a fair process (when what they really mean is one in which they get to have their thumbs on the scales), so rather than leave Illinois with only one Senate vote for the foreseeable future, the governor went with a known public servant, a man who has made a career out of seeking public approval, a man with some pretty germane qualifications considering the context (a former Attorney General (i.e. anti-corruption crusader) and former Comptroller (i.e. bank regulator)), a man who would be the sole African-American in the Senate, and a man who, despite the most intense public scrutiny spotlight in America right now, precisely nobody can level a real accusation against. In other words, the man, given the circumstances, most qualified for the job.

So, four Senate vacancies. In one, literally a staffer is appointed to keep the seat warm for the Senator’s son. In another, it’s an ongoing battle of which high-profile election surrogate to reward for their loyalty. In the third, the trumping consideration was apparently in favor of the guy most connected to big money, at the expense of qualifications or experience. And in the fourth, the guy nominated was an unimpeachable public servant undeniably qualified for the job.

Now, the question:

Guess which one doesn’t get seated?

Cross-posted at The Crossed Pond

“Finally, on this matter, let me say that this Senate seat does not belong to any politician to trade – it belongs to the people of Illinois, and they deserve the best possible representation. They also deserve to know that any vacancy will be filled in an appropriate way.”

Umm, a question from here in the cheap seats.

Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner said today she will appoint Ted Kaufman, a longtime, close adviser to Sen. Joe Biden to fill the senator’s seat until a 2010 special election, a move that some warned could leave Delaware’s Democratic party feelings bruised for years to come.

The selection of the former Biden chief of staff was widely seen as a move by Vice president-elect Biden to protect his seat for his oldest son, Attorney General Beau Biden, now deploying to Iraq with his Delaware National Guard unit.

Snubbed with the choice was Lt. Gov. John Carney, considered a party favorite for the appointment. Carney as recently as last week had said he would take the job under any terms offered, including as a “placeholder” who would serve only until the 2010 regular election.

Those assurances apparently fell short of Biden’s requirements.

There are two ways to view the appointment of a Senator to fill a vacated seat.

The first is that the seat belongs to the Senator, and thus it should be filled in accordance with his or her wishes. A commentator at my site expresses that perspective this way:

The people elected Sen Biden. Sen Biden is looking to have someone replace him that will faithfully reflect his views and style, after working with this guy for 22 years, he trusts that he will.

Fair enough. If that’s the view, then surely nobody would be more Biden-like than Biden’s senior adviser, who to my knowledge has spent the vast majority of his adult life in service to…Joe Biden.

The second view is that the Senate seat belongs to the people, and thus it should be filled solely with an eye for public service and qualifications. In that view, political horsetrading or transparent attempts at sticking a thumb on the scale for the sake of personal or familial gain is crass and unacceptable. Barack Obama apparantly subscribes to the latter perspective. So do I.

If that’s the case, then where’s the outrage at the incoming Vice President appointing a man who has never received a single vote and has never held elected or even public office, over potential candidates like the sitting Lieutenant Governor, the sitting Secretary of State, a sitting state supreme court justice, and, presumably, every other previous or sitting elected official in the state of Delaware, with, I think nobody would deny, the express intent of putting his thumb on the political scale in favor of his son?

Don’t get me wrong, I think Beau Biden would make a fine Senator, and for all I know Ted Kaufman makes for an outstanding seat-holder. Still.

Even if the Delaware seat wasn’t as flagrantly traded for gain as the Illinois one (clearly)…isn’t it at least in the same ballpark?

Or do Joe Biden and Barack Obama believe so strongly that Beau Biden would be for the greater good of the people of Delaware that they can’t risk putting, you know, a public servant in there. Lest they run the risk of the people of Delaware actually, you know, re-electing him?

Cross-posted at The Crossed Pond.

New Hampshire was expected, but still a swing state in the grand scheme of things.

The others were not surprises in the least.

A total of 56 electoral votes.

From Craig Newmark’s blog:

Overwhelming GI Bill Victory in the Senate
World War II-Style GI Bill Passed as Part of War Supplemental

NEW YORK – Today, by an overwhelming 75-22 margin, the Senate passed the “Post-9/11 GI Bill” as part of the war supplemental funding bill. This bipartisan legislation, originally introduced by Senators Jim Webb (D-VA), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and John Warner (R-VA), is whole-heartedly endorsed by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s first and largest nonpartisan Iraq veterans organization, and all the leading Veterans Service Organizations.

So does it go back to the House at this point or straight to the Prez? Because I’m pretty sure the House passed this on May 15th.

Anybody, anybody?