There are two different schools of thought among Democrats about when they make their move to replace Attorney General Eric Holder, who announced on Thursday he was stepping down. The first school: The White House and Senate Democrats should push for the replacements confirmation during the lame-duck session after the midterms -- in case Republicans win control of the Senate. Definitely, we should have confirmation hearings as quickly as possible in the Senate, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT) told NBCs Andrea Mitchell yesterday. With such a move, and with the filibuster now deactivated for all appointments but Supreme Court ones, Democrats would pretty much ensure that Holders replacement would get confirmed. Republicans, of course, want Democrats to slow down. I hope the president will now take his time to nominate a qualified individual who can start fresh relationships with Congress so that we can solve the problems facing our country, Judiciary ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said. That brings us to the second Democratic school of thought: You wait until next year and possibly dare a GOP-controlled Senate to blow up an attorney general nomination, especially during a time the U.S. is waging a military campaign in Iraq and Syria. What I think the president ought to do is make this the first test of whether the new Republicans are going to continue to obstruct, Sen. Chuck Schumer said, per the New York Times.
A reminder: We probably wont know which party controls the Senate until December or January
There are two other things to keep in mind regarding timing. One, it is more than likely we wont know which party will control the U.S. Senate until December and maybe even January, with potential runoffs in Louisiana (Dec. 6) and Georgia (Jan. 6). And then theres the case of Greg Orman in Kansas -- if he wins that Senate race, we might not know with which party hell caucus for quite some time. So folks are likely fooling themselves if they know who will be in charge of the Senate right after Election Day. Two, the White House maintains that Holder will stay in his job until a successor is confirmed. Thats a warning to the GOP: If you dont help confirm a new nominee, youll be stuck with Holder.
The Replacements
As for the short list to replace Attorney General, here are the top names our sources are giving us:
No longer on this list is Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who was once considered the favorite. The reason why: On Thursday, Patrick denied rumors that he is next in line for the job. According to an aide, he said at an event in Hudson that the post of attorney general is an enormously important job, but it's not one for me right now. And if he has ANY interest in a presidential or VP bid in 2016, Patrick probably realizes that attorney general isnt the best stepping stone.
The misunderstood Eric Holder
As for Holder, has there been anyone who was more misunderstood in Obamas cabinet -- especially on the right -- than the attorney general? In statement after statement yesterday, Republicans referred to Holder as a deeply partisan attorney general. But the big complaint about Holder, particularly from Democrats in the first Obama term, was how politically tone deaf he was. More than anything else, Holder became a proxy punching bag for House Republicans, who said things to (and about) Holder that they might not have said to the president. It was a turbulent tenure for Holder, especially in the first four years, but that tenure wasnt as controversial when you reflect on it. Meanwhile, the New York Times looks at Holders complicated legacy with the left. Mr. Holder, who announced his resignation Thursday, frequently invoked the [Robert] Kennedy legacy as he made civil rights the centerpiece of his six-year tenure But Mr. Holder has continued Mr. Kennedys work in another way, one he is less likely to embrace but is no less part of his legacy. Like Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Holder has frustrated and confounded even his staunchest allies for his views on civil liberties.
Ways and Means chairman race will force Paul Ryans hand
The news that Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) says he will seek to chair the powerful House Ways and Means Committee is significant for this simple reason: It will force Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) to declare his intentions -- run for president or Ways and Means chairmanship -- sooner rather than later. By the way, Bradys declaration isnt exactly new. Back in February, Brady had announced expressed his desire to chair Ways and Means. Roll Call: Hes a terrific leader, a good friend, Brady said of Ryan, according to early transcript of a portion of the interview that will air on Bloomberg TV. But the point is, Im qualified and prepared to lead this committee. At the right time, Im going to make that case to my colleagues. This is all about the ideas and how we can move tax reform, trade, entitlement reform forward, so its good to have a healthy competition.
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When Will Democrats Try to Replace Eric Holder?