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So we give Michael Williams a few months of incumbency as Senator.

This is *bad*?

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  May 15th, 2009 at 10:00 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Sen. John Cornyn is worried that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is going to retire early this fall to run for Governor, but I’m missing the problem here (via Political Wire):

“My guess,” he told Texas reporters at his Senate office today, is that Hutchison will resign “this fall sometime.”

That would allow Perry to appoint an interim senator and allow a special election to take place in May 2010 instead of this November (which would happen if she resigned this spring or summer).

It seems pretty simple:

  • Hutchison resigns.
  • Governor Perry appoints Texas Railroad Commissioner* Michael Williams to be interim Senator.
  • Williams wins the special election.

Come on, Senator Cornyn. This isn’t exactly rocket science.

Moe Lane

*An elected position in Texas that actually oversees energy issues (gotta love agenda drift, huh?); Michael Williams has been elected to the position three times, and there are Republicans all over Texas who are jumping up and down at the prospect of getting to vote for him for Senator. Here’s some footage of him from the last national convention:

…and from the Texas Convention:


Crossposted to Moe Lane.

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COMMENTS

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  • Swamp_Yankee

    Perhaps, the transition will not be contemporaneous and there will be a small window where the seat will be empty and the Republicans will be minus a key filibuster vote?

    On a related note, the Mass rules require a special election and a replacement cannot be certified until five months after resignation and no later than six months. This may be key as Kennedy’s health will most likely fail prior to 2010. Republicans wont get the seat, but it may be vacant for five months.

  • Mike gamecock DeVine

    I think the appointment of Williams would be huge for the GOP and the nation.

  • http://jeffemanuel.net Jeff Emanuel

    ANOTHER squishy-liberal GOP Senator is bailing on him. Time to use the NRSC’s cash to recruit another liberal to run for Senate!

  • smitty

    He proved with his backing of tax hiker Crist that he is completely out of touch with reality and what is actually BEST for the GOP.

    Yes obviously this move is best for the GOP and the country but I am betting that Cornyn sees it as problem for him and some of the country clubbers.

  • Swamp_Yankee

    before 2010. I’m not sure why so many Republicans are not willing to fight tooth and nail against:

    universal health care
    card check
    cap and trade
    liberals judges
    amnesty

    We need every single vote. Every single one. Obama’s agenda of institutionalizing Demcoratic power is on course. Broken glass until 2010.

  • Aaron Gardner

    Too bad really cause Williams is a fricken barn burner….that guy is awesome.

  • Rod_Patrick
  • Mike gamecock DeVine

    outweighs the positives of Williams in the both the short and long run. I wholly agree that we can defeat some of Obama’s proposals and was ridiculed by some when I suggested that last January. But we actually have stopped some things, all due to senate dem moderates; none due to GOP exclusive filibuster threats.

    Yes, I admit there is some danger with not having 41 votes, but given the Franken likelihood, we won’t have that many anyway.

  • Brian Hibbert

    Michael Williams seems like a great choice for a US Senator and the timing seems right. We need more conservatives in Washington.

    The only reason I can think of is that Cornyn doesn’t want to give Perry the chance to appoint someone. Perhaps he’s in KBH’s corner in the governor’s race and letting Perry appoint such an obviously great replacement in the Senate would hurt her chances?

  • Rod_Patrick

    I mean Sen. Cornyn is so funny nowadays.

  • mbecker908

    Williams will show him up to the people of Texas for the empty suit he is. KBH is no threat because she’s an empty dress.

    Frankly, what we probably should have done last year was to run Cornyn for President. Seems the electorate has a fondness for airhead, no-talent, no-accomplishment Senators. He certainly would have done better than McCain. Of course we’d be in pretty much the same situation we’re in now.

  • Finrod

    Dems need 60 votes no matter what. A vacant seat is as good as a Republican seat as far as filibusters go, that’s why the GOP is content to drag out the Minnesota election for as long as it takes.

  • Aaron Gardner

    Go here to listen

  • jimmuy8

    Can’t have the Stupid Party doing something smart.

    Cornyn? He just seems so, inconsistent. Sometimes he’s a smart conservative, other times you wonder if he left his head at home.

    The Railroad Commission is the, if not one of the, most powerful government entities. They have, pretty much, their own court system for oil and gas issues. It wasn’t so much agenda drift that got them to energy oversight as it was practicality. At the time of the first oil boom, they were the only statewide agency capable of the oversight and enforcement needed.

  • Rod_Patrick

    Fight? iffy. And there are so many in your list.

    GOP already get the message from…. MSM. MSM has said that the Republicans should be worrying on their dwindling numbers.

    So the priority for the Republicans is to win the NOD of the MSM especially during TV appearance. To get a good TV appearance, the Republicans are now in full gear to PROVE that:

    a) the Republican Party has not gone too FAR RIGHT. FALSE!

    b) the Republicans have few ideas too. INSECURE!

    c) Specter dissed them and they were hurting. LINK TO (a).

    d) they can do the First listening tour with the voters. TO GET IDEAS?

    …. and

    z) Keep (read: help RE-ELECT) their old friends. BROTHERHOOD!

    Your list is just secondary to the “immediate priorities”. I’m sorry.

    You said “FIGHT”. FIGHT? If they fight, the MSM may fire back at them….. just like the Cheneys.

    FIGHTING is too hard, so frightening, so unpopular with a very Popular President. GOP Leaders will do everything to escape the scrutinity of the MSM. The strategy is to keep low profile…. look friendly (read: get along)… and “cry” when victimized by the Dems and the MSM.( read: make comment on Dems’ apparent wins/advantages).

    Definitely …. NOT FIGHT.

    Bro, I suspect that your issues are all “above the paygrade” of our Republican leaders.

  • Rod_Patrick
  • TxCon

    would love to see Michael Williams in the Senate…and the sooner, the better.

  • TxCon

    would love to see Michael Williams in the Senate…and the sooner, the better.

  • AceInTX

    here’s praying they take the oportunity to do the right thing for once! nt

  • AceInTX

    I’ll look it up unless someone has already answered it

  • texas214

    Perry has gone from a mediocre low profile Gov. to someone with a little higher profile pushing a conservative agenda lately. My guess is that he is getting it in gear pending Hutchinson’s threat to run for Gov.

    Hutchinson, while having good bit of seniority in the Senate has basically been a solid conservative vote, but ineffective in moving the conservative agenda forward. She wants to run for Gov. not because she thinks she can make a difference, but because she wants to be closer to home. Not a good reason.

    Cornyn, asked for and got the NRSC gig to raise his profile. He has been saddled with having to support candidates such as Specter, not because he is a fan but more out of duty to a sitting GOP senator; can’t explain the Crist issue other than maybe the committee felt an obligation. The head of the NRSC is a bit of a thankless job.

    Williams is potentially the real winner in this if KBH runs for Gov., as it looks like she will, I have no doubt Perry will appoint Williams. The outcome to all of this is Perry will probably beat KBH, and the GOP will pick up a couple of seats (due to the nature if election cycles for out of power parties in off year elcetions) to allow Cornyn to claim victory.

    The odd man/person out will be KBH.

  • Mike gamecock DeVine
  • Mike gamecock DeVine
  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    I was going to ask if the person mentioned would be the best choice, it seems many are already jumping at this chance saying he’s great…. There is simply ZERO reason/excuse to pass on an/this opportunity to have an absolute Conservative out of Texas be put in place and then be about as close to a 100% chances of return as there ever would be.

    Which makes me suspect Kay will screw this up.

  • Leopard1996

    Or is Cormyn’s head up his behind when it comes to defending incumbants and moderate squishes over new blood that is deparately needed.

  • burbmom

    Williams spoke before Perry at the Austin Tea Party. It was the first time I had heard him and was very impressed. He seemed genuine and had a great story to share about his life and its parallels with conservative values. He would show Cornyn up as to who the real conservative is in Washington.