Decision ‘08

The Hastings Problem: Kaus Has A Solution

How can Nancy Pelosi keep the Congressional Black Caucus happy and still keep Alcee Hastings from the chair of the Intelligence Committee? Mickey Kaus has the solution:

Amy Holmes, appearing Tuesday on Hannity and Colmes, came up with a more ingenious solution: Pelosi could reach out and give the job to Rep. Sanford Bishop. Why Bishop? Because CBC’s original beef with Harman, according to the LAT, is that when Harman returned to Congress in 2001, after a failed run for governor, she was awarded all the seniority she’d acquired from an earlier stint in the House. As a result, she vaulted over Hastings and bumped another black Congressman off the intelligence committee. The name of the bumped black Congressman: Sanford Bishop. Pelosi would be correcting an old injustice. Bonus factor: Bishop’s a Blue Dog!

I’d rather see Harman, but that’s a solution I (and most people, I think) could live with…

2 Responses to “The Hastings Problem: Kaus Has A Solution”

1 Jo Says:
November 24th, 2006 at 5:55 am
Yes, Harman should stay, but if replaced with a Blue Dog it would be better than Hastings. I don’t see her winning this round either.
2 Sean P Says:
November 24th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
If Harman doesn’t get the job, it will weaken her in her home district.

When Harman left Congress to run for Governor, her seat was captured by a Republican, so when she ran for her old office in 2000, she had to run against an incumbent. The promise of giving Harmon her senority back wasn’t really made to Harmon, but to her constituents as an incentive to get them to flip the seat back. So Pelosi isn’t just breaking a promise to Harmon, she is breaking a promise made to Harmon’s constituents. Granted, her district isn’t much of a swing district, especially after the 2002 redistricting, but there will be a cost to this action.