Gregg Appointed To Commerce: What Does This Mean For New Hampshire?

On February 3, President Obama announced the appointment of New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg:

Gregg Tapped To Head Commerce

Now don’t get me wrong, I think that Judd Gregg is ideally suited to heads the Commerce Department, but where does that leave New Hampshire Conservatives? Try “concerned.”

The rumor at this writing is that Senator Gregg’s former Chief of Staff, Bonnie Newman, will be appointed to the seat. Newman has an impressive resume, but has never held elective office. Newman’s lack of elective experience and low name recognition make her an inviting target when the seat is up for grabs in two-years.

Current NH Congressman Hodes is expected to announce his candidacy for Gregg’s Senate seat sometime in the coming weeks. Prior to Gregg’s departure, Hodes had hinted at a run for the Senate, but Gregg’s departure will most assuredly cinch the deal for Hodes. Hodes has been mediocre Congressman, but sometimes-in New Hampshire, mediocre is the most important attribute; just look at how popular New Hampshire’s ineffective Governor Lynch is (Do nothing and don’t ruffle anyone’s feathers….presto 70% approval rating!). Most of the time New Hampshirians prefer their representatives to be like a New Hampshire winter, ..........dull.

More importantly, Hodes is a friend of NH’s other Senator, Jeanne Sheehan, as well as an early political supporter of President Obama. Should Newman run unopposed in the GOP primary for Gregg’s seat in two years, Hodes has a better than average chance of winning.

How should the NH GOP respond?

The Media Already Gearing Up For 2012: Give Me A Break!

It will only be a matter of time before the media, as willing accomplices to those on the Left, start attacking Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. First the media will build him up as the Republican savior for 2012, but then we will hear “from unnamed sources,” or from State leaders (all of whom will be Democrats…no bias there), regarding Jindal’s “faults.” I have no doubts that the media will look at every minute of Jindal’s life, something they neglected to do with Obama. However, Conservatives must be careful what part they play in the future of Governor Jindal.

Bobby Jindal is too smart to fall into the trap that many politicians fall into, which is to simply “attack” the other side’s ideas. Governor Jindal made this very clear during his appearance in Iowa during the weekend of November 22, 2008:

Des Moines Register: Jindal - "it all starts with the family"

Governor Jindal message is simple, Conservatives must offer solutions to the issues, and avoid the temptation of just attacking the “other-sides” ideas.

Republicans must also be patient, not only with Jindal, but also with other potential candidates, such a Palin. Conservatives must focus on reinforcing our foundation at the local level so that our national candidates have a solid footing to stand on.

Wall Street Journal: Jindal Leading By Example