Re: Schatz to succeed Inouye
Boy, you have no idea of how easily the seeds of jealousy and rivalry flourish among politicians. I've heard stories at both the city council and the state legislature of lawmakers and their aides getting on each other's wrong sides over petty stuff. Is it any different in the beltway? Yeah right.
But in the case of Schatz and Hirono, the titles of senior and junior senator is far from only being ceremonial in nature. Schatz being sworn in yesterday means he not only has a leg up on Hirono, but on the entire freshman class of 12 senators who won't take office until January of next year. Seniority will have an impact on how committee assignments are handed out now, and how positions of rank and leadership are divvied out in the future.
Taking a long haul look over her entire career, you may very well be right. Hirono should be grateful for having gone as far as she has, in spite of her past setbacks and deficiencies. But as the old saying goes, ambition knows no bounds. And there's no shortage of ambition over in Capitol Hill.
Human nature being what it is, I don't see how Hirono could not feel at least a little bit irked over this latest development. Put yourself in her shoes and be honest with yourself for a moment: You've spent the last year and a half tirelessly campaigning, handshaking, fundraising, engaging in contentious debates, hosting town halls, making innumerable media and public appearances, and doing the gazillion other things it took to be a Senator Elect. It's not hard to embrace the role of junior senator, when your legislative partner is a larger-than-life historical figure who has toiled in Washington DC for a half-century. It's quite another feeling to play second banana to a 40-year-old who has spent a few days lobbying in his home state and suddenly being appointed to a senior senator role that he might hang onto for a good long while.
And please.... no quotes from Hirono in an effort to prove me wrong. Of course, Mazie isn't going to start off her career in the Senate on the wrong foot. In front of the camera, she'll be the loyal Democratic spearholder, preaching party unity and being a team player. It's what she's good at, and it's gotten her to where she is at today. After 30 years, she's not going to depart from that formula.
But deep down inside, Mazie can't be feeling all sunshine and lollipops over the chain of events that were triggered by Inouye's death. The one consolation she does have is that she won't have to face re-election again until 2018. In contrast, Schatz will have to go out and campaign in 2014 and '16.
Originally posted by Leo Lakio
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But in the case of Schatz and Hirono, the titles of senior and junior senator is far from only being ceremonial in nature. Schatz being sworn in yesterday means he not only has a leg up on Hirono, but on the entire freshman class of 12 senators who won't take office until January of next year. Seniority will have an impact on how committee assignments are handed out now, and how positions of rank and leadership are divvied out in the future.
Originally posted by scrivener
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Human nature being what it is, I don't see how Hirono could not feel at least a little bit irked over this latest development. Put yourself in her shoes and be honest with yourself for a moment: You've spent the last year and a half tirelessly campaigning, handshaking, fundraising, engaging in contentious debates, hosting town halls, making innumerable media and public appearances, and doing the gazillion other things it took to be a Senator Elect. It's not hard to embrace the role of junior senator, when your legislative partner is a larger-than-life historical figure who has toiled in Washington DC for a half-century. It's quite another feeling to play second banana to a 40-year-old who has spent a few days lobbying in his home state and suddenly being appointed to a senior senator role that he might hang onto for a good long while.
And please.... no quotes from Hirono in an effort to prove me wrong. Of course, Mazie isn't going to start off her career in the Senate on the wrong foot. In front of the camera, she'll be the loyal Democratic spearholder, preaching party unity and being a team player. It's what she's good at, and it's gotten her to where she is at today. After 30 years, she's not going to depart from that formula.
But deep down inside, Mazie can't be feeling all sunshine and lollipops over the chain of events that were triggered by Inouye's death. The one consolation she does have is that she won't have to face re-election again until 2018. In contrast, Schatz will have to go out and campaign in 2014 and '16.
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