New Jersey Democrats Plotting to Replace Lautenberg with Corzine?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

It is, in some ways, a perfect sequel to the Torricelli maneuver:

In what could become the highest profile game of political musical chairs in the state, Democratic sources claim they are considering replacing U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg with outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine.

It would work like this: Corzine would resign prior to January, when Republican Christopher Christie takes over as governor. A Corzine resignation would allow state Sen. President Richard Codey to serve as acting governor. Then Lautenberg would retire from the U.S. Senate, leaving Codey to name Corzine to fill the seat until a special election.

This is similar to a move made when Corzine resigned the senate to become governor, when he named then Rep. Bob Menendez to fill his own seat.

The move would prevent Christie from being able to name a replacement for the aging Lautenberg and would give Corzine a leg up as a senate incumbent in the special election next November.

The idea is repugnant, and stupid, and the clearest example of a runaway partisan fury that ignores existing laws, mechanisms of democracy, and the will of voters.

One would hope it would be too silly, and too ridiculous, and too outrageous for even New Jersey Democratic party bosses to try. But then again, a few states to the north, they changed the rules to ensure Senator Kennedy's seat was filled quickly, too.

11/17 12:07 PM Share