Menendez can't get a speaking slot, but he could be the #2 man in the U.S. Senate by January 2011
By Wally EdgeU.S. Sen. Bob Menendez might not have received a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention, but apparently he’s still poised to enhance his clout in the Senate over the next few years. As Vice Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), Menendez is expected to move up to the chairmanship next year when incumbent Charles Schumer moves on after two cycles on the job. That puts the junior Senator from New Jersey into a nationally visible role for the 2010 elections – when (based on historical precedent) Menendez will either be defending seats in Barack Obama’s mid-term election, or looking to pick some up in John McCain’s.
If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid retires in 2010 or loses his re-election bid (independent polls in Nevada have shown Reid to be struggling for positive job approval ratings), Menendez could try to move up in the Senate leadership – especially if Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) takes over for Reid. No minority has ever served as leader or whip in the Senate.
By the way, the race to succeed Reid could be interesting: Durbin is a close political ally of Obama, and some Democrats have suggested that Hillary Clinton might seek the Majority Leader post, should Reid not return. Durbin vs. Clinton would be 2008 all over again.
Contributors
Wally Edge
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Bob Torricelli
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Michael Patrick Carroll
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Jeff Michaels
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Richard LaRossa
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Alan Steinberg
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Dr. Joseph Marbach
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Carla Katz
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Joey Novick
Patrick Murray is the founding director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. According to their website, “The Monmouth University ... >
Murray Sabrin
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Quote of the Day
"Please. I wouldn't have enough paper. So let’s not even bother writing one. This is now about governing. I won. The one thing I could never understand about people in politics was winners who are sore winners." -- Gov.-elect Christopher Christie, on putting together an enemis list.
“He’s a nice man with good intentions, but in the end he’ll be remembered for timidity. Being a business titan and issuing orders from the corner office is a lot different than having to cajole and persuade people in politics and having the toughness and fortitude to see your vision become reality.”-- Ross K. Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University, on Gov. Jon Corzine.
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