There has been a lot of discussion going around in liberal circles ever since John Kerry’s name was first floated for Secretary of State. I’ve been surprised by the amount of vitriol, but as best as I can tell, none of the objections were about his qualifications for office—which to my way of thinking are the biggest deal.
A guy who’s a little stiff and gives long, sonorous speeches? Perfect diplomat. I prefer an old idea I heard a few years back, wherein Biden and Clinton would swap jobs for term 2, but I’m fairly sure there are Constitutional reasons why that would have to be announced before November. And if it’s true that both are lining up for 2016, well, I can see why Joe would have issues with the idea. But one thing I really like about Biden, despite his reputation for speaking off the cuff: he gets shit done, and he knows how to work a negotiation.
Most of my peers’ objections to Kerry have gone like this: we just picked up a win in Massachusetts, and Scott Brown isn’t likely to be able to regroup before the next Massachusetts Senate race; opening up a seat hands an opportunity to the GOP for a pickup that isn’t necessary. I don’t know if I buy this line of reasoning.
But what does bug me: I’ve never quite understood why the GOP went apeshit over Susan Rice. At the time, I would have told you that going apeshit is just the reflexive stance of the Republican party, and they like to have an apeshit position at any given time to keep their constituents sufficiently angry and frightened. If it weren’t Benghazi, it would be something else, and it damn well will be something else as soon as possible. Like arming teachers.
On the other hand, let’s say that the GOP bean counters saw in advance that Kerry would be Obama’s second pick, and predicted that the appropriate amount of apeshit would give them a shot at a Senate pickup. If that was their plan, then the result is that the GOP threw yet another shitfit that was entirely divorced from reality, and once again, the Democrats reflexively rewarded them for their efforts.
That’s the bigger thing that has to change. That’s what I was hoping to see die in Obama’s second term. And if it’s continuing this early, well, it sucks to be disappointed before the man is even sworn in again.