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White House to nominate Baucus for ambassador to China [Dem Senator from MT to retire early]
The Washington Post ^ | December 18, 2013 | Paul Kane and Aaron Blake

Posted on 12/18/2013 3:15:28 PM PST by AuH2ORepublican

The White House is set to select outgoing Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) as its pick for ambassador to China, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and a Baucus ally confirmed Wednesday.

Baucus, 72, previously announced that he won't seek reelection to the Senate in 2014.

...

Assuming Baucus is confirmed sometime in 2014, it means there will be a vacancy in his seat. Gov. Steve Bullock (D) will get to make the appointment for the final year of Baucus's term.

Bullock could pick his lieutenant governor, John Walsh, who is already running for the seat in 2014. But Walsh faces a primary against former lieutenant governor John Bohlinger, and governors sometimes opt to pick placeholders who don't intend to run for the seat in order to avoid allegations of favoritism.

Rep. Steve Daines is the leading candidate on the GOP side. Republicans have been favored to win the seat in a state that President Obama lost by 13 points in 2012.

...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Politics/Elections; US: Montana
KEYWORDS: 2014midterms; daines; maxbaucus; montana; mt2014; senate2014; ussenate
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To: chimera

Claims totaling $4 million have been filed against the city of San Diego in the sexual harassment scandal involving former Mayor Bob Filner.
http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/DAAP34OO1


21 posted on 12/18/2013 4:11:31 PM PST by gooblah (gooblah)
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To: montanajoe

True, but LA had never popularly elected a Republican to either of its seats in the Senate, and when Breaux retited in 2004 Vitter won quite comfortably.

My point is that, while we can’t take anything for granted in MT, it’s not as if it’s freaking Hawaii or Maryland. It gave Romney a big victory margin in 2012, and has a long history of electing Republicans in statewide federal elections over the past 25 years (except for Baucus, and Tester in 2006 and 2012).


22 posted on 12/18/2013 4:18:58 PM PST by AuH2ORepublican (If a politician won't protect innocent babies, what ma kes you think that he'll defend your rights?)
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To: montanajoe

Which is why Daines is not a bad candidate. He hasn’t exactly made a name for himself as a fiscal conservative who will pinch pennies, but isn’t a Don Young either.

Montana consistently votes Republican for its at-large House seat since Pat Williams back in the 90s, and it went for Romney by over 10% points. This was when Obama was at his popularity height as well. Since then he has crashed, and attacking Walsh as a rubber stamp for Obama’s agenda along with the brutal primary fight that’s shaping up between the Lt. Governor and the more radical John Bohlinger, and I predict we’ll take the seat.

Look at West Virginia. Democrat senators as far as the eye can see. But upon the retirement of Rockefeller, they’re barely even competing for the seat there.

Montana likes pork-barrel spending, but so does Mississippi, and they elect Republicans. Democrats have had the edge in Montana because of union strength and better organization, but I think Daines will wrap it up quickly in an election cycle that looks toxic for dimocrats nationwide.


23 posted on 12/18/2013 4:18:59 PM PST by Viennacon (Right vs. Left...... is Right vs. Wrong!)
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To: Viennacon
I kept telling folks in 2012 claiming Rehberg was 10+ points ahead that it was to close to call but you out of state experts were sure I was nuts...

Daines may win the Dim may win but in Montana its far to early to make any prediction.

24 posted on 12/18/2013 4:32:53 PM PST by montanajoe
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To: rktman
If the term GOP-elite (GOP-E) is to have any meaning whatsoever, how does it apply to Senator Michael Enzi? He is the son of a German immigrant man who had a shoe sale shop in Wyoming, and he obtained his bachelor's degree in accounting from a non-Ivy League university and an MBA in retail marketing from another non-Ivy League school, returned to Wyoming to work in his dad's shoe store as a salesman, became mayor of a Wyoming town that few of us are likely to ever hear of, was nominated for US Senate in 1996, elected and re-elected handily ever since.

Enzi is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and an opponent of abortion (the secular sacrament of liberals and elitists everywhere), an opponent of "gay""marriage" like that entered into and by Mary Cheney, sister of his opponent and previously supported by Liz Cheney), a social issue conservative generally with ties to conservative anti-tax groups, a vigorous opponent of illegal immigration, etc.

Against this Enzi supports sales taxes on internet sales, admittedly not a conventional conservative position but one supporting brick and mortar merchants such as his (presumably retired or deceased father). Also he appeared at a fundraiser for the disgraceful McConnell, not that his presence would have increased the take or effected McConnell's hopefully slim chances against his Tea Party opponent.

On the other side, we have Liz Cheney, who is somewhat accomplished in the area of foreign policy, presumably pro-2nd Amendment, daughter of former VP Dick Cheney (himself a vocal proponent of "gay" "marriage") and White House Chief of Staff for Gerald Ford who was the most embarrassing GOP-E liberal on every issue that counts excuse for a POTUS, perhaps ever but certainly since the Jurassic Era of Herbert Hoover.

If someone in the Wyoming race is a GOP elitist, it is surely not Mike Enzi. What percentage of Liz Cheney's life has actually been spent in Wyoming??? She actually lives in Virginia. Given Virginia's bleeding leftward, especially on social issues, maybe she should run in her actual home state, where her husband and children live, as she should admit she does, in her own home? Her foreign policy views and elitist background would play a lot better in Virginia than her elitist background would play in Wyoming. She just wants a guaranteed cakewalk to the Senate fueled by the zillionaires her dad is so adept at tapping.

Also, Montana's Congressman-at-Large, Steve Daines is already running and the presumptive nominee in Montana.

25 posted on 12/18/2013 4:34:34 PM PST by BlackElk (Dean of Discipline, Tomas de Torquemada Gentlemen's Society: Rack 'em, Danno)
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To: rktman

Um, Liz Cheney IS the “GOP Elite.” That’s why Wyoming Conservative Republican voters don’t want her carpetbagging butt.


26 posted on 12/18/2013 4:39:45 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: AuH2ORepublican

Senate races in MT have frequently been a problem for the GOP going back a century. They’ve only won in 1946 (Zales Ecton) & 1988, 1994 and 2000 (Conrad Burns). The GOP has lost by the narrowest of margins in many of the races.


27 posted on 12/18/2013 4:46:32 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: BlackElk

Maybe just “new blood”? Not to say that Liz is better than Mike or vice a versa since I’m not to keen on many/any of them (gop or dems) currently. Who knows how this will play out as things are currently. The “lyin’ king” doesn’t much care about congress anyway and feels he can do as he pleases and gets a pass.


28 posted on 12/18/2013 4:48:50 PM PST by rktman (Under my plan(scheme), the price of EVERYTHING will necessarily skyrocket! Period.)
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To: AuH2ORepublican
And so, ex-Sen. Max Baucus continues to defraud the U.S. taxpayers as ambassador to China. Way to go, Skippy! He just can't wean himself of the public teat. {This is typical for most inside the Beltway politicians.]
29 posted on 12/18/2013 4:50:56 PM PST by MasterGunner01
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To: montanajoe

As it turned out, Rehberg had baggage and tried to coast. By all accounts, he shouldn’t have lost against a moonbat fluke who won due to fraud (the false allegations cooked up against Burns by U.S. “Justice” Dept Democrat flunkies), but ultimately he has himself to blame for blowing it. Similar situation in ND with Berg, and it turned out that Kevin Cramer should’ve been the nominee and Berg should’ve run for reelection to the House seat instead.


30 posted on 12/18/2013 4:53:06 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: AuH2ORepublican

Leave the senate and get a better government job. They never stop cashing in.


31 posted on 12/18/2013 4:54:47 PM PST by VerySadAmerican (".....Barrack, and the horse Mohammed rode in on.")
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To: AuH2ORepublican

Now that he finally understands train wrecks, maybe he thinks he can help the Chinese avoid more high-speed train derailments?


32 posted on 12/18/2013 5:02:39 PM PST by cookcounty (IRS = Internal Revenge Service.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
No Republican can coast in Montana unless he listens to the outside “experts” and believes the BS they sell him or believe the cheerleaders who think admitting a race is close or you may be behind is a bad thing. Its possible for a Republican to take the seat up here but it ain't going to be easy.
33 posted on 12/18/2013 5:04:31 PM PST by montanajoe
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To: Vigilanteman
Just what we needed: a fresher turd.

Obama despises the serious, hard-working Chinese.

He wanted to send them the stupidest, most obtuse man in Washington but Biden and Hagel were already busy.

34 posted on 12/18/2013 5:06:56 PM PST by Fightin Whitey
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To: montanajoe

Any Republican who doesn’t take the race seriously and runs it accordingly is going to deserve their fate.

I will point out that the last Senate appointee, Paul Hatfield, failed to win his primary (against Baucus in 1978), so there is a danger in trying to give (what will probably be) Lt Gov. Walsh a leg up. Plus, going into the election as an incumbent defending Zero & Reid’s Senate majority could also hurt him.


35 posted on 12/18/2013 5:16:26 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: AuH2ORepublican; Viennacon; fieldmarshaldj; Clintonfatigued

I hope the power of incumbency won’t be any help to the bastard Walsh if he is appointed.


36 posted on 12/18/2013 8:37:56 PM PST by Impy (RED=COMMUNIST, NOT REPUBLICAN)
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To: fieldmarshaldj; BlackElk; AuH2ORepublican; BillyBoy

The Liz bots are getting silly. How the hell do you get more “gop elite” than Dick Cheney’s daughter? If someone gave her a crown and we could officially call her a Princess.


37 posted on 12/18/2013 8:40:24 PM PST by Impy (RED=COMMUNIST, NOT REPUBLICAN)
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To: montanajoe

Baucus was not as liberal until Obama got elected.

Tester and the former Governor(the fat guy)support amnesty for illegals so that is another issue that will help Daines.

Montanans voted 79.5 percent in favor of LR 121, which denied state services to illegal aliens.

Also Romney probably did worse as a rich guy than other presidential candidates may have done.

I think if Daines is 60 or 70% on Club for Growth Ratings that might be to be expected of an electable conservative in Montana with all the freebies you have to concede.


38 posted on 12/18/2013 8:57:01 PM PST by ObamahatesPACoal
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To: BlackElk

Enzi also let Sessions become the budget leader which allows Jeff to hijack it for legitimate purposes of going after illegals on the fiscal issue.

Maybe Steve King can continue to attach the amendment to anything Boehner tries to pass. Get the GOP on record.


39 posted on 12/18/2013 8:59:49 PM PST by ObamahatesPACoal
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To: AuH2ORepublican

all rats all the time because of the stupid voters...plus, they cheat...


40 posted on 12/19/2013 8:17:43 AM PST by cherry (.in the time of universal deceit, telling the truth is revolutionary.....)
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