Salon's Steve Kornacki has an interesting article about the prospects for the Dems retaining Sen. John Kerry's seat, now that Kerry will succeed Secretary of State Clinton. Kornacki's argument is that the only announced Dem candidate, Rep. Ed Markey, hasn't run in a competitive race for many years, and may not go all out in campaigning for the Senate seat, if he's the party's nominee. So, the reasoning goes, a primary contest with other well-known Dems would help to weed out the best candidate/campaigner to face the almost certain Rethuglican candidate, Scott "Centerfold" Brown. Perhaps, but it would also bleed funds from the Dems, and could produce a damaged Dem candidate.
It's too bad, of course, that President Obama was forced to drop U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice from consideration, after bitter Senate Rethugs including John "Grumpypants" McCain and Lindsey "Huckleberry Closetcase" Graham threatened to filibuster it. The move put a safe Dem seat in jeopardy for no good reason, and played into the hands of the Rethuglicans who want to put Centerfold back in the Senate and see a good opening to do so. Was there no other highly qualified candidate for Secretary of State that the President could have chosen?
