Or Gordon Smith. How ironic would that be?

No, Novick would wipe Smith up in an election. The R's would be better off running someone else now.

Sorry to break the one-post-daily comments rule again, but I just ran into Steve at the store 15 minutes ago and told him I had been reading some speculation about him. He asked, "What was that?" I said, "Wyden to the cabinet and you to the Senate." He laughed and said, "I could live with that."
I joked that I'd get my people on it. Seriously, wouldn't it be cool? He'd raise the average Senate IQ at least a point apiece.

Wow! Getting rid of Wyden, a coup for Oregon...Novick, a great choice.

I think it's a great idea! Sadly, the man who would have the final say, Gov. Ted, is a boring centrist who would more likely pick a long-time power broker in Salem, not someone who, like Novick, has demonstrated an ounce of creativity or insight. Sad, but true.

Governor Ted doesn't have the final say. The seat would be filled by a special election and Novick is well positioned to run another Senate campaign quickly.

Remember the Novick ad that showed up on Comcast during a Blazer game months after the election? I ran into Steve back then and told him, "You don't know when to quit."

Turns out he could have just been being brilliant again. Maybe it was the first ad in the new campaign.

The tough question is would you bag the Senate to be in the cabinet if you were Wyden?

would you bag the Senate to be in the cabinet if you were Wyden?

It would be tough to give up all that transcontinental air travel.

I bet New York would be sad to lose their third Senate seat ...

Novick would wipe Smith in an election..........In Multnomah County. Special elections traditionally have super low turnout, add that to the fact that the Dems wouldn't benefit from a huge swell of Obama voters this time around. It would be anybody's game really.

State Senator Jason Atkinson (R-Central Point) has expressed interest in running for Wyden's seat if he would be appointed to HHS.

Oregon Catalyst has the rumor.

I'd like to know more about how warmly the health care and pharma companies have embraced our senior senator. In 1992, he was rabidly opposed to single payer health care. In 2003 (if that's when it was), he cast the deciding vote to pass the stink bomb of Medicare Part D.

No no no, no more senators to the Cabinet, especially Democrats. Do we really want to take a chance on a Republican replacing Wyden and becoming one more vote for legislative obstruction?

In the O this morning, Wyden pretty much said he would take the HHS job if offered. I was wondering why he'd want it since, barring a sex scandal, he's senator for life from Oregon. But it would be worth it if he will be remembered as the guy who finally brought universal health insurance to America.

I'm pretty sure the Guv has to appoint somebody to fill the vacancy until there is a special election and he sure as hell won't appoint Novick.

Bradbury!

BOO!!!

"I'm pretty sure the Guv has to appoint somebody to fill the vacancy until there is a special election and he sure as hell won't appoint Novick."

No under a 1986 law the seat sits vacant while a special election is held. Kitzhaber had no say when Packwood resigned in 1995; he just set the election date Jan 1996 which Wyden won.

I thought Mayor's had cabinets, not presidents.