Two black senators for the first time in U.S. history

[regularguy]

Interesting!

Gov. Deval Patrick will appoint Mo Cowan to fill the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry...Cowan, an attorney, was Gov. Patrick's chief of staff for most of his current, second term. Like Patrick, he's African-American. Thus, for the first time ever, the Senate will include more than one black member at the same time — Cowan and South Carolina's Tim Scott. I'd thought that the Reconstruction era produced multiple black senators, and it did, but they served a few years apart. And since senators were appointed by legislatures until 1914, that means only three of the eight black senators were elected by voters.

[kandace]

This is Kerry's way of mollifying Black voters after deep sixing Susan Rice's nomination.

[regularguy]

This is Kerry's way of mollifying Black voters after deep sixing Susan Rice's nomination.

It was Gov. Patrick's choice... and he chose his closest aide.

[kandace]

It was Gov. Patrick's choice... and he chose his closest aide.

True, it was Gov. Patrick's choice, but in politics, choices of that type and magnitude are made in consultation with other politicians.

[Ozone]

True, it was Gov. Patrick's choice, but in politics, choices of that type and magnitude are made in consultation with other politicians.

You are quite right about this, and this selection is all part of a strategy in the next few months for the democrats here in Massachusetts to select a candidate strong enough to beat Scott Brown in the special election to permanently replace John Kerry... and that will take place later this year. None of the potential candidates in the democratic field really wanted to be appointed for this temporary assignment when they will all be campaigning nearly non stop once the special primaries and election times are set. Right now Brown holds a 57 to 43% lead over the leading contender. He held a much bigger lead over Warren when their race began over a year ago. Brown lost decisively after leading in the polls for most of the race. Brown is still popular in Massachusetts, and could win this time. The moderate republicans up here have rallied around Brown, but the wingnut tea party types really have injured Brown's in his run against Warren when their crazy proclamations compelled Brown to distance himself from their ranks. They voted enthusiastically for him in his first special election after Ted Kennedy died, but when they found out he was moderate to liberal on many social issues, the tea types looked at him as a closet democrat. Brown did not vocally support any of the tea candidates that challenged sitting democrats in the house in this last election. The conventional wisdom up here is that if Brown keeps his distance from the republican right wing up here, he can attract enough moderate democrats and independents to win. The democrats are nervous that he might win this time. The Brown vs. Warren race was the most expensive Senate race in US history. No one is predicting a similar expense this time with the republican party so wounded right now. And it is not clear if the Nat. Republican party will want to throw as much money as they did last year into a Massachusetts senate race.

[Dryfire]

Are MSNBC and CNN newscasters having conniption fits and throwing out dispariging remarks like when Gov Nicki Haley appointed Tim Scott? Just wondering. I bet Chris Mathews is dribbling mad.