Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
Updated. Our congratulations and best wishes to Sen. Max Baucus on being confirmed as ambassador to China on a 96–0 vote. Max voted present, and the senators from Kansas, and Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Republicans all, did not vote.
Gov. Steve Bullock will hold a press conference at noon tomorrow, and the expectation is that he’ll announce who he will appoint to serve the 11 months of Baucus’ term. I expect he’ll appoint Lt. Gov. John Walsh, whom he has endorsed for the Democratic nomination for the Senate, unless Walsh changes his mind about wanting to be appointed.
Actually, the more interesting question is: whom will Bullock appoint to replace Walsh as Lt. Governor? I think there’s a fairly strong probability he’ll pick Montana’s superintendent of public instruction, Denise Juneau, who will be termed-out in 2016 and has strong credentials for public service.
Update. At the Billings Gazette this evening, Charlie Johnson reported that Bullock may be considering for Lt. Governor two women apparently without experience in electoral politics:
John Walsh lacked experience in electoral politics (he was well versed in National Guard politics). I thought Bullock picked him in spite of that, but if Bullock is considering appointing as Lt. Governor another person without experience in electoral politics, perhaps Walsh was picked because he hadn’t run for, or served in, electoral office. Is it possible that Bullock deeply disdains or fears other elected officials?
As for Baucus, he must still present to the Chinese government his credentials as ambassador. That’s usually a formality, and presumably the Chinese have quietly approved of his appointment, but there’s always a remote possibility — lottery ticket odds, really — that an unforeseen foreign policy crisis could provoke Beijing to reject Baucus. I wonder how much Mandarin he can learn at 72.