Is Obama Making a Mistake?

[eliza61]

I refer to the United States Constitution:
Article I
Section 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time: and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a member of either House during his continuance in office.
Now does this mean that Senator Hillary Clinton can not be appointed as Secretary of State? She is a sitting Senator and she voted for a compensation increase for Cabinet Members during her current term.

I see either the far left or far right or both raising this issue for their own ends. I would think that President-Elect Obama would have realized this issue, he having been an Instructor of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School!

Uhmm,
Personally I think that Barak is probably concentrating a little more on the pesky little problem we are having with banks going under, giant automobile companies going under, unemployment possibly hitting 8-9% before 2010 and the global economy going down the tubes.
I'm sure he has some congressional staffer who will rectify it, IF it truly becomes an issue.

Has Hillary accepted the job? If she hasn't it's not an issue, lets wait until she formally accepts why don't we?

 

[Master Mason]

Uhmm,
Personally I think that Barak is probably concentrating a little more on the pesky little problem we are having with banks going under, giant automobile companies going under, unemployment possibly hitting 8-9% before 2010 and the global economy going down the tubes.
I'm sure he has some congressional staffer who will rectify it, IF it truly becomes an issue.

Has Hillary accepted the job? If she hasn't it's not an issue, lets wait until she formally accepts why don't we?

It is a valid question to concider, and If Obama has a congressional staffer, as he is no longer a member of congress, then he has much bigger problems as well.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I don't believe anyone has, during any of our lifetimes, ever run against a sitting President for that President's party nomination, and won the year's general election. There is no reason to think that Hillary Clinton has any thoughts, whatsoever, of doing so.

Not to mention that being a cabinet member seems to be a kiss of death where running for the Presidency is concerned. The most recent were Hoover (the incumbent Commerce Secretary when he won) and FDR (Assistant Secretary of the Navy under Wilson). Before that you have to go back to Buchanan, who was SoS and Ambassador to Britain.

 

[Charade]

Not to mention that being a cabinet member seems to be a kiss of death where running for the Presidency is concerned. The most recent were Hoover (the incumbent Commerce Secretary when he won) and FDR (Assistant Secretary of the Navy under Wilson). Before that you have to go back to Buchanan, who was SoS and Ambassador to Britain.

So does mean the odds are Hillary won't be POTUS?

 

[FinallyBoughtDVC]

This cannot be the first time a sitting Senator or Representative was appointed to a cabinet post ostensibly covered by that clause. It should be a non-issue.

I believe it happened before and the incoming cabinet member took a pay decrease to the previous payscale and it worked out fine.

The rule makes sense - you don't want someone voting to give a raise for a position they're going to accept, thereby benefitting financially from their vote. However, you don't want the rule to prohibit a highly qualified individual from accepting the position. So, giving a pay cut is the logical way to deal with the issue.

I say this will be a non-issue except for all the crazies who will complain about anything and everything Obama or Clinton do anyway.