One of the key concerns about Judd Gregg's nomination for Commerce Secretary was the Commerce Department's responsibility for the census, and the possibility Gregg would put his thumb on the scale in 2010.
That, in one of the few positives thus far associated with his nomination, is no longer a concern.
Following objections from black and Latino leaders, Commerce will be bypassed on census-related matters. Why would they object?
Gregg, New Hampshire’s senior senator, voted in committee and on the floor for a 1995 Republican budget that envisioned the elimination of the Commerce Department. Of even more concern to black and Hispanic leaders, Gregg battled President Clinton over a request for "emergency" funding for the 2000 census.
"Secretary of Commerce-designate Judd Gregg ’s record raises serious questions about his willingness to ensure that the 2010 census produces the most accurate possible count of the nation’’s population,"" the National Association of Latino Elected Officials said in a release on Tuesday, the day Gregg was named to the post. ""Policymakers and planners at all levels of government rely on these data to make important decisions about their services, such as the number of teachers that will be needed in their classrooms, the best places to build new roads, or the best way to provide job training."
And, of course, the census is key to House redistricting.
Now that the Obama administration has dipped their foot in this particular lake, they might want to see what other functions of Commerce could easily be moved elsewhere.