"Rosenworcel vs. Clyburn vs. unknown – Breaking the glass ceiling at the FCC will be touchy. A pre-emptive campaign for FCC Chairman? Highly unusual. We’ve been talking about Obama appointing a first-ever female FCC chair for months now, and this week a startling development is reported by National Journal - an organized movement on behalf of current Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. That may be led in part by her former boss – West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller, who’s retiring after nearly 30 years. Rosenworcel served on the Senate Commerce Committee staff when he was chairman. We’ve expected that either Rosenworcel or fellow Democratic Commissioner Mignon Clyburn would be named interim chair, once Julius Genachowski splits. But this is something different – 37 Senate Dems have signed a letter to President Obama, recommending Rosenworcel as the permanent Chair. But Clyburn has seniority, and a powerful father in House leader Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. And reportedly Obama was looking at Tom Wheeler as a strong possibility. Not an easy choice for Obama."
As much as I love the sound of Chairman Rosenworcel (it makes me want to write limericks), I'm still rooting for Clyburn. She wouldn't just be the first female F.C.C. chair--she's our one and only shot of having one named "Mignon". That's a once-in-lifetime situation.
