"Handling" Ramsey's proposal for judicial selection

Here are the latest reports on Lt. Gov. Ramsey's likely proposal for judicial selection. (Tom Humphrey--"Bredesen Opposes Ramsey's Latest Judicial Selection Plan") and ("Vines: Ron Ramsey, Tennessee governor hopeful, offers changes")

It's difficult to comment on a proposal that you haven't seen, but it's interesting how these reports characterize Ramsey's (likely) proposal as being more than a temporary or stop-gap measure to transition the state from commission-based selection of judges to our long-time system of electing judges; they've also seemed to emphasize that Ramsey--if elected governor, would get the power to appoint judges. Reporting the plan this way makes sense if you're (a) attempting to report that the plan is incomplete in addressing every possible scenario that could ever happen, and (b) attempting to characterize Ramsey's proposal as self-serving. I'm concerned that Ramsey lacks the nerve to sunset the Lawyers Lobby's method of selecting judges, but I still believe that his proposals deserve a fair shake from the Media.

Incidentally, one point from the article that needs clarifying, in my opinion, is that the law in place for 100 years in Tennessee allowed the governor to make interim appointments until the next biennial election in August, rather than to serve the remainder of an eight-year term, as the article seems to indicate. At worst, interim appointees would face a retention referendum, and at best they would face contested elections as are provided by the laws which were never repealed and are still on the books.