LOL: Blago to Appoint Fmr. AG to Senate Seat

[Nym90]

Like Burris could get the signatures to make it on a statewide ballot anyways. He would be easy bait for challenges.

True. My arguments have been going on the assumption that Burris would not be the Dem nominee in such an election. If he is, I agree he's a pretty weak candidate, though the possibility of him getting to 51 percent in Illinois is certainly realistic.

[Lunar]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/01/aides-democrats-have-plan-if-burris-shows-up/

The Democrats are going to physically block Burris from entering the floor.

They better make sure that their doorman is black, and if not, hire a black doorman.  Otherwise  you'll be making Bobby Rush campaign propaganda

[Beet]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/01/aides-democrats-have-plan-if-burris-shows-up/

The Democrats are going to physically block Burris from entering the floor.

They better make sure that their doorman is black, and if not, hire a black doorman.  Otherwise  you'll be making Bobby Rush campaign propaganda

Yes! They are finally showing some guts! I hope they hire the blackest doorman in the country. He'll be blacker than oil.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Democrats made their bed by dragging their feet on a special election, and now it's time to lie in it.

Everyone needs to get over themselves.  Roland Burris is a U.S. Senator now.  Accept it.  Nominate someone else in 2010.  Move on.

[Jeff from NC]

Democrats made their bed by dragging their feet on a special election, and now it's time to lie in it.

Everyone needs to get over themselves.  Roland Burris is a U.S. Senator now.  Accept it.  Nominate someone else in 2010.  Move on.

Agreed.

[Lunar]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1360191,harry-reid-blagojevich-jesse-jackson-010209.article

Ah, looks like Reid called Blago personally in an attempt to block JJJ, Davis, and Jones in exchange for pushing non-black candidates.   Looks like Reid has put the hate down on Chicago's black political establishment

[muon2]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1360191,harry-reid-blagojevich-jesse-jackson-010209.article

Ah, looks like Reid called Blago personally in an attempt to block JJJ, Davis, and Jones in exchange for pushing non-black candidates.   Looks like Reid has put the hate down on Chicago's black political establishment

Reid also seems to have switched many IL Dem minds against holding a special election after their initial statements were to have one. None of his actions with respect to the Obama vacancy seem to be in the interest of who may best serve the people of IL. Rather it seems to be about who would best serve his caucus.

[Lunar]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1360191,harry-reid-blagojevich-jesse-jackson-010209.article

Ah, looks like Reid called Blago personally in an attempt to block JJJ, Davis, and Jones in exchange for pushing non-black candidates.   Looks like Reid has put the hate down on Chicago's black political establishment

Reid also seems to have switched many IL Dem minds against holding a special election after their initial statements were to have one. None of his actions with respect to the Obama vacancy seem to be in the interest of who may best serve the people of IL. Rather it seems to be about who would best serve his caucus.

Well, you can say that anyone who would be unlikely to win [re?]election would not be serving the interests of the majority of Illinois because Illinois voters would reject the candidate

[Sam Spade]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1360191,harry-reid-blagojevich-jesse-jackson-010209.article

Ah, looks like Reid called Blago personally in an attempt to block JJJ, Davis, and Jones in exchange for pushing non-black candidates.   Looks like Reid has put the hate down on Chicago's black political establishment

No Chicago negroes need apply??

[Mr.Phips]

I doubt Burris would do that or get more than a couple percent doing that unless the Democratic nominee were white.  Dan Seals doesn't have that problem

And again, remember that Kirk beat Dan Seals convincingly in an Obama+11 district. 

Kirk was the incumbent.  If Kirk and Seals were running in IL-10 without Kirk's incumbency, Seals would have likely won that race by double digits. 

[muon2]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1360191,harry-reid-blagojevich-jesse-jackson-010209.article

Ah, looks like Reid called Blago personally in an attempt to block JJJ, Davis, and Jones in exchange for pushing non-black candidates.   Looks like Reid has put the hate down on Chicago's black political establishment

Reid also seems to have switched many IL Dem minds against holding a special election after their initial statements were to have one. None of his actions with respect to the Obama vacancy seem to be in the interest of who may best serve the people of IL. Rather it seems to be about who would best serve his caucus.

Well, you can say that anyone who would be unlikely to win [re?]election would not be serving the interests of the majority of Illinois because Illinois voters would reject the candidate

At this point I wouldn't sat that at all. There was serious talk and significant support in IL for a placeholder who would serve the people well for 2 years then allow an open race in 2010. Reid was clearly not interested in that possibility either.

[Beet]

Another win for Blago. The Dems are getting their asses handed to them by a soon-to-be behind bars guy with a 1982 haircut. If this is the way they run the country a certain Russian professor will be looking smart in a few years. Either that or I'll be supporting Blago for his 2016 Presidential run.

[Lunar]

And Cornyn notes today what I noticed just a bit ago:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/01/republicans-pou.html

An interesting development after today's Chicago Sun-Times story in which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., suggests to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagoevich that he pick either Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan but not appoint either Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. or Danny Davis, or state senate president Emil Jones, to President-elect Obama's former Senate seat. (Reid is reported to have worried none of the three could win reelection.)

Senate Republicans are now pointing out that Jackson, Davis and Jones are all African-American.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, tees it off by saying: "For the last several weeks, Sen. Reid has led the charge to deny the people of Illinois a voice in choosing their next U.S. Senator in a special election. Now we learn that Sen. Reid also took the extraordinary step to lobby against two sitting U.S. Congressmen and the State Senate Majority Leader in Illinois, and instead told Gov. Blagojevich that he supported an appointment for an individual who recently lost a U.S. House election. The people of Illinois deserve a simple explanation from Senator Reid -- why does he believe these three Illinois officeholders are 'unelectable' to the U.S. Senate?"

More pointedly, a GOP Senate aide writes in an email, "I do think it's a fair question to point out -- what would the reaction be if a Republican had been pressuring a Governor not to pick one of the black candidates? You and I both remember the outrage over Trent Lott's comments at Strom Thurmond's birthday party. I'm not suggesting either of them is racist, just saying it seems like there's always a double standard on how R's and D's are judged on things like this."

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

And Cornyn notes today what I noticed just a bit ago:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/01/republicans-pou.html

An interesting development after today's Chicago Sun-Times story in which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., suggests to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagoevich that he pick either Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan but not appoint either Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. or Danny Davis, or state senate president Emil Jones, to President-elect Obama's former Senate seat. (Reid is reported to have worried none of the three could win reelection.)

Senate Republicans are now pointing out that Jackson, Davis and Jones are all African-American.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, tees it off by saying: "For the last several weeks, Sen. Reid has led the charge to deny the people of Illinois a voice in choosing their next U.S. Senator in a special election. Now we learn that Sen. Reid also took the extraordinary step to lobby against two sitting U.S. Congressmen and the State Senate Majority Leader in Illinois, and instead told Gov. Blagojevich that he supported an appointment for an individual who recently lost a U.S. House election. The people of Illinois deserve a simple explanation from Senator Reid -- why does he believe these three Illinois officeholders are 'unelectable' to the U.S. Senate?"

More pointedly, a GOP Senate aide writes in an email, "I do think it's a fair question to point out -- what would the reaction be if a Republican had been pressuring a Governor not to pick one of the black candidates? You and I both remember the outrage over Trent Lott's comments at Strom Thurmond's birthday party. I'm not suggesting either of them is racist, just saying it seems like there's always a double standard on how R's and D's are judged on things like this."

Reid is obviously a bunch of useless deadwood here, but Cornyn is trash that has zero moral authority on the position of seating Senators after he vowed to fillibuster the winner of the Minnesota Senate election.

[Lunar]

Cornyn is just better at playing hardball.


Reid is going to have a personal meeting with Burris:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6570544&page=1

[Lief 🗽]

I hope Cornyn forces Reid to resign over this. That would be the first thing Cornyn did that I ever approved of.

[Meeker]

I hope Cornyn forces Reid to resign over this. That would be the first thing Cornyn did that I ever approved of.

^^^

That was my initial reaction.

[Beet]

This just shows how disgusting the whole appointment process has been shown up to be. Forget Blago. The only reason we know about this is because Blago was caught on tape because the Feds were taping his conversations, because he was already under investigation for other things. For all we know similar or other unscrupulous lobbying could have occurred in Colorado, Delaware or New York.

When you have a few insiders deciding things, you can never really say for certain that an ethical decision is being made. There is absolutely nothing that can prevent unscrupulous behavior from entering into the process.

The appointment system should be abolished. All Governors should be required by law to appoint caretakers and a special election should be held as quickly as logistically possible.

[Lunar]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/04/reid-defends-himself-from_n_155080.html

Video of Reid defending himself as un-racist on meet the press.  He says that the whole idea of him opposing J3, Davis, and Jones is a Blagojevich lie.  I think he's probably telling the truth since he could very well be on federal recordings and it'd be very easy to prove him wrong.

[Iosif]

Patterson appoints Byron Brown and all this goes away.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'd support the Democrats posting heavily armed guards at the Capitol entered and telling Burris that if he attempts to walk through the door he'll be missing a head.