Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

A long roundup in order to get to a caption contest

Monday, Dec 1, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Chris Cilliza of the Washington Post gets it…

Obama’s own election has caused a problem, as embattled Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who continues to mull running for a third term in 2010, is solely charged with picking a successor – and any tie to Blagojevich could endanger a nominee’s election in 2010.

Your darn tootin’. And it doesn’t help that the governor is calling the appointment a Christmas present…

He’s no Santa Claus, but Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Monday that he plans to give someone the gift of a U.S. Senate seat for Christmas. […]

“I’m looking forward to being even more giving this holiday season than I have in the past,” Blagojevich said, touting the state’s annual food and clothing drive. “And I’ll also give somebody a U.S. Senate seat for Christmas.”

The TV ad writes itself.

* President-Elect Barack Obama is rapidly filling up his Cabinet, Veep-Elect Joe Biden’s replacement has been named (and Biden hasn’t even resigned yet), but Gov. Blagojevich still can’t make up his mind on our new US Senator. I’m guessing part of the reason for the delay is that he loves the rare positive attention and adulation from politicos. The Obama replacement also allows him to talk to reporters without fielding pesky questions about Tony Rezko. It’s a win-win for the guv.

The Sun-Times attempts to be helpful today and endorses Jesse Jackson, Jr. for the open seat…

Above all, we believe, Jackson shares the values and goals of the president-elect, a consideration of no small importance to us in making this endorsement. The voters of Illinois chose Obama twice — first for the Senate and then for president — and they deserve a replacement who fully shares the president-elect’s agenda

I guess all the lobbying, politicking and polling were just fine with the CS-T. Frankly, I thought he made a fool of himself. But here’s Jackson’s explanation…

“Anyone who is not campaigning for this office in one form or another is not taking the process as seriously as it has to be taken,” Jackson said Tuesday on WTTW-Ch. 11’s “Chicago Tonight.”

Except that’s not what his spokesman said last week…

Bryant said Jackson is not actively campaigning for the appointment, tempering reports the congressman was making concerted efforts to get the post.

So, which is it?

* The Hill jumps the gun…

A slip of the tongue from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) is fueling speculation that Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) could be chosen as President-elect Barack Obama’s replacement in the Senate.

Blagojevich referred to Davis as “senator,” according to the Associated Press. The lawmaker has expressed an interest in the position and the governor said Davis would make a great senator.

They should’ve waited for the full story…

Gov. Blagojevich said it twice — “Where’s Sen. Davis?” — with a sly smile, but also with an assured tone. […]

But Blagojevich — who along with Davis was visiting homeless people at a Chicago Christian Industrial League Thanksgiving meal Thursday — quickly let it be known that he still hasn’t made his choice about who should fill the remaining two years of Obama’s Senate term.

It’s customary in Springfield to half-jokingly refer to someone who is up for a new office by said office’s moniker, hence the “Senator” reference.

* Congresscritter Davis recently provoked a guffaw from MSNBC’s First Read blog…

Per a press release from the office of Rep. Danny Davis, an African-American congressman considered one of the front-runners for the appointment, Illinois supporters will be holding an event today to “announce their support and urge Governor Blagojavich to appoint Congressman Danny K. Davis to replace President-Elect Obama as U. S. Senator.”

Whoops.

Blagojavich?

* As you probably already know, Luis Gutierrez essentially took himself out of the running for Obama’s seat…

Gutierrez met with Gov. Blagojevich and told the governor he would like to be a “caretaker” senator for the next two years working to get comprehensive immigration reform passed in the Senate instead of fund-raising to get re-elected to the Senate in 2010, Gutierrez said.

But Blagojevich said he was looking for someone who wanted the post long-term, Gutierrez said. “It’s basically over — unless he calls me back,” Gutierrez said.

* Meanwhile, the governor is heading to Philadelphia to meet with President-Elect Obama tomorrow…

- Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he’ll travel to Philadelphia this week to join his peers at a meeting of the National Governors Association.

President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are expected to speak to the group Tuesday at Independence Hall.

Blagojevich says he wants to use the meeting with Obama to discuss how the federal government can help address state budget shortfalls.

Apparently, Blagojevich can’t just wander over to Obama’s downtown Chicago transition office. Obama is headquartered in the federal building, so that may be off limits.

This, of course, gives us another opportunity to stroll down memory lane…

Caption?

…Adding… The Bill for Senate FaceBook group is now up to 330 members. Join today!

49 Comments

A holiday miracle

Monday, Nov 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I e-mailed Sen. Dick Durbin’s press staff today asking if the Senator and Gov. Rod Blagojevich had ever hooked up to discuss Barack Obama’s US Senate replacement. Here’s the reply…

Yes. They connected this afternoon by phone.

Will wonders never cease?

* Meanwhile, I’m with Larry. Nate Silver has no clue what he’s talking about…

The way Democrats lose [Obama’s US Senate] seat is if they pick a nominee who (i) has some heretofore-unknown scandal or, (2) just doesn’t have the political acumen to click at the statewide level, particularly on his or her first try and a high-profile position as US Senator.

The best way to prevent these things would be to appoint a placeholder like Jones and then let the younger candidates battle it out on a level playing field in the primaries

Emil Jones would prevent that, eh? I’d beg to differ.

The only placeholder I could possibly support is Bill.

* Joe Biden has been replaced, but Gov. Blagojevich said today that he’s still working on his Obama replacement decision…

The governor also said he was not ready to make an appointment to Obama’s old Senate seat. He has had a team working on vetting candidates for weeks.

In some of his remarks, he implied he may do so by Christmas, but he gave no indication of who might get the plum appointment.

“We are still working on it,” he said. “It is a process that requires a lot of deliberation. It is not the sort of thing you should push.”

You’d better comment quickly, because I’m just about to shut ‘er down for the holiday.

18 Comments

Afternoon updates and stuff

Monday, Nov 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* PI has posted an excerpt from David Axelrod’s interview on Fox Chicago Sunday…

Axelrod was asked whether Obama would be making endorsements in Illinois and Chicago politics….

“I haven’t had this discussion with him, so I don’t want to go too far, but I think his inclination’s gonna be to stick to the task he was sent to perform and not to try and be a kingmaker or boss here in Illinois.”

I suppose that rules out an endorsement of Bill for the US Senate. Still, I can’t help but wonder if this also applies to Alexi.

* Besides recruiting and running a potential “seat warmer” for Rahm Emanuel, there is another idea floating around…

In addition, political powers are discussing another option that would allow Mr. Emanuel to have his cake and eat it too without forcing anyone to play seat warmer.

Under that scenario, a new district for Mr. Emanuel to run in would be carved out in district reapportionment after the 2010 elections. Democrats are likely to run remap in Illinois, and with Chicago suburbs increasingly turning Democratic blue, it could be fairly easy to throw GOP incubmbents Peter Roskam and Judy Biggert into one district while peeling off Democratic sections to use as the basis for a new district that would extend into Chicago. That would allow Mr. Emanuel to return to the House and get back in line to become speaker some day, without having to force whoever wins the 5th District job to step down.

* Confusion at DNR after park closure announcements…

IDNR employees are in a state of befuddlement. That and similar remarks came from multiple employees at state sites on Monday. Are they staying or going? Will there be layoffs? If so, how many? […]

The question is whether those closures will mean layoffs of IDNR employees.

“You would think somebody would make decision,'’ said a state employee facing a forced move to another site.

“We are still determining how many employees will now be affected given these changes,'’ IDNR spokesman Chris McCloud said.

What a great way to kick off the holiday season, eh?

The above story also references this study which purports to show that the site closings were based on partisan politics.

* IMRF troubles ahead…

It’s not farfetched to think that virtually every extra cent of revenue coming to local governments in the next couple years will be used to pay increased pension obligations.

* The Peoria Journal-Star editorializes about the need for constitutional amendments on property taxes, the number of local governments, TIF districts, ethics reforms, the unfunded pension liability, etc., etc., etc. and then has this to say…

We fully expect good government groups to lead the charge in drafting and generating support for these amendments, to prove as some promised just how easy it is to amend Illinois’ Constitution without having to resort to something so radical as another Con-Con.

While they’re busy writing up amendments and getting the signatures necessary to put such citizen initiatives on the ballot - please, let’s not rely on the Legislature to do that for us - here’s one issue they should put at the top of their list.

Um, PJ Star? Those dreamy amendments of yours cannot make it onto the ballot without first clearing the General Assembly. Here’s a handy link for future reference.

The same paper recently endorsed Sen. James Clayborne for Senate President apparently without realizing that Clayborne was privately backed by Gov Blagojevich. Oops.

* Steve Thomma of McClatchy Newspapers filed this pool report earlier today…

It’s noteworthy that the press seats at the news conference have been divided into a White Sox section - to the South - and a Cubs section - to the North of the ballroom.

But in a crime against nature, your pooler - a genuine White Sox fan, a man who attended his first twi-night double header at the Old Comiskey in 1963, who sat behind third base for the 50th anniversary All Star Game there in ‘83, who knew Bill Veeck and the wonders of Disco Demolition night, who saw the great Ozzie play before he managed - has been assigned a seat in the Cubs section.

They should just ban all Cub fans from the proceedings.

And, yes, I’m just kidding. Sorta.

15 Comments

Durbin and the crazy

Monday, Nov 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’m not sure what brings out the crazy in some people when it comes to US Sen. Dick Durbin. He sure does attract the tinfoil hatters.

For instance, a bizarre cottage industry has sprung up which believes that Durbin will refuse to support the reappointment of US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald’s reappointment was never in doubt, and as you saw on Saturday if you surfed this way, Durbin has made that point crystal clear for the doubters…

“I think he has done an extraordinary job as U.S. attorney; I have the greatest confidence in him,” Durbin said. “I want to do what he wants to do, I want to support what he wants to do and I won’t presume what that is.”

By the way, whomever gets Obama’s Senate seat will have zero input into the reappointment. This is the perogative of the president, who also supports Fitzgerald, and the state’s senior Senator. So, spare us your conspiracy theories about the governor’s appointment, please.

* Meanwhile, a far larger group of online and talk radio denizens has been whacking the Senator for months after he made this 2007 comment to The Hill…

“It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they’re in a better position to make a decision.”

Google “Durbin” and “Fairness Doctrine” and you get 28,300 hits - most of them quite unkind.

* Durbin is now walking that all the way back…

Rauschenberger accuses U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) of wishing to restore the Fairness Doctrine to squelch right-wing talk radio, but Durbin’s office says the senator was merely giving a flip answer when he was asked about it by Roll Call last year. Durbin has no desire and no plan to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine, his office says.

* Durbin’s spokesperson also had this to say to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution…

“That’s a completely made-up issue,” the press secretary to Sen. Dick Durbin told Cogan, stressing that Durbin has “no plans, no language, no nothing.”

So, either the pressure got to him, or Durbin really was being flippant. Either way, with President-elect Obama opposing a return to the Fairness Doctrine, I don’t see any way this happens.

21 Comments

Ministers want black replacement, but not Emil Jones

Monday, Nov 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This was inevitable…

A group of Chicago clergymen is urging the governor to appoint an African-American to the Obama seat. They’re not endorsing any candidate but say the person the governor picks should be electable and carry on a progressive agenda.

* There are at least two African-American congressmen vying for the seat - Danny Davis and Jesse Jackson, Jr. - so the ministers say they won’t choose between the two.

The reverends did make one other interesting demand…

But they don’t want a short-term fill-in, which Emil Jones, the retiring 71-year-old state senate president, would likely be.

At least that’s some progress. Choosing Jones would be a huge outrage and likely political suicide. It would be political insanity, which is why I won’t rule it out.

47 Comments

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