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!

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The Obama replacement circus gets even crazier

Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I didn’t think it was possible, but J3’s ambition has reached a new high…

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd) is favored among a crowded field of possible replacements for President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat, a new poll suggests.

The Zogby International poll conducted after Election Day says 21 percent of likely Illinois voters want Gov. Rod Blagojevich to appoint Jackson to Obama’s seat, which expires in January 2011. His nearest competitor is Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Vet erans Affairs, who was supported by 14 percent of those responding to the poll.

It goes without saying that 21 percent ain’t exactly a mandate.

Here’s the list of tested Democrats, which, by the way, was sent to reporters from an official congressional e-mail address. Click for a larger image…

* “bored now” has this analysis at the newly revamped and freshly energized Illinoize…

The biggest problem with the survey is that none of the names are well known across the state. While Zogby tried to obfuscate this by combining the “Not Familiar” and “No Response” categories in his public release of the poll. The client (Jesse Jackson) undoubtedly got a better breakdown here.

The only thing we can really determine is that the Congressman really wants the job — enough to commission a poll and release the findings.

Yep.

* More from the poll…

In two prospective Senate races, Jackson would defeat Republican Congressman Ray LaHood by a 50% to 31% margin, the survey shows. Among the 15% who were not certain about whom they would support, nearly two said they were leaning toward Jackson for every one that was leaning toward supporting LaHood. […]

In a prospective match-up against Republican Congressman Mark Kirk, Jackson wins 48% support, compared to 32% for Kirk. Among the 15% who are leaning toward one candidate or the other, Kirk has a 10% to 7% edge, the survey shows.

* Bill Dennis wonders about the inclusion of LaHood…

Really? I’ve heard LaHood mentioned as a candidate for governor. This is the first mention I’ve heard that he might run for Senate.

* Laura Washington probably said it best this week…

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been furiously pitching for weeks. His fingerprints are all over the incessant speculation about his candidacy. Triple J is probably speaking Senatese in his sleep. Time to cool it, congressman.

* And, for whatever reason, The Hill turned to former director of the NAACP’s Washington bureau, Hilary Shelton, for comment…

Shelton also urged that an African-American be selected to take Obama’s Senate seat.

“We strongly believe the Senate should be much more integrated,” said Shelton. Obama is the only African-American member of the Senate, and only the third since Reconstruction.

“Gov. [Rod] Blagojevich [D] should choose someone who is consistent with the will of the people who elected Obama, someone who represents the values and priorities that Obama ran on when he was elected to the U.S. Senate,” Shelton said.

* Roger Simon of the Politico muses…

Gov. Blagojevich is not a fan of Jackson’s either, and, personalities and feuds aside, the argument used against Jackson is that he would “lack appeal downstate” when he had to run for election to the Senate seat in 2010. Lacking appeal downstate is code for, “White people won’t vote for him.”

A Chicago political insider whom I trust says that Jackson is on a list of possible replacements for Obama but that Jackson has only an outside chance.

And continues…

One intriguing name on the shortlist is that of Emil Jones, 73, currently president of the Illinois Senate. He was one of Obama’s political patrons, is close to the governor and is an African-American, yet I got snorts of derision when I ran his name past some other Illinois sources of mine. That’s because Jones is from the old school — he started out as a sewer inspector, which is not bad training for a life in politics — and is not a modern, ready-for-TV candidate, possessing an orator’s tongue. He is a Chicago pol — the ring tone on his cell phone is the theme from “The Godfather” — but he would be a “place holder” only and would not run in 2010. He would fill the seat with an African-American and give the other contenders plenty of time to start their campaigns.

There are many, many reasons not to appoint Jones and Jackson, but all the pundits are getting way ahead of themselves here.

* Related…

* Why 2010 Won’t Be Like 1994

* Durbin has a favored Obama replacement — but he’s not talking

* Durbin talks about daughter’s death before election

* Durbin round up